Today, Joe from Freelance-Zone.com is having what I refer to as a “Freelancer Friday”. He got up, hit the work trail hard, and is then going to go out shopping with his lady.

This truly is one of the perks of having a freelance lifestyle. Having a bad day? Take off and go see a movie. Aren’t feeling the muse? Go out to lunch and linger a bit–see what happens. It really is a terrific deal overall.

That said, freelance writers also experience another phenomenon–the magical disappearing weekend. While we can take days off here and there to suit us, we also have deadlines. Sometimes that means working all day on a Saturday instead of going to your buddy’s barbecue or having lunch with your best pal.

It’s a tradeoff for sure, but I do know this–exchanging it for a 40 hour work week is just not an option for me. I’ve lived this lifestyle for so long now that the mere thought of going to work early in the morning and staying there all day, 5 days a week, actually freaks me out. No, I’ll take those weekends where I’m shut in the house. I’ll suffer through the missed lunches. And I’ll do it all so that I have the freedom to blow off an entire day and go for a drive or do my grocery shopping when nobody is there in the middle of the afternoon.

What about you?