Writers, Are You Working Too Hard?

October 24, 2009

Is your writing career wearing you out? How would an extra hour a day help you? New freelance writers often go through the following cycle:

  1. Take every writing opportunity that arises

  2. Write all day and all night

  3. Run out of time to spend on other aspects of life

  4. Burnout or wonder whether this career is right for you after all

Writing Career Goals

A fellow writer who writes marketing copy said to me the other day: “When I said I wanted to be a writer, this was not what I had in mind.”

We all write because we enjoy it, but that doesn’t mean that we enjoy every aspect of the job. Talk to many freelancers who have been writing for more than a year and you will often sense fatigue and some disillusionment. That’s because they are working too hard on things that don’t match their personal goals.

Often, we are so used to the lifestyle we had as new freelancers that we don’t stop to consider whether we really need to keep working that hard. The first year of freelancing can be tough, but by the end of that period, we usually get a couple of regular clients. If we have done our job right, they will also pay more than the rock bottom rate we started with. That means working fewer hours to achieve the same income. Take a moment to look at your client portfolio and earnings and see if you have reached this stage without even realising it.

Putting Balance Back Into Writing

If you have, then you can put some fun back into your writing career and achieve a more balanced existence. You can:

  • spend more time with friends and family

  • take time off for personal pampering and fitness

  • work on some of those writing projects that are on the back burner

Getting Things Done

So, how do you achieve this extra hour? One of the key things is organisation. You can:

  • manage your email in two or three batches a day instead of looking at each email as it arrives

  • work during your most productive time each day

  • set a schedule and stick to it

  • take on only the work you can do within your set working hours

  • reduce the time you spend on social networking and online distractions

Automatic Organisation

This last one may sound simple but it’s amazing how often we forget to do it. Think about it. Anytime you need to go to a medical appointment, have an offsite meeting, look after a sick child or handle one of the other interruptions to your schedule, you still manage to get your work done. You automatically discard the non-essentials and focus on the necessary tasks to achieve your goal. Work like that every day and you will find that you can still keep all your clients happy while having more time to work on personal projects and design the lifestyle you want.

Case Study

I discovered this a few weeks ago when I was visiting a family member who was recovering from surgery. Because of the additional responsibilities I had, I was forced to focus on key tasks. I got all my clients’ work done on time and on spec. I was ruthless about discarding non-essential email and was concise in responding to urgent email. I cut down on time spent on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn (and everyone’s still speaking to me) and hardly looked at my RSS reader. I saved about two hours a day.

How It Works

In the past week, I’ve put this system into practice. While I still need to refine it, I managed to carve out a few hours to rearrange and declutter my office space. I know that if I keep going, I will have the time I need for my personal writing projects. What would you do with an extra hour a day?