Today, we have officially welcomed summer (or almost, until the weather settles a bit). All the freelancers of this world think just one thing: How are we going to survive this summer in the heat, with the deadlines running and with us trying too hard to deal with all of this in the middle of a heatwave, regardless of holidays or even weekends, to be consistent towards our clients?

Being a freelancer is hard enough, whether in winter or summer. Their lifestyle is far more different from the lifestyle of an employee working in an office. No matter how much we try to maintain standard working hours, we usually fail epically. I have NEVER been able to work only for 8 hours, and I have tried. I typically start enthusiastically and try to keep a rudimentary program. Still, I almost always end up working for about 20 hours straight to meet my deadline. (At this point, I would like to make a particular reference to my sister for the uncountable times she fed me by force when I didn’t even have the time to leave my laptop!).

However, during summertime, most of us feel loose, and we tend to operate more passively. Therefore the life of a freelancer may be transformed into a living hell. The amount of work and the strict deadlines, including the absolute desire to turn off the desktop and storm out of the house heading to the closest beach, makes us crave a job with regular working hours in an office.

Oh yes, I seldom have thought to give up everything and start hitting the road to the closest beach, leaving all the projects and deadlines behind. However, since we are adults and have to work to live, we need to find solutions to make it through summer in front of our computers.

First of all, hydration is a crucial point. When something is missing, and we don’t know what it is, it’s water. It helps concentration; it regulates body temperature and gives energy. I always keep a bottle of water next to me while I’m working. Also, eating well is another good point to consider. Don’t forget to eat as healthily as you can (I write these things for me, see particular reference above).

However, the big problem is weekends and public holidays (fortunately there aren’t a lot!). When you are suffocating among projects, you know that they won’t be ready on time if you stop working. Your friends and family are not a group of freelancers, but people who don’t work these days, then yes, desperation hits your door quickly. In that case, I suggest that you take a deep breath, accept the reality, and “dive” into the projects. The right summer music in the background does wonders. The avoidance of checking your social media is required (the ruthless display of photos of our friends lying on exotic beaches DOES NOT help our productivity, been there done that).

Another issue is the sunny days. Consequently, for us who live and work in Greece, a country famous for its summertime, sunny days are immense torture when you see a little of them through your window. I am practically jealous of those people who get dressed and go to work because they get to see and feel the sun. Nonetheless, I end up thinking of the heat and how intolerable it is to drive a car or wait for the bus on such warm days for more than five minutes. As if by magic, I’m not jealous anymore!

However, suppose the obligations are many, and the mood for socializing is uncontrollable. In that case, I suggest, for those who are lucky to have a balcony, to honor it and move their office there (aka their laptop). This way, it feels like you are out of the house, without having to move from one place to another. For the social beasts, there is the option to choose a small and quiet café (you can find almost everywhere in the city those tiny treasures) and here the change of scenery comes!

Unfortunately, there aren’t magic recipes to overcome the “torture” called freelancing during summer. So, till we win the lottery and be able to take a permanent vacation the whole year (how dull would it be though!), I suggest that we think how much we love our job, the fact at least we have more flexible working hours than other professions and more importantly that by being patient, persistent and good-willing, we can achieve the impossible!

Source: Freelancers: The ultimate guide to surviving during summer

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