How to Stay Motivated When Work Is Slow

By Andy Strote From the new book How to Become a Successful Creative Freelancer.

As a freelancer, you’ve probably experienced the “feast or famine” cycle. Too busy one day, crickets the next.

Usually, when you’re not busy for a day or two, you know there’s more work coming.

But what if there isn’t? How do you stay motivated when work is slow?

Get Your Self-Talk in Order

When you get down, you can easily convince yourself that you’re not talented, you’ll never work again, and nobody except your dog loves you.

But after a shower and a coffee, you know that none of that is true. You are, in fact, talented. You have often been paid for your work, and will be paid again. Many people (and your dog) love you.

Clear your mind to start a positive cycle so you can make progress. You are resilient. You can do this. Let’s get going.

Set Smaller, Achievable Goals to Gain Momentum

Motivation often falters when you’re chasing big, abstract goals like “find more clients” or “increase income.”

Break these down into small, concrete steps. That gives you accomplishments every day and keeps you moving forward.

For example, you might prospect in the morning (email, LinkedIn, posting on other social platforms) and update your portfolio in the afternoon.

Make a list and cross off the items, one by one.

Update Your Network Database

You don’t need any fancy apps or platforms for your database. The Contacts app on your phone is fine. You can group people, add notes to contacts, send messages from the app.

Take an hour or two to update your contact database. Get rid of stuff that’s no longer relevant, and add contacts that you hadn’t included.

Clean it up and make it an efficient tool for prospecting.

Even this bit of housekeeping is progress for you. You’ll be further ahead when you get rid of the clutter and have a network database that actually works for you.

Reach Out to Your Network

At first, you won’t want to do this. You’re not feeling strong. Perhaps you’re vulnerable. You have to overcome this.

Tell yourself that people will be happy to hear from you. There are many ways to reconnect with people in your network.

You can deliver value by sending them helpful articles.

You can offer to collaborate. For example, if you’re a writer, call your designer and developer friends, tell them you’re not busy right now, and offer to help them free of charge. You might even take it further and talk about creating a virtual agency to take on bigger, better projects.

For ex-clients, contact them to let them know you’re available for new work. Tell them how much you enjoyed working together in the past and would look forward to further projects. Sometimes, all it takes is a little nudge.

These conversations often lead to new opportunities or, at the very least, help keep you top-of-mind. Getting in touch with your network will always open doors for you. It’s virtually inevitable.

Set a Goal: Five Network Contacts a Day

Once you have your database in order, make a goal to reach out one at a time.

In each case, think of something meaningful to say to that person. It’s not just, “Hey, how are you?”

Did you see some of their work? Send a compliment.

Did they say something interesting on LinkedIn? Add a comment.

Did they get a new job? Congratulate them.

Did you hear of an opportunity that might be ideal for them? Send it along.

Did you see an article they might enjoy? Forward it to them.

Did you publish or create something? Draw it to their attention. Send the URL.

Are they in your town? Invite them for a coffee.

Are they clients you worked for in the past two years? Touch base, tell them you have free time starting next week.

There are so many ways to talk to people in your network. But you have to take the initiative. The ball is in your court.

In each case, let them know you’re available for work soon. Maybe sugar-coat it a bit. “I’ll have free time starting next week…”

Prospecting is a Numbers Game—Embrace the Process

Prospecting is hard, but it’s part of the freelance life. Rather than seeing prospecting as a frustrating task, learn to enjoy it.

It’s like taking up running or going to the gym. The first few times, you won’t like it. But then, something changes. You start seeing progress. You see it as a game, and you get into it.

Practice writing compelling pitches. Refine your cold emails. Work on building relationships through social media.

Keep in mind that rejections or lack of response is normal. Maybe it’s just the wrong time. Very rarely is it personal.

Often, success in freelancing comes down to persistence.

It only takes one good connection to change your freelance life forever.

Housekeeping 101 for Freelancers—Update and Improve Your Portfolio

Freelancers are funny. When they’re busy, they complain they don’t have time to update their portfolio.

