How to make time for writing side projects as a freelance writer
Most freelance writers share a love for writing that extends beyond the work they do for their clients, but devoting time to personal writing projects can feel impossible when you’re putting all your creative energy into work for others. Often, the writing that inspires you the most is what gets set aside in favor of the writing you do for a living.
In this episode, we chat about different ways to actively create space for projects that inspire you and why those projects are so important. While we focus on the experience of freelance writers, this episode is really for anyone who craves creative personal expression but doesn’t know how to find the energy or make the time for it.
The work and the passion project: can you do both?
It depends on the person when it comes to how much client work they can handle while simultaneously working on, let’s say, a personal side project in the form of a novel. But in order to have the mental space and energy to devote to the aforementioned novel, taking on a little less work (or a lot less work) is a good idea.
“A recommendation to anyone who wants to make room for other kinds of writing is to do less writing for work.”
Some ideas for opening up that mental space for a project you want to do:
Subcontract. If you feel completely drained after a day of writing for your clients and you have no energy to spare for your own writing, consider subcontracting your work. Whether you decide to subcontract going forward or subcontract for a specific period of time, lightening up your daily workload will almost certainly free up mental space.
Plan side projects around quieter times of the year. If you know you get less client work over the winter months, plan ahead so you can focus on your personal writing when your workload is less demanding.
Take a class. Sometimes it’s the lack of structure that makes those side projects so hard to do. It might help to sign up for a class that keeps you accountable with assignments, due dates, and group discussions or activities.
Branch out. Passions ebb and flow, and sometimes you get burned out on what you love. If that’s the case, and you’re a freelance writer, try something that doesn’t have anything in common with the writing you want to do for yourself. Consider taking an improv class, making YouTube videos, or learning how to garden. Doing anything creative at all could end up inspiring you in ways you didn’t expect.
Team up. Self-motivation can be part of the difficulty in getting yourself moving on a project you know you want to do. Collaborating with a friend or fellow freelance writer, whether that be on a podcast (like us), a book, or a workshop, can be a fun way to get that creativity flowing and keep you accountable to do the projects you want to do.
“If you’ve been sitting at your desk writing all day long for work, the last thing you want to do when you have free time is more writing.”
It’s not about the money: managing burnout through creative escape
The first thing to keep in mind is that the point of a side project is not for it to be a side hustle.
Your side project doesn’t need to make a profit. As freelancers, we can get so stuck in the “time is money” mode that we feel guilty about putting our time into anything that isn’t profitable. But there is so much value in projects that have nothing to do with money.
“It can be a total passion project–something that feels good for your brain or physically feels good for you or is a guilty pleasure…it can be profitless and that’s fine.”
The value in pursuing passion projects:
Manage burnout. Intentionally creating space for projects that fill you with inspiration is a practice that, if cultivated consistently, will likely help with career burnout. The more conscious you are of when your brain needs a little inspiration from something new, the less you’ll run yourself into the ground at work.
“You do it for the pleasure of doing it and you learn something–that’s the whole point of exploring interesting things in life…you can take a comedy writing class without the goal of becoming a comedy writer.”
Fuel creative thought. While the point of a side project is not to enhance the work you do for a living, a nice bonus is that they often fuel new and fresh ways of thinking that ultimately benefit the work you do day-to-day.
Balance out the solitary nature of being a freelancer. Being a freelancer, especially a writer, means you spend large swaths of time alone at your desk. By taking a class or leading a workshop you can create community for yourself.
In general, remember: The creative side project is less about the what and more about the art of carving out time and space for these things in your life. Whatever the projects are, they help you manage burnout, they make you feel better about being alive, and they remind you why you’ve chosen this career path.
This season of FWCP is brought to you by Eva Gutierrez, creator of the Client Acquisition System.