While being an employee can mean early submissions of holiday requests and disappointment at working between Christmas and New Year, being self-employed would suggest that you can finish whenever you like and start work again in January after a long break.

The truth is often quite different. I was intending to finish work on 17 December this year, after the FSB Christmas party. However, I still do some transcription for a client, and don’t like to turn him down, so I agreed to work two days this week. Although my brother arrives tomorrow, I’d probably work on Wednesday and Thursday if I was asked.

And this is the problem that sole traders have. If you’ve got a good relationship with a client, you want to keep them happy, especially as Christmas is an expensive time and every penny helps. Often they are working themselves, so it seems reasonable that you would too. And of course some people run businesses where their goods and services are required right up til the last minute, such as cake makers and party entertainers.

So where do you draw the line? It’s easier for me to accept work as I don’t have children to look after, and school holidays are not a problem. The audiotyping is done from home, so I don’t have to travel and I can work when I want (sometimes late at night). The work gets done and we’re off to a good start for next year.

Your family may also be expected to work over the Christmas period, so it seems sensible to work the same hours as them.

The problem with that is you are creating a sense of expectation in your client that you’ll work whenever they need you too, and in some cases this can become unreasonable. I was at an event recently where a speaker said her clients will email in the middle of the night, seven days a week, and she will respond because she feels obliged to.

Most people choose to become self-employed for the flexibility of the hours, and working when you’d rather be off means you’re more restricted than you were as an employee. It can make you tired and resentful, means you don’t get the break you deserve, and you’re also devaluing yourself and your offering.

It’s easy to say, but deciding on your last working day and sticking to it will ultimately lead to job satisfaction and more respect from clients. By all means help them out if you want to, but don’t miss out on an event you’ve planned. Although I’m not following my own advice this year, an early resolution for 2016 is that I’ll give myself a proper break.