Freelance writers’ lives are usually quite busy. But busy with what?
Often we are busy doing things that don’t matter, or actually detract from our lives. And that’s why we should practice simplicity.
Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb nail. — Henry David Thoreau
To me, simplicity means simplifying my life as much as possible so I have more time for my truly important goals, from business to family to personal development.
There are four broad principles you can apply to simplify your life:
Do Less
Examine everything you do and decide whether or not it really needs to be done. Ask yourself these questions about every activity you do:
- How will it enhance my life or benefit others?
- Does it really matter in any significant way?
- Who or what benefits from a given action?
- What harm could come from the action?
Buy Less
Think carefully before every potential purchase. Before you buy, ask yourself these questions and carefully weigh your answers:
- Will it save me time over the long run?
- Will it make me happier over the long run?
- Will it increase my productivity?
- What effect will it have on the people in my life? Will it bring me closer to them, or will it distract me?
- What are the environmental costs of this product in terms of resources and energy used, and pollution created?
Travel Less
Travel takes time and money and energy. Think carefully before every journey from your house, whether it’s to the local store or across the country:
- Do I really need to go?
- Do the benefits outweigh the costs?
- Can errands and activities be combined into fewer trips?
Think Less
I’m not saying don’t use your brain. On the contrary, you should think about important things in your life, or about things that make you happy or relax you.
I’m talking about minimizing the amount of useless thinking you do. Much of this comes from all the stimuli in the environment that clamor for your attention, but that you should usually ignore:
- Advertisements in all forms
- Much of the Internet
- Most television
- Negative thinking
- Gossip
Tuning out this noise calms your mind and allows you to focus on what’s truly important.
Simplicity and the Successful Freelance Writer
I’ve been applying these principles for years and they have had a major positive impact on my happiness, health, and relationships.
And they have also had a major positive impact on my freelance writing business. By doing less and owning less, I have more time and more energy to devote to marketing my freelance writing and actually doing my writing projects.
Your Take
What can you do to simplify your life? How would this not only boost your writing income, but also benefit you in other important areas? Any suggestions/ideas to share with us?
Interesting post, John. Mostly I agree with you. I do find certain kinds of advertising helpful – I always have. Hard to describe exactly what I mean. I most often find it in magazines like the Atlantic. I rarely buy anything but some of the information points me in a new direction and I appreciate that. Most advertising, I agree is bunk.
Anne, I agree that some advertising can be useful. I just find that greater than 99 percent of it is useless for me, yet it wastes my time and energy.
I don’t watch much television, but most of what I do watch is streaming Netflix, which means I don’t have to see any commercials.
John, thank you for this. As I sit here this morning scrolling social media, I think to myself, I could be writing a chapter by now. I find the best thing that works for me is leaving my house, going to a cafe and getting away from all the ‘to-do’ lists of my home. I am easily distracted in my own writing. When I edit someone else’s writing, I can keep focused. Often leaving my laptop at home and sitting some place that cannot tempt me with its lure of click this and click that, I take a pen to a notebook and find I get way more accomplished.
Leslie, I often have the same thoughts, especially when I’m on the Internet. (See my post linked below.)
I find that going to either the city library or the university library really helps me focus, as does going to a coffee shop. The only problem with coffee shops is that sometimes I can’t help but overhearing conversations, which is very distracting for me.
Walking away from a 30-plus-year corporate career went a long way toward simplifying my life. The lack of a commute alone makes me very happy. 🙂 Can’t tell you how little I miss that part. 😉
Other things I have done to simplify my life (related to my business) is to eliminate copyediting from my services (hated it), eliminated “one and done” projects (with the rare exception), and from the beginning I refused weekend work. Mostly due to necessity (in so many ways).
Cathy, I never had a corporate career, but I have friends that do, and I know what a toll it can take on their lives.
And I hear you about copyediting. I did it a couple of times and didn’t enjoy it.
Thinking less is the hard part. I could not function at all without the regular use of Freedom.
Annie, I’ve heard good things about Freedom and similar programs and apps. I usually do a good job of staying off the Internet, but I definitely have my weak moments.
That’s such a great reminder, John. “Do less” is something I should always keep in mind, as I tend to drift away even when setting goals for myself. It’s like I being hard on me to achieve the label of being consistent.
Your post is really encouraging, especially asking me to think less that I find pretty hard to maintain. However, to an extent I’ve tamed my brain, and I’m glad to see a visible change.
Sabita, I’m always looking at my activities to see what I should be doing less of, or not be doing at all.
Yup. Good stuff John. People think simplicity means living in a hut. But to me, it’s more of an orientation than a goal. Sure, I waste time like everyone else, but generally I’m moving towards and orienting towards the kind of things you mention. I think it’s important not to get too crazy with it. I’ve met some simplicity people who are as obsessed with that as they used to be with stuff. Now they collect “space” instead of possessions but they do it in the same uptight fashion and it doesn’t seem to really help them much. Just changes the pieces in the game while keeping the same game going. I think a lot of actually realizing a simple life has to do with becoming comfortable with feelings, the emotional core. If that’s restless, painful, unexamined, or generally threatening…we will do anything to avoid getting in there and feeling it, including avoiding as well as becoming obsessed with simplicity. Good post. Good mirror. GB
Interesting analysis Gene. Anything taken to an extreme is usually unhealthy.
I found this really interesting. A few years ago I made the decision to leave a well-paid career because of the impact the stress was having on my life and move to Africa. I needed to rent out my UK house so I had to make some serious decisions about what I needed to keep. I now have a much simpler approach to life and I can honestly say I’ve never been happier. I rarely watch TV, think carefully before every purchase and I’m determined to keep my life as simple as possible. But I’m still working on minimising the distraction of the internet!
Good for you Elizabeth! I’ve been whittling down my possessions for years and can now say that I have a mostly empty garage. I also think very carefully before I buy things. I’ve done especially well with clothes over the last few years.