My biggest problem with freelance writing is staying motivated. Some days, the words just don’t come. When that happens I want to turn off the computer and go do something else. Being a freelancer I have the flexibility to do that but I’ve found that if I let myself walk away it’s harder to get back and easier to walk away the next time.
So, I have to find ways to motivate myself. At first, I used rewards, just like I did with my daughter when she was younger, but then the combination of sitting at the computer and all that ice cream started to catch up with me. I had to find other ways to motivate myself.
One thing that helps me is having several things to work on. If I can’t say what I want in one article, I’ll try another. Sometimes I will write something that is not part of my job, like writing a personal blog post or writing a story about the hummingbirds in my garden. The important thing for me is to keep writing, eventually I’m able to go back to what I was struggling with and finish it.
Staying away from time wasters helps me stay motivated. From time to time I will read articles online to get ideas for my blogs, but one article will lead to another which can lead to something totally unrelated and the next thing I know I’m on Pinterest wasting hours.
Scheduling my time helps me stay motivated. I have a scheduled time to read articles, and only articles that pertain to what I need to write about, when that time is up, I stop. I usually take a short break, just to get away from the computer and then I come back and write my article.
Another way I stay motivated is by not thinking about writing when I’m not doing it. Because it’s something I enjoy I look forward to the time when I’m writing, but if I’m thinking about posts all day long by the time I sit down to write, my motivation is gone. If I think of a good idea for a post during non working time, I just jot it down, or record it into my phone. Then when it’s time to work the idea is there waiting for me but I haven’t thought about it all day so it’s fresh.
Being disciplined really helps the most, just like going to work, I have a set schedule and that’s all I do during that time. Of course, a bag of chocolate covered raisins by the computer helps a little too.