What My Fitness Tracker Has Taught Me About Running a Freelance Writing Business

I did something seriously wrong last week. Something that had me overthinking, overdoing, and generally stretching myself beyond my capacity and abilities.

That’s right:

I accepted and participated in a FitBit Workweek Challenge.

I thought it would be a nice way to see how friends and their friends were progressing. I thought it would motivate me to move a little bit more.

It turned out I learned that I’ve become much, much more competitive than I want to be.

Also, that challenge turned the focus of my day from actually going about my day to obsessing about how many steps I needed to get to keep first place.

Color me surprised. I never knew this side of me before. And I didn’t like it. Time to disengage.

FitBit taught me in that one week that killing myself to stay ahead was stupid on a few levels. I ended up exhausted (17,000 steps a day is WAY over what I normally do). I ended up aching. And I’m now trying to calm down a diverticulitis flare-up from what was probably the additional 10 miles I’d added to my usual repertoire.

That’s a good thing. I know now that if I accept another Workweek Challenge (I won’t) that I’m my own worst enemy, and that it won’t end well for me, even if I’m in first place.

I’ve learned other things from my FitBit that could help you understand how to better run your freelance writing business. Yes, you read that right. There are lessons all around us. Even a fitness tracker can teach you something useful. Like these things:

It all starts with that first step.

Nothing happens when you’re dormant. Yes, your tracker may prompt you to get up and move, but so does your To Do list or your Calendar appointments. They can’t make you move. They can only suggest you move. You are in charge of that first step, and frankly, every step after.

Each step counts.

The day I strapped this demanding little demon onto my wrist, every step started to matter. They added up. First, I was able to make it to 5,000 steps in a day. Then 8,000. Then 12,000. Then ….

The same goes for the freelance writing career. Everything you do toward your goal is going to matter, even if it doesn’t matter right away. You’ll progress. You’ll get better at honing your message and reaching the right clients. You’ll become comfortable with running a freelance writing business. It will make a difference.

All goals are arbitrary.

Even my 5-mile-a-day goal could change. It did, in fact. This past week, I was averaging 7 or 8 miles a day.

Your goal to make $30,000 a year is as arbitrary and the next writer’s goal to make $80,000 a year. It is. It can morph, just like your marketing plans can change and your client focus can shift and your days worked can increase or decrease and ….

The point is to make those important goals important to you. I can talk all day about wanting to bring in 12 new clients. But if I don’t stop talking and start doing, that’s not going to happen. I could talk about wanting to try the latest software or work from coffee shops twice a week or whatever. It’s just talk, and setting goals that don’t matter to me isn’t going to make them important. But earnings? Clients? Training? I’m going to set those goals because those, in my opinion, matter to the health of my business.

The only measurement that matters is yours.

I’ve been connected to numerous friends who out-walk me on a daily basis (I’m looking at you, Cathy Miller!).  I root for them because they’re reaching their goals. I don’t try to keep up. I keep my own pace (Cathy’s pace would bury me), and I’m content with it. For some reason, a Workweek Challenge is different in my head, but it’s really not different at all. I simply lost my mind last week.

The same goes for that freelance writing business. Sure, you may see plenty of people outpacing you in terms of earnings, clients, and prestige (Devon Ellington beats everyone for stamina!). But chasing someone else’s tail means you’re not focusing on your own progress, your own goals, your own way of doing things. And it’s right — for you. For you, $40,000 a year may be plenty of money. Or $120,000 a year. Or $20,000 a year. It’s not up to anyone else to determine.

Every day is a reset.

I was at a retreat on December 31st when I noticed that just before midnight, I’d logged over 24,000 steps. It was all the dancing and hiking that day, and the fact that I was up past my bedtime. But you know what? At 12:00 am, that total turned to zero. It was a reminder that every day needs your best effort.

It was also a reminder that every day is a new beginning. You may have sucked all week, but Friday, hey, that could be your day. Or you might be blasting it out of the stratosphere with work and earnings, but tomorrow you could be staring at an empty desk.

Every day is your chance to correct, your chance to give your best effort. Every step counts — even the new ones. Especially those, because yesterday’s steps are already logged. Time to make fresh ones.

What does your favorite app or routine teach you?
Where are you finding lessons these days?