Freelancers are the captain of their ship, and having autonomy and flexibility is part of what makes being self-employed so appealing. The downside is that without a manager encouraging you to grow or pushing you out of your comfort zone, it can be easy for your working day to become monotonous.
Self-motivation requires effort, and if you find yourself in a rut you may also notice that your creativity starts to dwindle. A lot of advice for finding inspiration is completely impractical for freelancers who have children or any other form of caring responsibility. With this in mind, I’ve included a few ideas that can be worked into a busy schedule to suit you and your family. Trying one or two tips could be enough to shake things up and help you feel refreshed.
- Search for Inspiration Elsewhere
Inspiration doesn’t usually arrive when we go looking for it. You may instead have a Eureka moment when you meet friends for dinner, go to a networking session, pick up a book, or enrol on a new creative class.
- Change Your Routine
This is a tough one for parents, and all those guides telling you to get up at 5am, write ‘morning pages’ before you get up, or go out for a run before starting work are completely impractical when you have to get the whole family out of the house before 8am.
There are other ways to change your routine that will fit with family life. If possible, walk instead of driving home after the school run. A 10 minute walk can be enough to organise your thoughts and mentally prepare for the day ahead.
Add more breaks into your day. The Pomodoro technique may help you step away from your desk while maintaining, or even increasing, your productivity. After a break from your laptop, you may return with a fresh idea or new perspective on a task.
Consider whether you could cook (or prep) your evening meal at lunchtime. Take 20 minutes to get a chilli into the slow cooker, or chop the veg ready for dinner. Not only will you be grateful later this evening, but performing simple tasks like this leaves your mind free to ruminate on other ideas.
- Change Your Work Environment
If you work from home, it’s time to rearrange your work set up. Re-decorate, rearrange the furniture or put up new pictures. Try to create a space that’s clean and uncluttered so that you have the headspace for creativity.
Working from home is convenient, but if your home office starts to feel boring, go somewhere else to work. Hot-desking, coffee shops and libraries can all be great places to work, and settling into a new environment may spark new ideas. You may also find yourself networking with other professionals who you might not otherwise have met.
- Make Time for Creativity
Tools are available that may free up time for the creative side of work. Investigate programmes that can clock your earnings, generate invoices, and make tax calculations on your behalf. Some systems will email invoices to clients on your behalf, and send reminders for unpaid invoices. This saves you time and the discomfort of chasing those who are slow to pay.
- Exercise
If you’re not already active, getting into exercise can be a great way to tap into your creativity. You don’t need to be running marathons. A 30 minute walk each day is enough time for new ideas to come to you while you explore your local neighbourhood or new areas.
To make exercise part of your weekly routine, you may find it helpful to set a new fitness goal, sign up for an online class, or visit your local leisure centre to see which classes or swim sessions are on offer.
- Rest
Eureka moments tend to occur when we are not working. Inspiration is more likely to strike when we’re resting, watching TV, walking the dog or driving. Try to stop work at a reasonable time each day and find time to relax in the evening.
If a new project comes in unexpectedly, try to set expectations so that you can honour the days you have already booked off work. Working yourself into the ground will dull your spark.
If possible, book to go away on holiday. While you’re away, resist the urge to check work emails or tweak projects.
Final Thoughts
Creativity does not bloom when you are bored, working flat out, or not making time for your physical or mental health. Take time to think about small changes you could make to your daily or weekly routine which could help re-ignite your professional and personal creativity.
To find out more about working with a creative copywriter, or to book expert health writing, contact me today.