It's Better Late Than Never
One of the hardest things I face on a constant basis is the not having enough time to do everything. As a freelance writer, I have daily writing assignments that are way more than I can finish. I know it's my fault because I still take in work when I know I have others to finish, but I don't want to waste any opportunity not just to get business, but to slowly establish myself as a professional writer for various clients.
A couple of years ago, when I first started going full time on freelance writing, I have 5 clients. Looking back, I could not think how I was able to juggle all those clients and whip up at least 5 articles for each of them every single day. It was a lot of hard work. I had sacrificed a lot of time. I woke up early in the morning and slept very late. I was dedicated to my clients and didn't want to disappoint them. It was great. I earned a great amount of money and managed to establish really good and long lasting relationships with the clients. However, looking back, I realized that I bit off more than I could chew during those times and my time for myself suffered.
Although I controlled my schedule, I was constantly working. My computer is on for the entire day. I can't even stop to watch a television show without turning to my computer during commercial breaks. Today I realized that it wasn't a great way to deal with my time. Yes, I had a lot of projects, but I quickly ran out of gas. After a year, I was completely exhausted and wanted to stop. My remaining clients suffered because for 5 months, I was not functioning well. I had a hard time writing a single article. It's like pulling teeth. I even contemplated ditching freelance writing and going back to the corporate world just because I wanted to have a work schedule that ends at 5 pm.
I longed for times when I was able to do the things I like doing. Since I started freelancing, all I did was work. Though being hard working is a really commendable trait, I knew that I didn't want to work too damn hard because it will take a toll on me. And that's what exactly happened.
My clients dwindled to just two. And during those months that I struggled with finding the inspiration, I was constantly thinking about what I did wrong and what I should do. I realized that it was better time management and not taking more than I can handle. I learned to outsource to save time and effort.
For a while things looked great. I started to become more at ease writing again. I was also able to entertain additional projects (that I outsourced to some people). Most importantly, I had more time to enjoy. I had more time to relax and refresh my mind. It was great.
But that doesn't mean I don't find myself running out of time. I still do. As a matter of fact, that's exactly the reason I was not very active in WA. I've been a member for months now but it's only now that I get to spend time going through everything here. It may be late, but I am glad that I got the opportunity to learn the things in here.
It is, always, better late than never.
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