Dealing With Guilt Over Taking Time Off as a Filmmaker

Why Filmmakers Need to Take Real Time Off This Christmas (And How to Do It Without Guilt)

With Christmas just around the corner, many people are starting to hear those magical words from their employers: holiday break approved. Offices wind down, out-of-office replies are switched on, and the collective pace of work slows. For a lot of people, time off is built into the structure of their job. For filmmakers and other creatives, though, things rarely work that way.

As freelancers, we don’t have a fixed timetable or an official allowance of paid leave. There’s no calendar reminder telling us when to stop, no manager insisting we take a break. On paper, that freedom sounds ideal. In reality, it can make taking time off around the holidays surprisingly difficult.

Without clear boundaries, time off becomes something we have to actively choose. And that choice often comes with a heavy dose of guilt.

The Freelancer’s Guilt Trap

Many filmmakers feel a constant pressure to be productive. There’s always another skill to learn, another project to develop, another email to send. When work is also your passion, it’s easy to feel like every spare moment should be invested in your craft or your business. Even during the holidays, when everyone else seems to be slowing down, that internal voice keeps whispering: You should be working.

Because we don’t separate ourselves from our job in the same way as someone with a nine-to-five, switching off isn’t straightforward. Your work lives in your laptop, your phone, your ideas. You can be at the dinner table with family and still mentally cutting a scene or planning your next pitch. So even when you’re technically “off,” your brain may still be very much on the clock.

This is where guilt creeps in. Guilt for resting. Guilt for not being productive enough. Guilt for enjoying yourself when you feel like you haven’t “earned” it. Ironically, this guilt shows up even though most freelancers are working harder and more irregular hours than many people in traditional employment. We absolutely deserve time off, but knowing that intellectually doesn’t always make it emotionally easier to take.

Why Time Off Can Feel So Uncomfortable

One reason taking a break can feel scary is that it opens up undefined time. Work gives structure to our days. When that structure disappears, we’re left with uncertainty. For freelancers especially, time not spent working can feel like time wasted, or worse, time that could cost us future opportunities.

The holidays amplify this feeling. There’s often a lull in client work, fewer emails coming in, and less external pressure to perform. Instead of enjoying that pause, we can end up anxiously trying to fill it with “useful” tasks, just to feel like we’re staying in control.

Plan Pleasure, Not Productivity

One simple way to ease the guilt around taking time off is to give yourself something genuinely fun to look forward to. When your break is just an empty stretch of time, it’s easy to project anxiety onto it. But when you plan a few nourishing activities, that uncertainty softens.

This doesn’t mean scheduling your downtime like a work calendar. It means intentionally choosing things that bring you joy, relaxation, or connection. Maybe it’s a long walk with a podcast you love, a day trip, cooking something indulgent, revisiting favourite films, or finally reading a book that has nothing to do with filmmaking. These activities give your time off a sense of purpose without turning it into another to-do list.

Having something to look forward to also helps you truly embrace the break rather than hovering in a half-rested, half-working state. You’re no longer “wasting time”, you’re actively enjoying it!

Reframing Rest as an Investment

Another powerful shift is understanding that taking time off isn’t indulgent, it’s restorative. Rest supports your wellbeing, and your wellbeing is not separate from your work. When you allow your body to physically rest, you come back to work with more energy, focus, and resilience. Long shoots, tight deadlines, and creative problem-solving all demand stamina. Rest is what replenishes that.

Beyond physical recovery, time away from work can refresh your creativity in ways that grinding never will. When you invest in other interests - whether that’s music, exercise, travel, or simply being present with people you care about - you’re giving your brain new input. These experiences can spark unexpected connections and ideas, putting your creative mind in great shape for your next project.

Some of your best ideas may arrive when you’re not actively chasing them.

Giving Yourself Permission

Ultimately, taking time off as a filmmaker requires self-permission. No one is going to hand it to you. This Christmas, consider allowing yourself to fully step away, even if it’s just for a few days. Let emails wait. Let projects breathe. The industry won’t disappear because you paused.

You are not falling behind by resting. You’re maintaining the very thing that allows you to keep creating in the long run.

So this holiday season, if you feel that familiar twinge of guilt, remind yourself: rest is part of the work. And you’ve more than earned it.