Balancing Work With Pleasure

Writing is more than a source of income for many writers. It is a passion.

When a writer begins to pay too much attention to views, residuals and starts comparing their achievements to other writers panic can set in. It can ruin the creative process and turn the pleasure of writing into a chore.

Writing web content and blogging is just one of the ways that I make money. Having given up on finding a job outside of my home (and realizing I am much better suited for work-at-home projects) it has taken me time to figure out a work plan that fits my life.

Not everyone is afforded the luxury of a private home office and in my case, I have a disability that makes it impossible to sit at a traditional desk and spend hours writing.

Living in a household that can be chaotic at times adds to my challenge. It can be frustrating to have words flowing through my brain, itching to get out but having several family members around chatting and distracting me from what I need to do.

I have learned through trial and error what works for me. When my plans fall flat I have learned to accept what I cannot change. If a day or two goes by and I do not produce any new content I have learned to not beat myself up about it. There really are more important things in life.

Somehow over the past few years I have turned into a morning person. I take advantage of this by using my time wisely. Writing while everyone is asleep means I can focus and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Once everyone is awake and around the house, I use the time to promote my work. It is easy to do this even while carrying on a conversation.

I am also finding more time to read blog posts and articles from some of my favorite online writing friends. Instead of spending valuable writing time reading multiple articles from strangers I instead stick with reading what I enjoy. Every once in a while I find someone new and that is usually thanks to one of my online writing friends promoting someone else's work.

My other self-employment project is my Etsy store. It took a lot of hard work to list over 150 items but the hard part is over. I am making sales and will continue to do so as long as I schedule in promoting time. Balancing it all is becoming second nature to me.

I am not making enough money to replace my paycheck yet but I am hopeful. Rome wasn't built overnight. It takes time to build a presence on the Internet and develop a following.

If you are just entering the self-employment world or have been at it for a while, my advice is to believe in yourself. Realize that you may be spending more time at whatever your passion is before you see real profits. If you are enjoying what you are doing it won't bother you as much.

When the day comes that it all feels like a chore- walk away. Give yourself a break from it and once you feel fresh again go back to it.

I recently did this because of some real-life issues that were going on. Although I know that residual income is not what it used to be, I stopped worrying about it. I took care of me for a while. It was needed.

I am now ready to throw myself back into the hard work that it is going to take to be a success at my chosen profession.

I visualize myself earning more and coming up with more creative ways of earning money. I am taking the time to learn from others and that helps to motivate me to believe in myself.

Work can be enjoyable and if it is not, well then maybe you are not doing the right thing.