How to stop being your own worst client

I specialise in blog copywriting and LinkedIn thought leadership articles. 

When was the last time I updated my blog or LinkedIn profile?

*Runs and hides in a corner*.

I’m my own worst client. 

Most days, I convince myself this is a good thing, as it means I’m spending nearly all of my time on billable client work. Win! 

Right? Maybe not.

Creating my own content keeps me fresh and proves I walk my talk. I used to be pretty good at it, but since becoming a working parent I’ve fallen out of the habit. 

I know I’m not the only one. Being your own worst client is an affliction that plagues nearly every freelancer and business owner I know.

How do you find the time to work ON your business when you’re fully booked with client work? 

It’s an excellent problem to have, but a niggly one none-the-less. It’s really embarrassing to be a content writer and only publish a handful of blogs a year.

*Again, runs and hides in a corner*.

I wish I could say that this blog marks a new me. That, from this moment on, I will be a Consistent Content Queen, and never miss another self-imposed deadline. 

But, after nearly five years in business, I know better.

Instead of lofty goals, I’m setting good intentions. Here are a few strategies I’m going to test out over the next few months. Maybe they’ll help you, too?

1. Batch content

Batching, baby! It’s what I do for most of my clients and it works a treat. Instead of writing one blog post at a time, I write four (or many more). The goal is to write ahead, so they have a few glorious months of content in their back pocket to publish at their discretion. 

I’m going to schedule time to batch my own content, instead of leaving it for days when I magically have a spare few hours (which never happens, ever). 

2. Set realistic goals

Every other time I’ve vowed to publish content regularly, I’ve set ambitious goals like writing a blog post once a week. While this is what I’d recommend for a lot of my clients (especially fast-growing businesses with engaged social media followings), it’s overkill for little-old-me. 

Publishing a blog once a month is enough to keep my website fresh and provide some value. And, I’m far more likely to stick to this deadline.

3. Keep it simple

A lot of business owners are perfectionists (*raises hand*). This is especially true of creative entrepreneurs – like writers, artists, and graphic designers. We don’t want to publish any old thing. We want every post to be perfect, the best of the best! It’s an admirable goal, but it holds us back.

Of course, I’m not suggesting churning out low-quality, low-value clickbait. But publishing a simple, short, value-adding post over a 2,000-word essay is more than ok. 

4. Push through the guilt and discomfort

Right now, I feel slightly guilty for working on my business instead of getting ahead with client work. I’m not sure this feeling will ever completely disappear. Client work is, after all, the reason I’m in business and the reason I get paid! It always feels more important. 

My only suggestion is to push through the discomfort knowing that you are doing the right thing. Plus, the time I spend working on my business always comes back to serve my clients in some way or another – it’s not as separate as it seems. 

5. Take yourself out for coffee

This is a pro tip from Lorraine Murphy, who I did some mentoring with last year. She suggested I take myself out for a weekly coffee date to work on my business. This forces me to add it to my calendar, and also to get out of my day-to-day work environment. 

I must admit, I still haven’t nailed this habit, but it’s a brilliant (and simple) idea – I really have no excuse, other than to get those dates in the diary and show up for myself and my business.

And that’s really what it all comes down to, isn’t it? Planning ahead and showing up. We can do this!