Last week was one of those crazy weeks. I didn’t want to think, let alone work. I had a three-day break during the holiday weekend, and by the time Monday rolled around, I was in full blown vacation mode. I normally start my work day early. But I procrastinated, and before I knew it, the whole day was shot.

Besides, my husband was home from work, and it was much more enjoyable to spend an extra day with him. That doesn’t happen too often. I figured, “it’s only Monday, and I have plenty of time to get my act together.”

Well, that didn’t happen. I worked for about an hour on Tuesday before I mentally checked out. It was much easier to surf the Internet, watch a few videos on YouTube, and catch up on my talk shows. Funny, but I couldn’t find the willpower to work on Wednesday either. I went out to lunch, came home, did some housework, and took an afternoon nap.

I could have worked on Thursday, but I didn’t feel like it. And since I rarely work on Fridays, why break the routine?

This wasn’t a planned break, but it felt good. And since my freelance projects have flexible deadlines, nobody was inconvenienced.

My husband and I went on vacation in early June, and we’ve enjoyed about three weekend getaways since January. Therefore, I should have no complaints - especially since some people never get a break (and they likely work longer hours).

But, being a writer (and self-employed) can take it’s toll. I’m talking mental exhaustion. And sometimes, I’m not in the mood to think. I can’t entirely blame writing (I have some health issues that zap my energy.) Plus, I’m working on a few personal projects that’ll generate passive income. I’m being pulled in different directions, and I haven’t taken much down time. It simply got to a point where I said, “enough.”

Everyone’s entitled to a moment, and this was mine. Now that I’ve taken time to unwind and do absolutely nothing, I’m ready to get back to work. Ironically, I’m not the only entrepreneurial who needed to take a step back and recover from burnout.

Technorati Tags: burnout, stress, work at home, freelance, telecommuting