Whether it’s a long project, a website, or just your daily work, gaining motivation is one of the biggest blogging tips I can give you. This is especially a problem for a freelance writer suffering from a lot of rejection or just not hearing anything back from their pitches.
You’ll start with plenty of motivation when you get started. In fact, you likely started January 2020 with all the motivation in the world. And now we’re halfway through the month and you can’t keep up. Without consistency, you’ll lose authority and that makes it harder to get projects or gain traction in your blog. Trust me; I know from experience.
As a freelance writer, these are the tips I use to stay motivated.
Set goals and keep looking at them
You should have set some goals for your project. Didn’t set them? Now’s the best time! Goals are an important part of keeping motivation. They give you something to work towards and something to aim for.
If you’re working on gaining private clients, you need goals for that, too. Only write at residual income sites? You still need goals!
Write your goals down so they become set in stone. Not only will this help you remember them, but it will also make you more accountable to them since they’re real. They also give you something to look at every time you feel like you’re losing motivation.
You will feel like not posting or not working on the project every now and then; that’s normal. When you feel that way, look at your goals to remind yourself why you’re doing this.
You need your why. What’s the end result that you want to achieve as a freelance writer?
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Have a comfortable work environment
You need to be comfortable when it comes to your work environment. This is one of my most effective blogging tips. By having a comfortable environment, you’ll find it easier to keep your focus.
There are times that I have to move out of my office to work, usually due to my daughters or dogs. This causes a problem for my motivation because my office is where I work best. Because of that, I have to make whichever room I’m in as comfortable as possible.
Let some fresh air into your room by opening the window. Even during the winter, you will find some benefit from the fresh air! Make sure your chair is comfortable to sit on and helps to keep your posture perfect. This will avoid any health issues with working at your desk all day.
Get up and move around regularly. This moves us onto my next tip for a freelance writer.
Take regular breaks and have days off
I can’t emphasize how important taking breaks is. In the past, I’ve worked for hours at a time without taking a break. It’s not only caused health problems but it’s really hurt my motivation.
Spend an hour away from the desk for lunch—even consider going out for something to eat just to get you away from your computer! During the working day, set a timer so you only work for a set period of time. I set my timer to work for 45 minutes and then take a five-minute break. Every couple of hours, I’ll take the dogs out for a walk, sometimes a long one and sometimes a short 10-minute walk around the block.
You can’t work every day of the week and remain motivated! One of the most important blogging tips on here to remain motivated as a freelance writer is to take at least one day off per week.
I know, it means one day of no money; one day of no plan. However, it’s worth having that one day to do nothing with work. Spend time with your family or friends, go to the gym or just get out of the house for a day!
My favorite of my freelance writer motivation tips
This is my all-time favorite: reward yourself for your hard work. Praise and rewards help to boost motivation quickly. You want to do the work quickly so you get your reward.
If I stick to my 45-minute timer, I reward myself with time to check Facebook, Twitter, and any other social media. Once I finish a project, I tell myself that I’m allowed to do something specific afterward as my reward. When I’ve done my client work, I’ll reward myself by getting ready for the writing that I enjoy the most doing.
Rewards don’t have to be anything big. I simply opt to put a movie on or read a book. Sometimes I choose to go outside and spend extra time with my family. Do something that works for you.
Do you have any blogging tips for motivation? Maybe you have general tips for a freelance writer. I’d love to hear yours or maybe you find some of the above useful.