Be a Freelance Blogger

How to Take a Break Even When Your Work Doesn’t

*Glances at clock.*

Great. It’s only 7am. That gives me about an hour until The Family is up. I can get loads of work done. I love Saturdays.

*Work work work work work*

Whew. That was an intense work session. I got loads done.

*Glances at calendar*

What!? It’s Sunday?! Where did Saturday go?

*Looks at spouse* What do you mean you took the girls to the movies without me? And you got ice cream, too? Why didn’t you ask me to go? Oh. You did. I was busy working.

Sound familiar?

All too often freelancers get into the habit of working non-stop. While this may thrill some of your clients, it can leave your family resentful, your body exhausted, and your mind dull.

The best way to keep your real world relationships thriving and your work at its best is to take a break every once in a while, preferably daily. But how can you stop working when your work never stops? Be strong and use your daily schedule to your advantage.

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By Linda Formichelli

How to Actually Do All the Things You Thought Freelancing Would Free You to Do

You start freelance blogging because you want to be in control of your own schedule. Now you’ll have time to do all the things you never had time for before: Exercise! Hobbies! Playing with your kids! Volunteering! Taking classes!

Then reality gives you a slap in the face.

You discover that freelance blogging consists of more than writing witty posts whenever the inspiration hits, while sipping java in your beautifully appointed home office. You also need to create a content calendar. Pitch guest posts. Market your blogging services to prospects. Build your list. Socialize your posts. Network with influencers. Do invoicing and accounting and taxes. Not to mention develop eyeball-grabbing headlines and source amazing images for your posts.

So it still feels like you’re working 24-7, and you still have no time to actually live the rest of your (non-work) life.

The good news is that you can make the time for full-time blogging and all the other things you want to do, see, experience, and create as well. Here’s how.

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By Ashley Gainer

When Your Freelance Blogging Fears Get the Best of You, Use These 3 Reminders

I’m no stranger to fear — the kind of gut-wrenching, heart-stopping, I-don’t-want-to-do-this-anymore fear that crops up every time I’ve got something big going on.

And if you’ve ever tried to start something big, new, or important, you’ve probably dealt with fear. Especially if you’re trying to pave your own way as a freelance blogger.

There are big names to compare yourself to, big-price programs that promise major success right off the bat, and big visions of what your career could be. Talk about intimidation.

For me, nothing was bigger or more important than freelancing. Not making it happen — not providing enough income for my family to survive — was simply not an option.

I had a lot on the line. I had everything on the line.

And when you’ve got everything on the line, you get a lot of visits from the fear fairy. She takes all kinds of shapes and forms, disguising her real identity:

anxious thoughts keeping you awake at night
distraction and “shiny object syndrome” as you look for your golden ticket
fearful predictions about what you won’t be able to do (for me, I had a weird recurring fixation on being unable to buy my son new shoes when he grew into a new size)
thoughts about looking stupid or making dumb mistakes
feeling like you don’t know enough yet
good old-fashioned procrastination

You’ll encounter a lot of fears when getting your freelance blogging off the ground. And you’ll have to learn how to deal with them. (Or else.)

There’s no magic pill, silver bullet, or super-secret method for getting rid of fear. In fact, I don’t really think it’s possible to “get rid of” fear entirely. But what is possible is moving forward despite the fear.

Here are three fear-busting truths I repeated to myself constantly while I was in my most fearful years…and these days, too, as I keep leveling up and branching out.

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By Sophie Lizard

Pitch Your Blog Post, Win $100: It’s Pitchfest Time!

Do you have a great idea for a blog post?

Would it appeal to an audience of freelance bloggers?

Then now’s your chance to pitch your blog post idea to us and win $100 if we choose it as our favourite to publish here on Be a Freelance Blogger. 🙂

Normally, I’d write a longer introduction before announcing a new Pitchfest contest. But to be honest, I’m heavily pregnant and exhausted, so I’m just gonna lay it out and let you start pitching.

Here’s how this works…

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By Jedha Dening

5 Psychology Principles to Create More Compelling Content

Lean in closer, because we’re about to embark on a journey into the human mind to discover what makes people tick.

No, this is not whackadackary stuff. This is a deep dive into the science of our brain matter.

You see, we may think we’re captain of the ship “Me.” But science shows that, more often than not, we’re driven by mental scripts, urges, and subconscious cues.

This is interesting because as bloggers we need to continually challenge ourselves to improve our writing. We want our clients to say “WOW your writing pops,” right?

Well, one of the reasons psychologists rely on theory rather than common sense is that common sense isn’t common. That, and because theory is more reliable in producing a consistent result.

If you want to create content for your clients that always gets consistent, reliable results — but right now you lack the skills, ideas, and structure to do it — these principles could provide the answer.

Let’s delve into some brain matter and explore what science says about reaching people on a deeper level. And to make this as practical as possible, along the way I’ll share examples to demonstrate how to use the principles to create fresh, interesting and more compelling content.

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