Writing Stopped Me From Quitting My Full-Time Job
Writing doesn’t pay the bills yet, so I am still living that office life
I currently work at a law firm where I sit in front of a computer all day, with minimal social interaction.
It is difficult for me to come into the office every day without feeling bummed when I think about the 8 hour day stretching out in front of me.
However, I need the money, and at the moment, I am not able to quit my job to write full time. Not yet, anyway.
So, I needed to find a way to make working in this office more bearable. Ironically, the thing that keeps me going at work is the thing I want to be able to do full time someday: Write.
I used to work all day, and once I finished everything that needed to be done at home, I wouldn’t have time to write until at least 8 pm. By that time, my brain is fried, and I am ready to unwind with the boyfriend and a drink.
This wasn’t leaving me a lot of time or energy to write. I would be able to publish one, maybe 2 articles a week. If I was lucky. But I wanted to change that. I knew that to be successful on Medium, I needed to write more.
I would be frustrated with my lack of writing throughout the week. I knew what I wanted to do, but I felt so exhausted and overwhelmed that I didn’t think I could do it.
I finally figured out how I could work my full-time job, get everything done at home, and write more content for Medium.
The key was to use my time more wisely. So, I sat and tried to figure out when, during the day, I had some time that I could devote to writing.
Then one day, it hit me: I work at an office. With a computer and internet access. I also have one hour for lunch where I can do anything I want. Bingo!
I now spend my lunch breaks writing. Sometimes, when there isn’t a lot of work, I am able to write throughout the day.
This routine has done wonders for my writing and my mental health.
Knowing that I have an hour set aside for writing every day during the work week has made me feel better about coming to work. Because even though I am working at a job that isn’t my future, I am able to work on the job that will be my future someday.
Also, by continuing to work at my full-time job, I am able to pay my bills and save money, so I will have a cushion for when I start writing full time.
This new way of doing things has also allowed me to increase the amount of articles I am able to publish to Medium.
I went from publishing 1 or 2 articles a week to being able to publish one daily. I have only been doing this for a short amount of time, but it is going well, and I can feel the momentum I am building. I foresee this lasting a long time, so fingers crossed!
What helped me realize that publishing one article a day is possible was the book ‘How to Find Success on Medium.com’ by Brian Rowe. He details his process regarding how to publish daily, and it changed how I write.
I have not seen a huge amount of success on Medium yet, but that doesn’t matter to me. I am excited that I have found a way to keep the job that pays the bills and find the time I need to write.
If you feel like your life is crazy busy and are having trouble finding time to write, I suggest sitting down and analyzing your day. Even if you only have 15 minutes here and 15 minutes there, it is better than nothing.
Do whatever you can to make time to write!
