My October appointment calendar looks like this:

As a freelancer, I am super-psyched that I have so much work. On the other hand, I’m kind of annoyed that I have 3 days off this month. I still practice on “off” days, but I don’t have to be somewhere on time, dressed nicely and mentally sharp. As anyone who lives in the Boston/Cambridge area knows, merely getting somewhere on time can be mentally exhausting.

Of course, I don’t have anyone to be annoyed with except myself. I read this on the blog of pianist Billie Whittaker, and it describes me perfectly:

As an independent freelancer, I almost immediately forgot how to say ‘no’ professionally – to guard personal time, and make time to have a hobby other than ‘decompressing’.  I rarely said “No” because I felt it was always better to be working.

I’m surprised that achieving work-life balance is still a challenge now that I’m my own boss, but it’s a good problem to have, right?