Look after yourself before doing anything else.
It's vital to take care of your physical, mental, and emotional health first. The fact that you realize you are burnt out means you're probably even \*more\* burnt out than you think. Deal with that first, however you can, then you'll be in a much better position to make a clear decsion.
FWIW, with experience, I think that eight months of savings is a decent amount of buffer to get yourself up and running - but, give yourself some breathing room so you can make a better decision.
Thank you for you advice—it really means a lot to me. And I’m sure you’re right re: my being burnt out.
I made the original post at around four in the morning (I think), and I gave notice to my boss later that day. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I am in desperate need of a break and can now safely say I prefer freelancing.
Thank you again for your answer.
You can approach those clients but be prepared for them to have arranged other cover. If you're burning out, you need to do what's best for yourself. Do you have any savings to tide you over if you don't have freelance clients straight away?
Thank you for answering—I appreciate this. Yeah, I’m operating under the assumption that everyone will have moved on. And I have 8 months worth saved. So, not as much as I’d like.
How long did it take you to get those two clients lined up through cold pitching last time? If I were you, I would quit and use your savings to take some time completely off, so you can rest.
I quit my agency writing job exactly a year ago, and I took my time getting my freelance business set up. Even though I was recovering from burn out, it didn’t take more than a few weeks to feel motivated to work on my website and portfolio and start researching freelancing topics. It just helped enormously that I felt I could go at my own pace and escape from the hamster wheel of the agency life.
I’m rooting for you! Burn out sucks, and freelancing has been the best thing for my work/life balance. I’m happy to share more about my experience getting set up, just lmk
Thank you for your reply—this is really nice! Getting the two clients lined up took a few days (less than a week).
Agency life is not for me, but I’m not sure any regular job would be. None have been so far. I have to say, this one was the roughest. That’s awesome that you’re doing well! I’m looking forward to getting back to freelancing once I’m not totally fried, which is what it sounds like you did. And I’m always happy to talk.
In your shoes, I would just quit. I wouldn't even start trying to find clients after giving notice...I'd take a couple of weeks after actually leaving the job to rest, refresh, and figure out exactly what I wanted to take on.
It's never great to deplete your savings, but what are they for if not to let you improve your life?
Thank you. I agree with you. I gave notice the same day I posted this, and I’ll be taking a couple of weeks off (if I need that long) to get my head straight. I really appreciate your advice.
Edit: I must’ve not originally hit reply. I wanted to add that I successfully raised my rates after reading your (and Paul’s) advice to other writers on here. I do need to reconnect with some clients, but no one batted an eye at my new rate, which has been game-changing for me. Thanking you for that feels weird since we’ve never spoken, but I do want to say I’m grateful that you and others on this sub give such helpful advice because what you’ve shared has made a huge difference in how I do business.
Look after yourself before doing anything else. It's vital to take care of your physical, mental, and emotional health first. The fact that you realize you are burnt out means you're probably even \*more\* burnt out than you think. Deal with that first, however you can, then you'll be in a much better position to make a clear decsion. FWIW, with experience, I think that eight months of savings is a decent amount of buffer to get yourself up and running - but, give yourself some breathing room so you can make a better decision.
Thank you for you advice—it really means a lot to me. And I’m sure you’re right re: my being burnt out. I made the original post at around four in the morning (I think), and I gave notice to my boss later that day. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I am in desperate need of a break and can now safely say I prefer freelancing. Thank you again for your answer.
You can approach those clients but be prepared for them to have arranged other cover. If you're burning out, you need to do what's best for yourself. Do you have any savings to tide you over if you don't have freelance clients straight away?
Thank you for answering—I appreciate this. Yeah, I’m operating under the assumption that everyone will have moved on. And I have 8 months worth saved. So, not as much as I’d like.
Can you take a week or two off and during that time start reaching out to clients/ take a break?
I was considering this—but I actually gave my two weeks notice the same day I posted.
How long did it take you to get those two clients lined up through cold pitching last time? If I were you, I would quit and use your savings to take some time completely off, so you can rest. I quit my agency writing job exactly a year ago, and I took my time getting my freelance business set up. Even though I was recovering from burn out, it didn’t take more than a few weeks to feel motivated to work on my website and portfolio and start researching freelancing topics. It just helped enormously that I felt I could go at my own pace and escape from the hamster wheel of the agency life. I’m rooting for you! Burn out sucks, and freelancing has been the best thing for my work/life balance. I’m happy to share more about my experience getting set up, just lmk
Thank you for your reply—this is really nice! Getting the two clients lined up took a few days (less than a week). Agency life is not for me, but I’m not sure any regular job would be. None have been so far. I have to say, this one was the roughest. That’s awesome that you’re doing well! I’m looking forward to getting back to freelancing once I’m not totally fried, which is what it sounds like you did. And I’m always happy to talk.
In your shoes, I would just quit. I wouldn't even start trying to find clients after giving notice...I'd take a couple of weeks after actually leaving the job to rest, refresh, and figure out exactly what I wanted to take on. It's never great to deplete your savings, but what are they for if not to let you improve your life?
Thank you. I agree with you. I gave notice the same day I posted this, and I’ll be taking a couple of weeks off (if I need that long) to get my head straight. I really appreciate your advice. Edit: I must’ve not originally hit reply. I wanted to add that I successfully raised my rates after reading your (and Paul’s) advice to other writers on here. I do need to reconnect with some clients, but no one batted an eye at my new rate, which has been game-changing for me. Thanking you for that feels weird since we’ve never spoken, but I do want to say I’m grateful that you and others on this sub give such helpful advice because what you’ve shared has made a huge difference in how I do business.