Bored.
I’ve felt that in the past with a few projects, particularly strings of projects that are just. The. Same. Thing. I get that way when I feel they’re too manicured, so to speak — when the client is too intent on massaging every word, dumbing it down, or creating what turns out to be a nothing-burger of a piece that doesn’t impart anything new.
You’ve felt it, too. Maybe for different reasons, but I’m sure at one point in your freelance writing career, you’ve been bored.
I was talking with a freelance writer friend who was going through something similar. She liked the client just fine, but the work felt tedious. Or she wasn’t in the mood. Or she might not be in the right mindset.
Yep. Boredom.
Her other clients and projects she talked about with a bit more enthusiasm, so it wasn’t necessarily the job. It was that one project.
But boredom is usually a sign of something more.
For me, boredom has shown up in these cases:
Tedious work. Sometimes, the work is just a drag. I’ve had a few cases in which I’ve had to part ways with clients because the work wasn’t anywhere near exciting or even remotely interesting. These days, I simply don’t take on projects like that. But sometimes you don’t know until you’re doing it, do you? At that point, you make your excuses with your client and part ways. After you finish what’s in front of you, of course. No need to leave them in the lurch.
Nitpicky editing. You know that client, too — the one who says “I’d rather you used this word than that one, and do we want to say ‘replied’ instead of ‘said’?” When the work involved starts to outpace the compensation, it may be time to say goodbye. Or ask for a raise, if you think you can still work for this person without being bored.
Low pay. Most of my boredom has stemmed from doing work that I’m undercompensated for. That brings out my resentment (of myself mostly for taking a job I shouldn’t have), and that manifests itself as boredom. Then I ask myself if being paid more would remove that feeling. If the answer is no, I move on.
Lack of a vacation. This happens to me more often than I can possibly count. Sometimes it’s not boredom but exhaustion. When was the last time you took some time away? Doesn’t need to be anywhere other than away from electronics. Allow yourself a vacation from work. We all need to recharge, and your lack of interest could be remedied with some time off.
Boredom often has a simple solution:
Change.
Change something. Change your mind about the work, change the pay, change your situation, change your scenery for a week. You’re in charge. Do what you need (and want) to do. Be happy with your freelance writing career. That’s why you’ve embraced it, isn’t it?
Writers, what instances cause you to feel bored?
How do you remedy that?
3 responses to “Boredom and the Freelance Writer”
I don’t get bored, but I do get restless. After a certain point, if there’s no growth with some companies, it’s best to move on. When I start to resent the time I spend on a client project instead of looking forward to it, I know it’s time to wrap things up for both of us.
Restless — good word for it. And you’ve described the feeling exactly. Resentment means you no longer fit each other.
I had a client like that. In fact, it’s a client who boomerangs back every year or so. I like them quite a bit, but the projects became a tad scattered. Point person gave me Topic A. I’d write Topic A. They loved it. But Decision Maker didn’t.
That meant another phone call, this time with the Decision Maker. It meant I now had to write yet another article.
Four projects went exactly like that. Each time, I asked them if it might be smart to put the Decision Maker on the initial phone call so I could get a sense of what exactly he/she wanted. The last time it happened, I did more than suggest — I said it needed to happen to save us all some time and effort.
Now, if they ever do show up again, I’ll be charging double if the Decision Maker isn’t included on that initial call. And I’ll point out why.
Yeah, those are frustrating.