Most freelance writers work from home. Why would you want to pay for office space if you don’t have to? While there are many benefits of being a work at home freelancer, there are drawbacks that you need to be aware of as well.
Every so often I receive an email asking how I balance my home life with my career. It is very easy for other parts of your life to get in the way when trying to work. If you don’t learn how to avoid this problem you are going to find that your days are much less productive than they should be.
The first pointer I always give is to have a designated work area. I have one room in my house that is used as an office and nothing else. This allows me to stay away from everything else that is going on. And of course, having a designated workspace makes it much easier to stay organized.
Next, make sure you set a schedule. Work hours are work hours. While being a freelance writer means you can have a flexible schedule, you must make sure you are getting your work done. For instance, I attempt to work 7am to 4pm everyday. Does this always happen? Of course not. But that being said, if I try to follow these hours it will allow me to stay away from distractions in the home.
Finally, don’t give into temptations. It would be easy for me to take too many breaks, leave my desk for a nap, or put on the television when I should be working. These are all temptations, but if you want to be a success you should avoid them. Remember, if you are sleeping or watching television it means you are not getting your work done. And if you don’t get your work done you don’t get paid.
If your home life is getting in the way of your career you need to make some immediate changes. My best advice is to designate a workspace, have a set schedule, and avoid temptations no matter how enticing they may be. If you follow this advice you should be able to keep your home life from distracting you during work hours.Â
Every freelance writer loves their career for one reason or the next. What makes you stick around day in and day out? I love the fact that freelance writing is so much fun. Even though my other jobs were not horrible, they were never fun on a regular basis. Fortunately, my career as a freelance writer has been one exciting moment after the next since day one.
Here are three reasons why freelance writing is fun:
1. For me, meeting new people is always fun. And as a freelance writer this is something that I get to do regularly. Not only do I meet other freelance writers, but I have also had the chance to correspond with professionals in other industries. Becoming a freelance writer has allowed be to spark up new relationships with people from one side of the world to the other. Does it get any better than that?
2. Who doesn’t have fun when they are making a lot of money? Contrary to popular belief, freelance writers can earn a nice income. Many people don’t believe it, but who cares. As your income builds you will realize just how much fun it is to track your progress.
3. Perhaps the most fun aspect of being a freelance writer is the ability and freedom to do your own thing. When I wake up in the morning I know that I am in charge of my own career. To go along with this, the ability to work at my own pace has made for a much more enjoyable life. As a freelance writer you can work when you want from where you want as long as you satisfy your clients. This makes for a low stress, highly enjoyable environment.
Do you agree with the above points? Even though freelance writing is not all fun and games, in my opinion it is much better than working a traditional job. I would love to hear why freelance writing is fun for you.
Is it possible for your freelance writing career to become boring? In short, yes it is. Even if you love your career you are going to face days when you are bored for one reason or the next. This happens with every job, and freelance writing is no different. Fortunately, for me at least, these times are few and far between. Even though some days are better than others, being bored is not something that I usually have to deal with.
If freelance writing boredom has set in, try out these tips:
1. Mix up your workload. It is easy to become bored if you are always working on the same types of projects. If your regular workload is SEO articles, change things up by working on a few feature pieces. When you have different types of projects on your plate it is easy to stay excited and motivated.
2. Find a new workspace. Many freelance writers get bored working alone in the same room, day in and day out. If this sounds like you, relocate to another area of your house. Better yet, take your laptop to a local coffee shop or bookstore to get some work done. A change of environment may be all you need to wipe away the boredom.
3. Talk to others in the industry. It can be easy to get bored as a freelance writer if you never interact with others. Do you have any friends in the industry? If so, stay in touch with them on a regular basis. You can do this via phone, email, or instant messenger. It does not matter how you communicate as long as you do so.
If your freelance writing career is becoming boring use the three tips above to break out of this funk.
