There’s a mental toughness that I think every writer needs to develop in terms of creating something out of nothing. For freelancers, it goes further to creating a career or even a workday out of nothing, no boss or director to provide instructions. So how do you get motivated?
Here are some of the things that I do to find inspiration and get things done:
Reading and observing
Whether it’s reading direct advice or observing someone who is doing what I aspire to, spending a portion of time examining the output of others is useful for informing what pathways will work for me. When I went to promote my Feisty Freelancer book, I took a careful look at the tactics that others has used for their book promotion. I created my marketing plan with their inspiration in mind. When I redesigned my monthly newsletter, I subscribed to a bunch that I liked and analyzed their content and format.
Create structure
Whether it’s pitching new clients or creating thought leadership content, scheduling gets things done. I try to schedule in the work that I’m going to do on my own business development in order to make sure I prioritize it in my week. I will often structure the research phase, the writing phase, the editing. Even the sending phase so that everything gets prepared at the same time. Feeling a sense of accomplishment after I finish a handful of pitches at once, and then I can take a break.
Turn around quickly from rejection
This is more around outreach, but another mental tool I use when I get that inevitable percentage of rejection is to plan ahead for it. If I’m sending an idea to an editor, I think about the next two editors I will approach. If I’m pitching a client, I don’t let too much time go by before I follow up or pitch another. That way there’s less time to stew about results, and more focus on action, which is the element I can control.
I also share these blog posts on LinkedIn – visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/sbowness/ to connect with me there. Or hire me to write blog posts for you!
