After freelancing for many years we have learnt a few tricks on what to do when you just don’t seem to be in the mood for work.
Losing motivation can happen because you have too much work and it seems a bit overwhelming or when you are in a quiet period and your carefully crafted pitches are attracting nothing but tumbleweed. You know you’re in trouble when not even a cup of tea can get you in the mood.
The general consensus seems to be that January 2021 was the longest month that has ever been. If you feel like you have lost your motivation, here’s some tips for getting February off to a good start.
1. Write a list
We do love a good list over at FFJ headquarters. We never start a day without one and also have ones for the coming week and month. Even if it’s not something you usually need, if you are struggling to get motivated it can really help to write down tasks rather than having them all swimming about in your head.
Make sure you put small, easy tasks on there as well as the bigger jobs. Once you’ve crossed a few off, you immediately feel like you’re getting somewhere. It has been known for at least one member of team FFJ to start a list with ‘write list’.
2. Be realistic
Having a lot of work to do can counterintuitively sap your motivation. Usually because you just don’t know where to start or feel tired just thinking about the tasks ahead so instead you bury your head in the sand. We’ve all done it but we all also know that avoiding the work doesn’t ultimately make you feel any better.
Instead try to break it into manageable chunks and be realistic. What is the most pressing task that needs doing and how long will it take - an hour, a morning, a full day? Can something else be put on the back burner for now? Be honest with yourself about what you can achieve and just focus on that.
3. Give yourself a break
We can't all fire on all cylinders all of the time. A lack of motivation may be a sign that you need a break, or at least to do something else for a bit. One of the main perks of freelancing is that you’re in charge. So go for that run, dog walk, socially distanced takeaway coffee (whatever’s allowed where you are) and get some fresh air. Take time to immerse yourself in a hobby or even lie on the sofa watching your favourite box set.
Give yourself permission to step away. More than likely you will come back refreshed and ready to be far more efficient. This may be even more important at the moment when lockdown makes the days all blend into one. Listen to our podcast episode on mental health and wellbeing for more tips on this.
4. Connect with other freelancers
Sometimes all we need to know is that we are not alone. Speak to other freelancers (or anyone) about how they overcome lack of motivation because we have definitely all been there. Social media networks (including our very own Freelancing for Journalists Facebook community) can be really helpful for this. A problem shared and all that. And you might get some excellent advice along the way.
5. Write something down
You’ve done the interviews and a load of research and now it’s time to write your article. Except you can’t seem to get going. A blank page can seem like a massive hurdle when this happens. We find that getting something/anything written down can be really helpful. Start with some quotes. Or your original pitch or some subheadings. It won’t be long before the ideas start flowing.
When really up against it, we swear by the Pomodoro method. Decide on a task such as writing an outline, set a timer for 25 minutes and work on the task until the buzzer goes. Then take a break for a few minutes and start again. This is also an excellent technique for those of us who have a tendency to procrastinate or be easily distracted by social media.
6. Do some admin
Now bear with us on this one, we haven’t completely lost the plot. This is about tricking your brain into feeling productive when you can’t get motivated. Chase some invoices, update your website, tidy up the email inbox, etc, etc. These tasks often don’t take long and you can quickly feel like you are achieving quite a bit. Also while doing mindless, repetitive tasks your brain might wander and come up with your next great pitch idea.
7. Tidy your workspace
As one older, wiser relative used to say ‘Tidy desk, tidy mind’. Getting yourself in the right mindset can be about giving yourself a nice environment to work in. Clear away that clutter, file the paperwork, stick up some nice cards/images on the wall, get a plant and generally make it a place you want to be in. And when all else fails, you can always resort to new stationery as a treat.
8. Change it up
We wrote a whole chapter on working from home and motivation in our book. It was pre-pandemic but there are still lots of tips that apply in our current strange circumstances. This newsletter is being written from a comfy armchair in the living room. Not the usual set up but staring at the same patch of wall and sitting in the same chair can get a bit boring. We might not be able to go and sit in a library or cafe at the moment (pretty sure we will never take that for granted again), but we might be able to make small changes to encourage us into opening that laptop.
If you’re still not convinced, can we suggest coming along to one of our £10 lunchtime webinars. The first one on How to find freelance work is on the 17th February. We ran one of these last year and participants said it had really helped them to get started and learn some new strategies. Might be just the ticket for getting that motivation back! Sign up here.
Triumph of the week
We have a new sponsor for series 4 of the podcast! We’re booking guests in ready to start recording episodes as we speak. Having a sponsor means we can pay our guests. Interestingly, we are planning an episode on ‘Should you ever work for free?’ which if our Facebook community chatter is anything to go by, will prompt a lot of debate.
That feeling when…
You get four pitches commissioned in one day but then realise that means you have four features to write…
Do keep sending in your Listener Dilemmas for us to answer in the next series of the podcast.
Either post a message in our Facebook Community or contact us at freelancingforjournalists@gmail.com.
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Bye for now!