10 Ways for Freelance Writers to Stay Motivated

Do you have trouble staying motivated when it comes to writing your articles? I think this is something that most freelance writers face from time to time. Because, let's face it, it's hard to always be motivated to work, no matter what the job is. You may not feel well that day or you may just feel like going shopping rather than sitting down and working. The following tips are meant to help freelance writers stay motivated and get their work done.

Ways for Freelance Writers to Stay Motivated #1: Have Several Articles Ready to Go

I find it so much easier to stay motivated if I have several articles ready to write. This means I will spend one of my work days brainstorming articles so that the rest of the week I'll be ready to write non-stop. You would not believe how much easier it is to write your articles when they are all ready to go.

Ways for Freelance Writers to Stay Motivated #2: Think About the Offers

I think one of the biggest motivators for anyone who works is the money. So a great way for freelance writers to stay motivated is to simply think about the offers they will get. Just think about how much that article will be worth and how much 10 articles will be worth. This is usually enough to get any freelance writer motivated.

Ways for Freelance Writers to Stay Motivated #3: Set Goals

Freelance writers should always set goals for themselves. For example, I try to write at least seven articles 5 days week. Looking at my planner each day and seeing those goals really does help to keep me motivated. It gives me a sense of accomplishment to mark off those seven articles each day.

Ways for Freelance Writers to Stay Motivated #4: Reward Yourself

The worst thing you can do is to spend all of your offers on bills. If you want to stay motivated you must reward yourself. I try to work hard enough to pay my bills and have money left over for fun things like DVDs, books, etc. Without this extra income I would lose my motivation rather quickly.

Ways for Freelance Writers to Stay Motivated #5: Work Towards a Big Purchase

Another great way for freelance writers to stay motivated is to save money for a large purchase. Think of how much money it will take to buy that new TV or a vacation and put back money each week. For example, I want to go on a vacation in June. This means I need to put back $25 each week for the hotel room.

Ways for Freelance Writers to Stay Motivated #6: Write About What You Enjoy

I find it so easy to stay motivated when I write about things that I enjoy. For example, this article is really easy to write because I love sharing advice. To help get me motivated for the day, I always start out with articles that almost call out to be written and then move on to the topics that I'm not as eager to write about.

Ways for Freelance Writers to Stay Motivated #7: Write Outside of Your Schedule

I do encourage people to have a writing schedule. For example, I work Saturday - Wednesday from 2pm to 10pm, but that doesn't mean I won't sit down and write an article if something hits me. If I read a big news article, I'll spend some time on my day off writing that article. Also if I find myself really passionate about a new topic that just occurred to me, I will write it then rather than wait and risk losing all my ideas.

Ways for Freelance Writers to Stay Motivated #8: Start Out with Easy Articles

Just like it's important to start out with articles that you enjoy, it's also important to start out with articles that are easy to write. For example, I often do articles in this format, that are ten tips and they are really easy for me to write. I will write these articles first and then move onto articles that are paragraphs rather than a list.

Ways for Freelance Writers to Stay Motivated #9: Look at Previous Offers

Sometimes all it takes for a freelance writer to stay motivated is to at their previous offers. I know I feel good about my writing when I look back and see all the offers I have received. This also allows you to see which topics have paid the most which may lead to more topic ideas.

Ways for Freelance Writers to Stay Motivated #10: Compete

If you're a competitive person, this will really keep your motivated. Each week set a goal for yourself and ask a fellow freelance writer what their goal is for that week. You could either see who can write more articles or you could simply reward yourselves for reaching your goals. Either way, you will stay motivated knowing you have to report your outcome to someone else each week.