No more Ideas to write ?

December 10, 2009

It isn’t easy to write fresh, original content every day - just ask any freelance writer who makes the bulk of their living online. Staying inspired can be a major part of succeeding with self employment. It’s easy for the mind to wander, for the discipline to lessen, for the stress and strain of having no employer support to wear nerves a little raw. Learn how to stay fresh, stay sharp and stay on top of writing tasks.
Staying Interested

The truth is, sometimes just staying interested in daily work can feel like a monumental struggle for self employed freelance writers. It’s difficult to come up with sharp, fresh, fun content on a daily basis - especially when work at home tasks require professionals to write similar articles for similar sites every single day. Anything, even a dream job, can wear a little thin over time.

Change up daily tasks a little by mixing and matching. For instance, two articles apiece are due for two different sites. A third site wants a new blog post written. The freelance writer might start out by writing the blog post, or even just part of the blog post, then moving on to work on one of the other articles. By going back and forth and changing it up a little, it may be easier to complete tasks. Sometimes, it’s not the work - it’s the length of time spent working on a single piece. Switch it up a little to add spice to the work day.
Staying Inspired

Sometimes, staying inspired with self employment is as easy as exploring new ideas and freelance jobs. Writing a lot of the same content a lot of time? Seek out new sites and job boards that post new opportunities. Getting uninspired by writing a lot of the same content? Search for new ways to start writing some different content. Even writing some creative pieces - poetry, short stories, etc. - can help break up some of that self employment monotony.
Staying Self Employed

Maintaining the right attitude can be a big part of staying self employed - successfully, anyway. Freelance writers who are feeling bored and uninspired will offer boring and uninspiring words, content that won’t impress editors or readers either. Try a few other ways to stay fresh and full of new ideas:

* Take a random day off. Usually take Saturdays off? Take Wednesday off this week instead. This unusual time of replenishment could open the mind up to a whole host of new ideas.

* Get some down time. Been staring at the computer screen too long? Go watch a movie, take a walk, call a friend on the phone, nap…something. Take a short break to come back to the desk feeling more refreshed. It’s easier for any writer to find new ideas when they’re feeling good.

* Switch it all up. When all the usual methods aren’t working, writers who are feeling extremely burnt out might want to try more drastic measures. Why not go write somewhere else? Leave the house and just go somewhere else. A change of scenery can make a big difference. An even more radical method might be to change the writing style. Doing something new and different can make any task feel fun. Try writing an article backwards - start with the last paragraph first and work up from there.