365 Days of Productivity
The Great Productivity Motivator
An unromantic explanation of how freelancers maintain discipline
Many years ago, a friend expressed being impressed that I had the self-discipline required to make a living as a freelancer. He said that he’d have trouble forcing himself to sit down each day to work without the structure his day job provided. It’s not that he didn’t have any motivation. He had loads. He was great at his job and made a good living, was a brilliant horn player, and generally one of the most capable people I’ve ever known.
But finding the motivation and discipline of freelance work was not something he could wrap his head around. I understand. My home is full of potential distractions from TV and video games to a very comfy napping couch.
Then I showed him the one thing that, more than anything else, gets my butt in a chair and working whether I want to or not. My great productivity motivator.
I showed him my stack of bills.
Mortgage. Electricity. Gas. Water. Internet. Car payment. Car insurance. Health insurance.
Those were just the bills at the top of the stack.
“If I don’t work, I don’t pay my bills. I don’t have money or food or to put gas in my…
