Summer’s over.

Usually this makes me sad.

I think, “Where did the time go? I didn’t do all the things I wanted to do!”

But this summer, I feel like I finally got it right. I allowed myself to enjoy the flexibility of freelance writing.

I took a few afternoons off to go swimming.
I hiked. I kayaked. I took long walks with my dog.
I traveled to Paris and Barcelona.
I sat by a stream in the Rocky Mountains.
I went to a movie by myself on a Friday afternoon and ate popcorn.
I read lots of books in my hammock.

And guess what?

I didn't earn less money. I didn’t lose any clients over it, and not a single deadline was missed. I still worked hard. I just worked fewer hours.

What I learned from better work-life balance

Because I was on a schedule with shifted priorities, the hours I did spend working were more focused, productive, and overall—more enjoyable.

I finally felt in control of my work.

It put me in the right place to jump into new opportunities:

I worked with Paul Jarvis on his freelancing course (more on that soon.)
I made my first YouTube video.
I did a live writing tutorial with Joanna Wiebe over on Copyhackers.

And this was a really different feeling for me.

Over the past three years of freelancing, I kind of resented summer because I never let myself enjoy it.

I just kept working. And working. And working. And then, POOF! Summer was over. Buh-bye.

Now, summer is over again. But I'm not sad about it. Fall is here (I've got the window up in my office today and a sweatshirt on.)

If this is your favorite season (like it is mine) and you have the ability to set your own hours, my message to you is this:

Give yourself permission to enjoy it.