5 Ways for Freelance Writers to Find Time to Exercise

Time management may be an issue for you as a freelance writer. You are not alone!

Due to the nature of freelancing, many writers create their own work schedules and decide what projects to accept or decline. While you may feel like you have to spend long times writing, taking breaks and exercise is actually beneficial to your writing performance.

When you take breaks to exercise, you:

• Give your mind time to refocus and relax.
• Stretch your body to improve circulation and ease muscles that tightened from a sitting position.
• Often return to writing with improved concentration and relaxed physically as well.

Given these important health benefits of exercise, you need to make the time! There are easy ways for freelance writers to find periods to workout.

Find time to exercise by engaging in an at-home workout. This tip is directed toward freelance writers who work primarily from home.

By exercising at home, you eliminate travel time heading to and from a gym or other fitness facility. There is minutes saved immediately!

As well, you have complete control over the amount of time you allot to fitness when you base the workouts within your home. When you head to the gym instead, you may have to wait for treadmills already in use or feel like you have to extend your workout given the effort you spent to get to the facility.

At home, you can divide your workouts into small portions throughout the day. You may also choose to do one workout for a longer period.

Another easy way to find time to exercise as a freelance writer is to create workouts local to your preferred writing location. If you write primarily at home, start your workout right from your front door. This option suits people who like to outdoor activities.

For local workouts, ideas right from your front door include:

• Jogging around the neighbourhood
• Walk a trail close by home
• Bike neighbouring areas

Time is saved when you create local exercise routines as you eliminate travel delays that add precious minutes to your breaks. You do not get tied up in traffic driving to the gym. You also do not spend time in the car travelling to a fitness facility or to a trail farther away. You make the most of your time away from your work area. As an added benefit, you will find out more about your local area!

Another easy way to find time is to use your writing breaks to exercise. You need to take breaks to keep yourself mentally and physically healthy. In turn, you produce a better quality of work as a writer than if you are run-down from not taking breaks.

Instead of spending your breaks watching television or immersed in other stagnant activities, utilize the same amount of minutes in a different way. Take the break to exercise! You will get your mind off work and return from the activities with an increased ability to concentrate.

Try using your breaks to workout locally or within the home, as suggested above. You will make the most of your time!

You can also find incorporate exercise into your day by limiting your activity on social media networks. Perhaps you spend more time on networks such as Facebook and Twitter than you may even realize during your day.

Keep an eye on the clock when you log in to a website and sign off at a pre-determined time. Motivate yourself to log off of the social media site by putting your actions into perspective.

Here are concepts to consider:

• Facebook and Twitter (or insert your favorite network) will still be there when you return the next time
• You benefit physically and mentally when you take time for yourself by exercising
• Your health is more important than a comment on a cute animal photo.

When you limit your time spent on social media networks, you can replace those minutes with exercise instead.

Another way to find time as a freelance writer to exercise is to use the moments before your work day even begins. The time of day likely varies according to the person as writers differ as to the time of day when they prefer to work.

Scheduling your workout prior to your workday is helpful as you are not yet caught up in work projects. Once you get started on projects, you may lose track of time or lower exercise as a priority given your limited time to write. Exercising prior to the workday eliminates the possibility of getting sidetracked for multiple reasons.

If you regularly put aside this period of time for exercise, the approach will start to become a routine. Soon you will not question engaging in the physical activities as they have become a habit and part of your days.

You can find time to exercise within your busy day as a writer by using one or a few of these tips. Workout at home or right from your front door to eliminate travel costs or other factors that eat up your time. Use your breaks to exercise and limit how long you spend on social media networks. Utilize your time to the fullest and make your health a priority along with your freelance writing projects!