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I remember the days when I longed to be paid to write. I would daydream during my job of having the flexibility to work for myself, at least part of the time. I had images of sitting in coffee shops and co-ops happily working to produce spot-on content that was a draft and finished product all in one. I daydreamed of enjoy a continuous, uninterrupted flow of ideas running through my mind of genius pitches, unique story ideas, surprising angles for popular topics.

Boy, was I mistaken! (Insert wild laughter here from tenured writers.)

Well, part of the above fairy tale is true. Now I do get paid to write. And, I do get to work less at my day job so that I can build a career out of my passion. ContentWriters has helped with this, and it can help you too! I get many leads on jobs without ever having to pitch much, which is nice. But, what about the rest of the time? How do you rekindle the fires during the midnight hour without going up in flames? Let’s explore a few tips for new freelance writers who may be feeling the smoldering signs of burnout.

Learn to Say No

As a new freelancer, “yes” may be your favorite word. You are finally getting paid for your writing skills, so you want to take advantage of every opportunity to hone your craft and get your name out there. You will quickly learn that saying “no” to some assignments is necessary for your personal sanity—and for the quality of your work.

Of course, saying no is not always easy. There is an art to it. Forbes writer Travis Bradberry, a psychologist, shared results on emotional intelligence from the University of California in San Francisco that revealed that the more difficulty you have saying no, the more likely you are to experience stress, burnout, and depression. Learning when and how to say no can help with your ability to perform and create the high level writing products you strive to be known for.

Find Your Niche

As a new freelancer, you may want to appeal to every client out there, just to get started. This can quickly lead to burnout. One strategy to assist with burnout is to embrace niche writing. By finding a specific topic that you enjoy and are knowledgeable about, you will attract the right clients. Niche writing will set you apart from the crowd.

Niche writing will allow you to offer new insights to clients in that industry. By building one or two niches that are experienced in (and that you enjoy writing about), you will likely have clients start seeking you out for work. Even though this seems a bit counter-intuitive, limiting your writing to a niche will likely increase the number of jobs you have, and build longer term relationships with clients in your specialty area.

Find Your Community

The picture-perfect life of staying at home all day and writing amazing work can, realistically, become lonely. Find a local co-op or coffee shop that can not only offer space, great lighting, and plenty of caffeine, but also the gift of community. Having the ability to network, or even just chit-chat with other freelancers of all kinds, can spur creativity and ideas. So, even though writing in your jammies is a great way to spend cold, rainy days, consider branching out a few a week to meet others.

Stay Productive

Burnout can quickly make the page, the pen, and the even brainstorming difficult to face at 8 a.m. when multiple deadlines are looming. Find a technique that helps you stay focused and productive. One such technique that has been proven effective is the Pomodoro Method. Francesco Cirollo developed the Pomodoro Method in the 1980s and named it after the tomato timer he used to clock his work in an effort to become more productive.

The idea is simple. You work for 25 minutes, or on Pomodoro. Upon completion of one Pomodoro, a 5-minute break is taken. After you have completed four Pomodori, take a longer break to rest and recharge. Taking multiple breaks throughout the day may not seem like the best use of your time; however, it has been proven to assist with increasing your focus and productivity. So, go ahead, take more breaks! Just stay focused for a solid 25 minutes at a time, and watch the words fly across the page.

Burn No More

By finding your community, staying productive, finding your niche, and saying no to jobs that won’t move your freelance career forward, you will likely find that you are healthier and happier—and that your writing is on point.

 

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