Are you truly excited about your freelance writing career? Do you feel good about the direction you are headed? If you can answer yes to both of these questions you are in a good place. This is a topic I have touched on in the past, but it is one that is important to keep in mind at all times. If you are not excited about your career you are going to find it difficult to have fun and to also earn a decent living. Sounds a lot like working a 9 – 5 job, doesn’t it? Simply put, you don’t want to work a job, no matter what it is, if you are not excited about the future.
Of course, you need to know the difference between never being excited about your career and being in a rut. Even though I love my job there are days when I feel down and out and would rather take some time off. Does this mean that I am no longer excited about being a freelance writer? Definitely not. It simply means that I hit a minor snag that must be overcome.
If you need to “reignite†your career you can do so in a number of different ways. One way is to find new clients that offer different types of projects. If you are always working on web content projects, and they are becoming boring, maybe you can consider sales letters or feature articles. Anything that will break up the monotony of your day can help to add some excitement to your career.
Do you remember how bad it used to be when you worked a regular 9 – 5 job? Think back to those days and you are sure to realize just how exciting and beneficial it is to work as a freelance writer. If this does not get you excited, nothing will.
The more excited you are about your career the better chance you have of achieving success in more ways than one. I have found that the freelance writers who make the most money are those who truly enjoy what they are doing.
If you are in a rut do your best to reignite your career and find some new excitement.Â
As a freelance writer you probably spend a lot of time marketing your services with hopes of landing new clients. And when your marketing plan pays off there is no denying that you will be quite excited. That being said, there are times when a client simply isn’t worth the effort. It is always better to find this out sooner rather than later, but things don’t always work out this way.
Below are two situations you may face:
1. A client wants to work with you but you are unsure of whether or not the relationship will be mutually beneficial. For instance, you may be offered a group of 50 keyword articles. Sounds good, right? On the surface, yes. But if the client is only offering to pay a total of $100 you are probably better off moving on. Remember, you need to be selective about who you work with. Clients that want high quality work will have to pay for it.
2. You are already working with a client but your relationship is rocky at best. Over time you may find that some clients are no longer as accommodating as they once were, for whatever reason. Maybe they are treating you poorly or wanting to pay you less for the same type of work. Even if a client offered a lot in the past there may come a time when they are no longer worth your time and effort. It can be difficult to dissolve a relationship but you must keep the wellbeing of your career in mind at all times.
I have many great clients that are fun to work with. At the same time there have been times in the past when I moved on from a client because things were no longer working out. There may come a time when a freelance writing client is no longer worth the effort. If you are feeling this way, consider the pros and cons of dissolving the relationship before making a final decision. Â
One thing I have learned over my years as a freelance writer is that there is always a lot going on. Sure, I write a lot, but at the same time I am also responsible for everything from sending invoices to cashing checks to keeping track of my taxes. As you can imagine this can be quite tiresome at times. For this reason a long weekend is needed every so often. Not only does this help clear my mind, but when I get back to work I am refreshed and ready to tackle every project in front of me.
Since Thanksgiving was this past Thursday I had the chance to take advantage of a long weekend. While I worked a few hours here and there it was nothing too much. Instead I simply answered emails, made a few blog posts, and stayed in touch with some clients. Even though I love my job I wanted to take a long weekend in order to clear my mind and give my body a break. After all, it can be difficult to write hour after hour, day after day. Fun yes, but difficult at times as well.
When was the last time you took a long weekend? Most of my “freelance writing friends†did the same as me this past weekend. Turning a holiday, such as Thanksgiving, into a long weekend is a great idea. The reason for this is simple: most of your clients are probably doing the same. This means that you probably won’t have to worry about something coming up, or missing out on a request. You don’t always have to take your long weekends over the holidays, but this is definitely something to consider.
There may be many ways to clear your mind as a freelance writer, but taking a long weekend is one of the best. If this is something you have neglected yourself of this year why not consider taking an extra day or so in December? This is a great time of the year for long weekends thanks to plenty of holidays.
Are you going to take an extra day or continue working yourself into the ground? As somebody who has tried both I strongly suggest that you take a step back to clear your mind.
