The number of people leaving their typical Monday to Friday 9 to 5 jobs for freelance work or gig work within the creator economy has increased significantly due to the pandemic. Many people may think that life as a freelancer is easier, but it isn’t. Freelance work comes with many unique challenges. Such as working for yourself and acquiring adequate work to make a living, setting your own work schedule, and setting healthy boundaries (it’s easy to just work all the time). Freelance work can cause a lot of stress for those unprepared for it. So, let’s talk about how to manage stress as a freelance writer.
I have been working as a freelance writer since before the pandemic. But the social isolation that came with the pandemic quickly made me realize where my most significant stressors were. I needed to refocus to manage my stress to survive in the world of remote work.
Over the years, I’ve learned several tricks to manage stress as a freelance writer. Here, I will divide these tips into three categories;
- How to work as a freelance writer to prevent stress
- How to let go of work at the end of the day
- How to manage stress
How to Work as a Freelance Writer to Prevent Stress
There are a few things you can do as a freelance writer to work remotely more effectively to help from developing too much stress in the first place. You don’t have to manage stress if you don’t develop too much stress in the first place.
Workspace
First, consider the space that you’re working in. When I started as a freelance writer, I didn’t think about my workspace and simply sat with my laptop on the couch. This wasn’t effective because it was impossible to separate work time from downtime as it was all happening in the same space.
When you repeatedly do the same thing in the same space, your brain will begin to associate that space with that activity. So, if you’re sitting in the same area during your downtime, it will be almost impossible not to think about work.
When setting up your remote workspace, do whatever you can to separate it from your relaxing space. If you can set up a specific office area, that’s ideal (even better if you have a room with a door).
If you can’t, like many of us who live in small apartments in expensive cities, allocate one area as your workspace, one that you can get up and move away from when you take breaks.
Also, consider the ergonomics of your chair and the position of your keyboard to prevent muscles soreness and repetitive movement injuries and remove clutter and distractions from the space.
Set Work Hours
It can be easy to work all the time as a freelance writer. When you’re not writing, you’re thinking about where your next writing project will come from. But it’s exhausting to constantly think about work – your body and mind need a break.
If you left a 9 to 5 job, you might be looking for more flexibility in your work schedule. You can have flexibility while still setting work hours. Take some time to think about what schedule works best for you. Maybe you want to work for a few hours in the morning and then go for a run and have a nap and finish your workday later in the evening. That’s okay – you set your own schedule as a freelance writer.
Freelance writers are creative people, and sometimes inspiration may strike you at random times; it’s okay to allow yourself to take advantage of that and adjust your work schedule. For me, the set work hours mainly apply to responding to client emails. Don’t force yourself to answer right away; answer it in the hours you’ve set out for work.
Tip: Don’t have client emails go to your personal phone.
Stay Organized
Freelance writers often have several different clients they’re working with simultaneously, all with different deadlines. Find a way that works for you to organize client information and deadlines for projects. I use Google Calendar and Trello.
Take Breaks
You set your own schedule as a freelance writer, but that doesn’t mean you need to sit down and work for hours in a row. Starting at a screen for many hours might just make you crazy, and it definitely doesn’t help you stay creative.
Schedule breaks to make sure you eat proper meals (this is something I’ve always had a hard time remembering), refill your water bottle, and move your body.
One of the best things to do when taking a break is it get outside. Getting some fresh air and getting your body moving can help you feel recharged, manage stress, and get the creative juices flowing.
Manage Stress: How to Let Go of Work At The End Of The Day
One of the hardest things to do as a freelance writer is let go of work at the end of the day. But allowing yourself to think about work during what is supposed to be your downtime is one of the most significant contributors to stress.
End of Day Reset
In a remote work environment, it can be helpful to have an end-of-day activity that can signal to your brain it’s the end of the day to help you make the transition. When we work in-office, our commute home provides our brain with this signal, but we need to do this for ourselves when we work from home.
If you have a home office, it can be as easy as closing the door and changing your clothes. But not all of us have the luxury of having a home office space.
