Publisher’s note: this post was contributed by by Kelly Kilpatrick, who writes on the subject of an MBA degree. She invites your feedback at kellykilpatrick24 at gmail dot com.

A freelance job is a blessing in more ways than one—you don’t have a fixed job or one boss to answer to, you’re a free agent who’s allowed to pick and choose the assignments that you think are best for you, and you get to work from home and keep flexible hours. But there’s a downside too to this job—there are times when you’re left without work and have no idea when your next assignment will come in. Instead of letting the situation get to you and feeling down, you can put your free time to good use by:

• Keeping up: I guess “or be left out” follows naturally, but then you probably already know that. When you’re a freelancer, even if you’re between gigs and just sitting around twiddling your thumbs waiting for the next assignment to come through, it’s best to keep updating your skills and keeping up to date with the latest innovations and improvements in your line of work. You don’t want to be caught unawares and find your next job too demanding.

• Going to work: I mean this figuratively, of course, because if you’re a freelancer, you’re probably working from home. But make it a point to get out of bed, take a shower, change out of your night clothes, eat breakfast, and get to your workstation as you would do on the days you do have work. I know each one’s routine may vary, but you get the gist of what I’m trying to say here. Keep your daily schedule even if you don’t have any actual work. Spend your time reading and searching for new assignments.

• Organizing: Being a freelancer means you don’t often find time to get your workspace and files in order. Use your enforced time off from work to de-clutter your desktop, reorganize the folders on your computer, delete the files you don’t need, backup what is important, and the like.

• Catching up on housework: When people hear that you’re a freelancer, they automatically assume that you have time to both take care of domestic responsibilities (as you work from home and keep flexible hours) and stay on schedule with your work. But that’s not often the case as you and I know—we’re so caught up with work and its uncertainties that we often neglect things around the house. Use your free time to give your home a thorough cleaning and to reorganize and clean out your cupboards.

• Making time for yourself: I’ve found myself in this situation before— I’m rushing to meet one deadline after the other that I hardly have any time for family, friends or anyone else. And so I use my downtime to catch up on my social and familial responsibilities, to soothe ruffled feathers and make courtesy calls. You could also do something you’ve wanted to do for a long time but have been putting off because of work.

Speaking of this, here are some related posts from the Loosely Speaking archives:

Reasons Why Slowdowns can be Good

Finding Opportunity in Uncertainty

Break Open a New Market

How do I get out of This Funk?