Why Freelance Writers need to Maintain a Work Life Balance
The ability to maintain a work-life balance is the ideal dream of most people. The reality is that it is much easier to talk about the work-life balance, than it is to achieve it. For a freelance writer, the fine line between work and life can seem non-existent at times. There are a few tips and tricks that may help along the way.
- Well rested. It sounds like pure common sense that a freelance writer needs plenty of quality rest in order to do their job efficiently. The sad fact is, many freelance writers get the opposite of sound sleep. They stay up late (really late sometimes) in order to meet deadlines. They can spend hours sitting in front of the computer doing research for a piece, and flat out forget to sleep until the piece is finished. Some freelance writers feel this is the mark of a writer dedicated to their craft. This is an unhealthy notion.
In order for a freelance writer to actually create and maintain a steady flow of brilliant pieces, their brains must get the sleep they deserve. It can become nearly impossible to think clearly and produce quality works when you cannot even keep your eyes open. A suggested idea is to get yourself on a sleep schedule that suits your best creative time. For example: if you can settle down and think better at two in the morning, then do so. Sleep in the daytime. If your best creative time is right after the sun comes up, then go to bed early at night.
- Proper diet. Eat lots of brain food like fish. Well, okay, not everyone likes fish. Seriously, working so hard that you forget to take a lunch break is not good for your body or your mind. Another thing that is not good, but seems to be common in freelance writers, is to eat junk food while they are working on a piece. Get up and actually eat a meal. Besides, eating and working is not good for the keyboard (crumbs get lost between the keys, ketchup dries into a sticky mess on a mouse). Jokes can be made, but the truth is by starving yourself or filling up on junk food, you are not helping yourself be your freelance-writer best. Ask your doctor what bad eating habits can do to you. Suggestion: ask a friend/family member to have lunch or dinner with you once in awhile.
- Exercise. Typing does not count as exercise and neither does rolling your chair over to your printer. In between pieces, get up and walk around the room, jump up and down, stretch and/or do a little celebration dance. A suggestion is to try to get into some sort of exercise routine before or after work. For example: after you wake up, go for a jog around the area you live in or go for a brisk walk around your home. Regular exercise will not only help you feel good, it will also get your blood pumping, and therefore help your brain function better for work. Freelance writing does not mean being lazy, everyone knows that, so prove it.
- Get up, and walk away. It is a good idea to get up and walk away from the computer, typewriter or pen and paper once in awhile. You might be able to come back to the piece you are working on, with a fresh perspective. Constantly staring at the words is not going to do anything but give you a headache and maybe even make you irritable. Freelance writers do not get a set break time, nor do they clock in and clock out at certain times, so they need to take breaks occasionally on their own. Besides, it might be good to go hang out with friends or catch a movie sometime. Think about it this way: how can you possibly write about life, if you are not ever living it?
By trying to maintain a work-lifebalance, freelance writers can possibly avoid burn out, or even worse; writers block. Working in the mental salt mines can be a really tough job, give yourself a break once in awhile. Get up and out, enjoy life before it passes you by.
