I love working as a health writer. However, my transition into writing on health topics was gradual and still evolving work in progress. Working full-time in a busy clinic left me little time or energy to take on a major side hustle. Still, my husband and I wanted to travel more and enjoy life while we were still young and healthy enough to do so. I knew to make the transition into what I've taken to calling my semi-retirement job as a writer, I needed to establish new habits. Here are three essential habits that have helped me make this dream a success.
Schedule your writing time and stick to it
This may seem like a simple concept. In practice, for someone with a busy life, it becomes one more thing you are just trying to fit in. As a nurse practitioner working full time in a clinic, let me tell you the work goes far beyond 40 hours a week. So my spare time is precious. For me, starting out meant carving a few hours every Saturday morning. EVERY Saturday. This was a shift in our household, and it took a little gentle reinforcement for it to stick. My husband is very supportive of this endeavor but also likes to hike a lot. Scheduling work time every Saturday cut into that precious spare time we have together. As my business has grown and I have cut back on clinic hours, I have adjusted the timing of when I work on my writing business and given back my Saturday morning freedom. Though, I still stick to dedicated times and days for my work. This is my new business, after all.
Set up a plan of action
So you've dedicated your time. Now what to do with it? Any good writer knows there is more than just writing that goes on. As a freelancer, there is marketing yourself with letters of introduction (LOIs) and on sites like LinkedIn. Crafting pitches to editors, researching topics, and taking calls or meetings with clients. Don't forget the best part - billing so you can get paid. Having a plan of action organizes all of these tasks to make them routine. You don't need to do all of these tasks every day. Set specific times in your schedule for each one to help narrow your focus and achieve things in bite-sized pieces. This will help keep you from feeling overwhelmed with having so much to do. That being said, allow for some flexibility as needed.
Set goals
This can be a hard one for some people because they think the goal is obvious. Just write! Goal setting helps you to get there. Do you have a financial goal? You should! Especially if you are looking to replace or supplement income with your writing. Is there a specific client you would like to write for? Set this as a goal and take the steps to get there.
These habits have helped me with my transition into health writing and given me the freedom to do something I love. I've even managed to snag one of those dream clients. What are you doing to make your dream a success?
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