When they’re not busy, they’re not “in the mood” to do it.

You just have to force yourself to do it. There’s no excuse for having a crappy outdated portfolio.

Make sure your portfolio reflects your best, most recent work. Add any new skills, update case studies, or even revamp the design if it feels outdated.

You’ll feel great when it’s done.

It might also give you ideas for reaching out to prospects. Why not show them what you’ve done recently? Send them a link to the portfolio.

What if you just started freelancing and don’t have much of a portfolio yet. Here’s how to create and structure a strong portfolio.

Use Part of Your Day to Learn New Skills or Hone Existing Ones

Is there something you’ve wanted to learn or improve? A course you’ve always wanted to take?

When you have downtime, use part of your day to focus on personal growth. Soon enough, you’ll be busy, and then you’ll wish you’d done this.

And when you’ve completed the course or added the skill, you can use it as news when you reach out to your network. You see this all the time on LinkedIn.  

Improving your skills helps you feel productive and forward-moving, even when you’re not landing jobs today.

Is There a Personal Project You’ve Always Wanted to Do?

Every creative person I’ve talked to has a couple of personal projects in their back pocket. Things they’ve wanted to try, products they’ve thought of launching.

Sound familiar? Now is the time. And aside from the accomplishment, it’s another piece of news you can share with some of your prospects.  

It might even catch the eye of future clients. Plus, completing something you’re passionate about can reignite your motivation.

Stay Organized and Track Your Progress

When you’re actively pursuing clients and working on different tasks, it’s easy to feel like you’re spinning your wheels.

Keep track of your outreach efforts, pitches, and follow-ups in a spreadsheet or CRM tool. This not only keeps you organized but also shows you how much effort you’re putting in, even if the results aren’t immediate.

Seeing your progress on paper can be motivating in itself.

Practice Self-Care, Try to Stay Balanced, Recharge

I know this can be difficult, but when you have downtime, try to catch up on taking care of yourself. Soon enough, you’ll be busy, hustling, working non-stop.

When you have time, put a focus on self-care—exercise, hobbies, or even just rest. A clear mind will help you return to your freelance work with a fresh perspective and renewed energy.

Lastly, Practice Gratitude and Positive Reinforcement

It’s too easy to focus on what you haven’t achieved. Celebrate what you’ve already accomplished. Recognize the progress you’ve made, even if it feels slow.

Be grateful for your current skills and opportunities.

Be thankful for your life, the sun on your face, and a warm breeze in the air.

New Book For Freelancers

I’ve just published How to Become a Successful Creative Freelancer. It’s the essential business guide for freelance writers, designers, developers, filmmakers, and photographers.

Whether you’re just starting as a freelancer or have years of experience, you’ll learn a lot from this book.

It’s broken down into easy-to-understand chapters with strategies and tips you can use today. Not just “what to do”, but also “how to do it”.

It’s now available in Kindle ebook and paperback format on Amazon.

Want to Grow An Agency? The Agency Book is For You

If you’re looking for tips on how to build and grow your agency, you’ll want to read How to Start a Successful Creative Agency.

Available at Amazon (Paper & Kindle), Kobo (ebook), Apple Books (ebook), and Gumroad (PDF).

The book is packed with useful information to help creatives start and grow their business.

Testimonial: Recommend this one!

“Andy Strote has been in the marketing world for a long time, and has a lot of helpful advice. While I do not plan on starting an agency anytime soon, the advice in this book can apply to freelancing as a business as well. And, who knows, I might start an agency someday, now that I’ve been able to benefit from all of Strote’s helpful tips. Recommend this one!”

Five stars on Amazon

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This chapter covers essential areas such as Clients vs. Projects, Corporate Clients vs. Small Business Clients, How to Create an Opportunity Document, Benefits of Finding a Niche… and much more.

Questions? On Twitter, I’m @StroteBook. D.M.s are always open. On LinkedIn, I’m Andy Strote. Ask away.