Setting targets for yourself is vital.
If writing is your new job then you must approach it as a job. This means structuring your working day around your writing. Your posts and articles are the means by which you will earn in the future, so they have to have a high priority in your day.
You can make an income online, but it involves work and discipline.
How Do YOU Motivate Yourself?
As a writer you need to find ways to motivate yourself or you will fail. You are your own Boss, but that does not mean that you have no boss. You have to be as hard a taskmaster as any employer. The difference is that you are fair and flexible.
Accountability
Some people find that they need an external motivator, some public accounting.
In my first month of writing online, at InfoBarrel, I asked for a challenge. The challenge I got was to write 100 one thousand word articles in a month. This was a fantastic motivator for me and I achieved my goal.
InfoBarrel users are great at helping each other find new challenges and supporting each other generally.
One user mcimicata recently challenged everyone to set their own goals for May and then to report back on their success. Mike (mcimicata) has a superb site called Earning Forever that I recommend that you check out for inspiration.
I did not hit my own goal, I have to admit; I won’t bother going into the reasons why. Many people did find the public goal-setting to be a useful exercise, though.
Teamwork is Important
We are all working away on our own projects and sometimes it is easy to become too self-contained. We all need the support of a team at times. I have often found the support of other writers like Mike invaluable. I have helped many writers and they and many others have helped me in turn.
InfoBarrel is one way to meet other writers who have this mind-set. It is a way to build your knowledge, contacts, reputation and influence, all necessary pre-requisites to building your income.
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