Working on a contract basis, where the number and intensity of assignments aren’t always predictable, has its consequences. This is typical for the creative industry and the reality for most creators working as freelancers under the umbrella of their own business.
Such a setup leads to a state of constant readiness — often at the expense of personal interests, rest or health. Many creators tend to prioritise work over the aspects of life I’ve just mentioned. It often stems from fear — a concern about whether there will be more projects.
Unfortunately, the other side — the client — is usually aware of this and sometimes takes advantage of it to achieve their goals faster and at a lower cost.
As a freelancer, it’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of daily work and lose sight of the bigger picture. Focusing on day-to-day tasks takes most of your attention, making it harder to step back, take care of yourself or slow down just enough to ask: am I okay in all this?
For me, that moment of pause came with burnout, accompanied by episodes of depression. In my case, it was hitting rock bottom — but of course, it’s better not to wait that long. I know how it works: you can ignore the symptoms for a long time, drown out the signals, pretend everything’s fine.
I believe there are different ways to prevent things from going off the rails. One good habit might be to check in with yourself from time to time. How am I really doing? How would I rate this area of my life? Is it working, or could it use some change?
Some time ago, I came across a tool that helps with just that.
A few weeks back, I attended a workshop titled “Creative Balance. Find Your Path (to) the Future”, led by Maja Ruszkowska-Mazerant. By then, I had already gained some distance from the challenges of the previous year, but I was still dealing with the aftermath of burnout. I was open to different forms of personal development — I wanted to gain a new perspective, learn something new, set new directions.
The heart of the workshop was working with the PRObeing model, a method developed by Maja and Maciej Mazerant. In the beautiful space of Work Place 59 in Łódź, surrounded by kind people, I spent a creative and inspiring day full of conversations, shared experiences, great food (homemade bread and cake!) — and, of course, hands-on work with the PRObeing model.
This tool genuinely resonated with me. I pay attention to visual form, and this one is really well designed. Muted colours, thoughtful layout, the feel of working on paper — the pleasure of going analogue. The instructions are clear, and the whole thing comes in a folder you can take home and continue working with.
The PRObeing model helps you organise your thoughts. It shows you what needs attention, what might need change or reevaluation. It works both for deep transformations and for small adjustments in how you operate.
On a circular diagram — a kind of wheel of life — I looked at different areas:
work and rest, finances, personal development, health and prevention, relaxation, planning.
With a crayon or marker, I filled in the sections according to my current situation — how much order there is in each area, and how much change is needed.
I honestly can’t remember the last time I coloured anything. That alone brought me joy. It felt a bit like analogue photography — it slows you down. There’s space for reflection in manual work like this — sometimes even to speak thoughts out loud. And with PRObeing, to express them through colour.
We also spent time talking about values — choosing those most important to each of us. Setting clear priorities in this area makes a big difference. It gives direction, sharpens your goals, fuels motivation, and helps you reconnect with your “factory settings.”
It was a really good day. Creative, reflective, meaningful. For me, this tool became a kind of summary of the therapeutic work I’ve done over the past 13 months. Looking into the different areas of my life gave me a sense of closure — that I had faced and worked through what needed attention. I’m still in the process of change, of rebuilding my structure, of reassessing many parts of my life. I’m in a place you might call in between. Between what was and what’s next — though definitely leaning toward the new.
It’s been a lot of work after a serious collapse.
But I believe change can come earlier — before things fall apart. Staying connected with yourself — your mind, body and soul — is key. And stopping to ask questions is a great start.
There are many good tools, workshops and personal development methods out there — and the PRObeing model is certainly one of them.
Click on the website: www.probeing.pl
You can find all my texts about burnout in the category: burnout in freelancing.
August 2025