End-of-day activities
- Get outside and go for a walk
- Do yoga
- Have a shower
- Make a snack
- Play with your pet
Write a To-Do List
If you’re one of those people who finds yourself thinking about the next day’s tasks, end the day by writing out your to-do list for tomorrow.
For some freelance writers, it may also be helpful to review upcoming deadlines. Determine which deadlines are most pressing when making your to-do list. And remind yourself that you have the time you need to complete these tasks within the schedule you have developed.
Organize Your Workspace
Taking a minute or two to clean up your workspace can help you leave on a more positive note and set you up for success when you start the next day.
End on a Positive Note
When you work as a freelance writer, it may be easy to quit your workday when you feel frustrated or stuck. You don’t want to butt your head up against a wall if something isn’t working, but ending the day with frustration makes it easy to carry that feeling with you into the evening.
Instead, end on a positive note by finishing one small task that feels like a win.
Giving yourself that small win can lift your mood and help you go into the evening with less stress. And it means you have one less thing to do tomorrow.
For freelance writers, this small win could be writing your to-do list for tomorrow, answering a quick client email, sending a client a short update, taking a minute to ensure your ongoing invoices are up-to-date, etc.
How to Manage Stress as the Signs of Stress Begin to Develop
Taking care of your overall mental health and wellness is an integral part of managing stress. Our mental wellness is something we should always be thinking about. Here I will talk about some self-care strategies that can help manage stress, particularly as you begin to see symptoms of stress developing.
For me, the symptoms of stress are headaches, poor sleep, aching shoulders and a sore jaw. It can be easy to treat the symptom rather than manage the underlying stress.
When you begin to develop symptoms from being stressed, the first thing you must do is pinpoint where the stress is coming from. Often, it may result from the fact that you’re not doing one of the things mentioned above.
When I begin to develop stress symptoms, it’s generally because I am not taking the breaks my body needs, and I am not taking the time to let go of work at the end of the day.
Prioritize Sleep
Sleep has a significant impact on our ability to focus and manage problems. Getting a good night’s sleep can make a huge difference. Take the time to think about sleep hygiene – optimize your sleep environment, have a bedtime routine, and set a regular sleep schedule.
You also want to think about your caffeine consumption. I try to limit myself to one cup per day. It must be before noon if I have a second, and I typically try to make the second cup decaf. I know for us as writers, that’s hard, but it can be a huge difference when it comes to sleep.
Treat Your Body Well
Stress is often held in our bodies which can result in pain. This pain can make it more difficult to focus or even sit comfortably.
There are three ways to treat your body well; eat healthy (or at least enough), exercise, and stretch.
Here are some great stretches for freelance writers who are sitting all day. Take the 10 minutes to run through these stretches during one of your scheduled breaks, or use it as an end-of-day activity to help you reset for the evening.
I’ve also personally needed some jaw relaxation and stretching.
If you can, consider getting a massage to help you relax and get rid of the stress in your body. If you go to an RMT, they can also often give you tips on stretching to help mitigate the pain your body develops because of stress.
Make Time to Recharge
More than just taking time to take breaks during the day, we need to make time to disconnect and recharge. This would include all of the self-care activities that will help you feel good.
Many people focus on activities that will help them relax and feel calm, such as having a bath, doing yoga or stretching, or reading a book. While others find the best ways to recharge is to get active, go to the gym, go for a run or a hike, or a long walk in nature.
I find the best activities are ones that keep my brain engaged, so I’m not thinking about work.
Summary: How to Manage Stress as a Freelance Writer
Working as a freelance writer can be challenging, even if it’s something you love. Take the time to set yourself up for success by setting healthy boundaries and remembering to take care of yourself to effectively manage stress.
It isn’t sustainable to be working all the time, and it definitely isn’t going to help your creativity. It will increase your stress, which will negatively impact your body and make it more challenging to work.
I hope these strategies help you to manage your stress. If you have other strategies that work for you, let me know in the comments.