…is that you have to meet them.

I’m sort of an over-achiever, as you may have noticed by now. I try to get as many things done as possible. The thing, though, is that sometimes, I multi-task too much and end up with egg on my face. Several times in the past, I took too many writing projects and tried to complete them all at the same time. I thought, of course, that I was some sort of superhero who could finish all the projects on time.

Unfortunately, I’m mortal. I get tired, get sleepy, get lazy. In the middle of it all, I realize that I have to prioritize some of the projects over the others, depending on which client is most likely to go ballistic on my ass should I miss the deadline.

In the end, I got some projects done, turned others in late and ran myself extremely ragged. Some clients reacted strongly against my tardiness, while others didn’t even notice. This doesn’t mean that you can just ignore deadlines and submit projects whenever you want. It’s just that some clients don’t necessarily keep track of project deadlines themselves. Once they do, though, you’re in for a massive beating and a potential loss of income.

That said, try not to over-reach like I did. I always tell myself to pace it and not rush into things. Money’s always good, true, but exhaustion and a poor reputation as a writer won’t earn you more moolah in the long run. As one of my friends (and sort-of mentor) once said, “do one thing and do it well”.

I still multi-task. I still juggle school, work and freelance writing. This time, though, I’m taking my personal habits and weaknesses into consideration. Working myself to the bone just doesn’t seem so fun anymore.

XOXO,