Never underestimate the power of a good work-life balance...
Do you really think you get more work done when you're working 16 hours a day? Don't forget: it's quality over quantity!
Working over 12 hours a day' means you won't have time to fit in your family,
friends and hobbies. That will cause stress, leading to burnout or even
depression.
Not taking regular breaks will cause exhaustion, resulting in less focus and so
more mistakes, which means... lower quality.
If you work 8 hours a day with regular breaks, you'll be more focussed on your
work. More focus means better quality, so you will need less time to meet your
customers' quality requirements.
Find the working schedule that fits your life best.
For example:
💪 2
hours of work
😴 15-minute
break
💪 2
hours of work
🍽 30-minute
lunch break
💪 2
hours of work
😴 15-minute
break
💪 2
hours of work
😎 Quality
time
So that adds up to roughly a 9-hour working day, breaks included. Bearing in mind that you should be trying to get 8 hours' sleep and you need 1 hour in the morning for breakfast and getting ready for work, that leaves you with 6 hours for family, friends, hobbies, exercise, ...
If you commute, you might need half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening getting to and from the office. That still leaves you with 5 hours of quality time!
In my case, as a freelance translator working from home, my schedule could be something like this:
- Get up at 7 am and have breakfast with my family.
- Start work at around 8 am.
- Take a short break at around 10 am.
- Have lunch at around 12.15 pm.
- Have another short break at around 2.45 pm.
- Finish work at around 5 pm.
Great! I can have dinner with my family and then there is time for yoga, cross-training, going for a walk, reading a book, streaming a good movie or binge-watching a good series, visiting friends and family, ... before going to bed between 10 and 11 pm for a good night's rest 😊
Doesn't that sound wonderful? Music to your ears, right? So go for it! Find the schedule that fits your life and work and stick to it. It'll boost your happiness and your productivity and your customers will be happier!