5 practical tips to improve Steemit experience and reduce frustration

As a writer, I put myself a lot under pressure to be productive. I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about. We all want to be successful, we want to be recocnized – and especially here on Steemit, we want those delicious upvotes. But what does that do with us and our work? Good content cannot be shitted out like a mass-product out of a factory.
Every Blog entry is more like a handcrafted piece - unique, well considered and then forged by our own hands. But that pressurize us. We have big expectations about us, the result and it’s payoff, but here’s a problem. When only the best is good enough – the sheet will most likely stay empty.

Or we spend a whole day of work just be unsatisfied at the end – and start over and over again. We get tired and have lost pleasure in what we are doing.
I experienced it in writing papers for university, in writing my blog and any other kind of creative writing.

Following 5 tips have been helping me to reduce pressure and increase satisfaction I get out of my work. Here they are:

Diversify

Don’t get lost in your work! Change your work-flow to the effect that you keep the horizon in sight. Figuratively spoken. You can avoid getting stuck in some passages of your work by diverting your thoughts. Once you realized that you aren’t able to move on – do something else.
In my case I always have different options to work on. One day I start working on an article for my blog ( or Steemit nowadays) and when I reached a dead end, I switch over to get my lecture for class in university. When I am done reading, I start learning Icelandic. Once my brain is saturated with vocabulary, it happens to feel like a relief to start working on my article again. By switching subjects, my brain is getting a reset and with that reset I get a new perspective on things.

Limit your period of work

Keep your time in mind. Back then I didn’t give a flying f*** about time-management. I started with something, and it had to be done in one rush. For example my homework for school, how often did I do it when it was due next day. For a perfectionist like me that meant: whole night spend of working. Next day I was tired, was not able to concentrate and the only thing I had on my mind – was my bed. Unnecessary to mention that I wasn’t productive that day.
Now I have learned that it is helpful to have somewhat of a plan. Being organized, helps reduces stress, reducing stress means increased livability.

Don’t forget recreation as well!

Working as a professional blogger, web developer or else, it often means to be a Freelancer. Being a Freelancer has many opportunities, such as the ability to decide when to work and when to rest. But many are under so much pressure, that they skip breaks in order to finish their work. Don’t do that! Develop your own schedule, write in periods of work and also periodic breakes.
That might be checking news on your social networks, investigating the Internet about latest tech developements or taking pleasure in a coffee break.
That will reset your mind and once you start over with your work, you will developed a new perspective on what you are doing.

Aim for smaller steps

Rome wasn’t build on one day. Your article for Steemit doesn’t have to as well. Working step by step is not only making things easier in meanings of developing structure, but as well to achieve more often a lift. When you plan a structure for an Article, you can create a schedule at the same time. For example:

• introduction ( monday morning )
• topic one (monday morning)
• Break (monday noon)
• topic two ( monday afternoon)
• conclusion ( tuesday morning)
• final thoughts (tuesday morning)

I am pretty sure that you will get some satisfaction on monday noon, when you take your time for a good lunch, looking back on what you already achieved.

manual labor

Nothing helps more clearing your mind than a good load of physical exercise. I for myself am kind of a slacker. Sometimes. When you get too comfortably, you mind will most likely weaken. Imagine the feeling after a good dinner, you are satisfied, a little tired and of course – lazy!

I feel lucky about the fact that we in our sailing club have lots of construction work to do. That means we have to scape lands for a fence, carry bags of cement, fence parts and other stuff around.
Walls have to painted, floors to be cleaned and a garden wants to be taken care of.

That means sweatty, hard work. But this kind of work cleans your mind, makes room for fresh toughts. Your thoughts won’t be so attaching anymore. The exhaustion you will feel is honest and good. A healthy mind needs a healthy body.

switch off your computer, let go of electronics.

Yes I am serious. Give your best and then, when finished, post your article - or what ever to do with your work – and have a finish. Get some distance, get a feeling of having fulfilled a task and leave it behind. Don’t refresh your browser a hundred times per minute to see if the first sweet upvotes coming in. Leave your computer alone and do something totally unrelated. I guarantee you, you will develop a deep satisfaction of having something done. The next time you approach your computer you have the feeling to start something new, have a new round, a fresh beginning.

This is only possible when you had some distance in between working terms.

If you have taken pleasure in reading my article, feel free to resteem it or click on “Follow” so you don’t miss any work of mine.

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Picture credits: The Images used in this post were created by myself using various open-source Software*

*except for the Steemit Logo, I copy/pasted it from the Internet