Dear Freelance Client,

There’s no easy way to say this.

I put this off as long as I could, tossing and turning in bed, arguing with myself as to whether or not I should write this email.

I know this Friday was supposed to be the most romantic day of the year, the day that we looked into each other’s virtual eyes and imagined a lifetime of happiness together. But instead of snacking on heart-shaped chocolate and dreaming of your email address, I have to tell you…

I’m leaving you.

I remember when we started our relationship, when you replied to my email saying yes, you wanted to hire me! My heart leapt, and I had butterflies in my chest at the sight of every email you sent me.

But now, things have changed. Instead of feeling happy when I think of you, I have other, less positive emotions. Stress, sadness, and anger run through me at the mere mention of your name. 

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Writer’s block is not a valid excuse for not writing. You can break through it by using one of the many kick-ass resources available on how to find ideas, re-slant articles, improve your brainstorming skills and more.

But what if you literally can’t write? What if your wrists give you too much pain when you touch a keyboard, or try to hold a pen?

Life-threatening or permanently damaging health conditions aside, a hand or arm injury is one of the worst things that can happen to a writer. And thanks to our constant love affair with our computers, hand injuries are becoming more common among writers.

In May 2013, I was diagnosed with nerve entrapment in my wrists. The pain was driving me crazy. At one point, it hurt even when I wasn’t doing anything.

The pain had been going on for 3 weeks when I got my diagnosis. It wasn’t the first time I’d had this problem. The condition can last anywhere between a couple of days and several months, depending on how serious it is and what you do to get better.

As someone who takes her health seriously —or, more accurately, as someone who would go nuts unless she could start writing soon— I followed my doctor’s instructions, which included using an ointment regularly, taking vitamin B, resting my hands as much as possible and wearing splints, especially while typing.

And while it’s extremely frustrating, it’s not the end of the world. 

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Albert Einstein once said that “information is not knowledge.”

I’m sure you’ll agree old Albert was an all-round clever guy.

Because while continuous learning is great, consuming bucket-loads of information without proper application doesn’t make you Einstein – nor does it make you a better freelance blogger.

As a freelancer, you need to access only the right information in the right way to remain productive (and sane). As a blogger, it’s imperative that you keep up with a whole host of ever-evolving information about the online world – some of which can change daily.

But if you’re both? A freelancer and a blogger? Well, you’re likely to be in the “extremely high risk zone” when it comes to information overload. Up the proverbial creek without so much as a paddle, as it were.

Worry not – there are strategies you can put in place to avoid drowning spectacularly in a vast sea of information. Just grab on to the following life rafts to stay afloat and ward off that out-of-your-depth feeling.

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[Note from Sophie: Meet Timo Kiander, AKA Productive Superdad. I helped edit his new book of productivity tips for busy solopreneurs. Now he’s going to tell us how he found time to *write* the book.] 

Back in September, my business coach Danny Iny ended our bi-weekly coaching call with a seemingly innocent question: “Timo, would you like to take your blog to another level?”

After I learned what “take your blog to another level” meant, it took me like a fraction of a second to say “yes.”

My coach asked me if I was willing to write a book related to the topic I was already blogging about — productivity.

Although I initially said “yes” to this proposal, I also had some concerns:

• How would my family react to this, knowing that my days were already jam-packed with my day job and blogging?
• What would happen to my sports activities? I’m a marathoner and a triathlete, and didn’t want to give that up.
• How would I find time for my blog if I was going to write a book?

I felt each of those concerns was valid, so I had to find a way to crush those doubts and turn them into my strengths. 

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Let’s face it, rejection happens. We get rejected in every facet in our lives.

For writers, that rejection happens when we send out a pitch that isn’t accepted. Sometimes it isn’t even acknowledged. Then it’s easy to fall into a cycle of negative thinking. Rejection becomes fear becomes lack of effort, or giving up entirely.

As a mental health counselor, I say feel the rejection. Many posts written on rejection teach writers how to get past it. How you can shake it off or let it roll off your back.

As a person who has dealt with rejection in the past (and has low self-esteem to boot), it’s hard for me to do that. Even more so, I find that those two sayings are crap. It’s like telling me to sweep my feelings under a rug.

Why is it so hard for some people to feel rejection? Because it royally sucks! Rejection leaves you thinking negative thoughts. You focus on them… way too much. How do you move on?

These six steps will help you get beyond rejection in your freelance blogging career and any other aspect of your life: 

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