I Took a Nap at 2PM and Didn’t Hate Myself for It
The other day I took a nap at 2pm.
Middle of the week. Middle of my to-do list. Middle of trying to “get ahead.”
My laptop was open. Slack was pinging. My inbox was slowly morphing into an avalanche. I had edits to finish, a social post to write, and at least one client project hanging over me like a cartoon thundercloud.
And I was absolutely, 100%, done. Not physically. Not because I’d stayed up late or pushed myself too hard the day before. I was just... mentally empty.
So I closed the laptop. Got into bed. And I napped. No guilt. No self-loathing. No telling myself I needed to “earn it” first.
And weirdly? That felt like a huge personal win.
“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome”
“Perseverance is failing nineteen times and succeeding the twentieth.”
The Freelance Flexibility Trap
If you’re anything like me, freelancing came with a promise of freedom. You get to set your hours, take breaks when you want, avoid the 9-5 pressure cooker. Amazing, right?
And yet. Somewhere along the way, that freedom turned into something else entirely. A trap of invisible expectations.
We hold ourselves to impossible standards because we want to prove that we can do it all on our own. That we can be productive and creative. Available and healthy. Booked out and well-rested.
What starts as flexibility ends up feeling like constant self-surveillance. If you’re not working, shouldn’t you be? If you’re resting, have you really earned it?
Productivity Guilt Is Real (And It’s Tiring)
I’ve noticed a pattern in myself that I think a lot of us share—especially women in freelance spaces. We don’t just work hard. We justify our rest like we need receipts.
We say things like:
“I’ve had a big week, so I’m going to take Friday afternoon off.”
“I’m letting myself sleep in tomorrow because I finished that big project.”
“I’ll stop once I send this email / hit this goal / reach inbox zero.”
It’s subtle, but it’s everywhere. We’ve been conditioned to believe that rest is a reward for productivity—not a need, not a right, not a non-negotiable part of being a functioning human being.
So even when we do take time off, we don’t really rest. We sit on the couch with our laptops. We scroll our phones with one eye on emails. We cancel plans, then fill that time with “just a few quick edits.”
It’s no wonder so many of us feel exhausted.
Redefining “Enough”
Here’s the shift I’ve been working on lately:
Instead of asking, “Did I do enough to rest?”
I’m asking, “Have I rested enough to keep going?”
Because if I’m honest, I don’t want a freelance business built on burnout. I don’t want success that comes at the expense of my peace. I don’t want to make freedom a buzzword when I’ve trapped myself in a self-made hustle.
So I’m rewriting the rules.
Rest doesn’t need to be justified.
My value doesn’t depend on how much I produce.
Saying “I’m tired” is enough of a reason to pause.
Sometimes, doing nothing is the most productive thing I can do.
Built By freelancers, For freelancers
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all”
My New Rule: Fridays End Early
One ritual I’ve introduced recently? Finishing up at 3pm on Fridays—non-negotiable.
No “just one more thing.” No “I’ll get ahead for next week.” I close the laptop, light a candle, and let myself log off—mentally and physically.
Even when I feel like I haven’t done enough. Especially then. Because enough is a moving target, and if I keep chasing it, I’ll never truly rest.
It’s a simple act, but it signals to my brain: the week is done. You’re allowed to unwind. You don’t have to prove anything right now.
It’s taken practice, and I still sometimes catch myself creeping back into “just five more minutes” mode. But the more I protect that time, the more I find myself starting Monday with actual energy, not just caffeine and resentment.
A Little Mental Health Check-In
If any of this is resonating with you, here’s a quick self-scan I like to do midweek:
✅ Have I left the house today?
✅ Am I drinking water—or just surviving on coffee and cortisol?
✅ When’s the last time I moved just for joy?
✅ Have I talked to a single human being who isn’t a client or coworker?
✅ Did I pause to celebrate something I finished—or did I immediately jump to the next task?
If you’re 0 for 5, don’t panic. It happens. You’re not broken or lazy—you’re human. But maybe it’s time to schedule something for you into your calendar with the same priority you give deadlines.
This Week’s WFH Reset: A Fake Commute
Sometimes, my brain needs a little trick to switch gears. So this week, I tried something new: I created a fake commute.
I put on actual shoes. Left the house. Grabbed a takeaway coffee. Walked around the block. And when I came back in, I “arrived” at work. It sounds ridiculous, but it helped shift my energy completely.
Small routines like that can make a big difference when you’re working from home, especially when the line between “off” and “on” starts to blur.
What Happens When We Actually Rest
The funny thing is—once I started building in more intentional rest, the work didn’t suffer. In fact, it got better.
I was more focused. Less resentful. More creative. More connected to why I started freelancing in the first place.
Because here’s what burnout does: it narrows your vision. It makes you feel like your whole worth depends on your output. And it tricks you into thinking if you slow down, everything will fall apart.
But when you rest? You remember that you’re not a machine. You remember what you love about what you do. You come back to your work with fresh eyes and a softer heart.
Rest Is Part of the Job
This is your permission slip to nap at 2pm if you need to.
To take a walk in the middle of the day. To turn off your phone. To log off without explanation. To finish early on a Friday. To do absolutely nothing—and not make up for it later.
You don’t have to earn it. You don’t have to prove you deserve it. You just have to remember: you’re allowed to take care of yourself.
Because rest isn’t stealing time from your business. It’s investing in your ability to keep going.
Whether you’re in a season of creative flow or quietly holding it together, I hope you know this:
You are more than your output.
Your business can thrive without you burning out.
And sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is close your laptop and take a nap.
Logging off with love (and a snack, obviously),
Sara x
