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How to survive Freelancing FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) also during the coronavirus pandemic
It is not a novelty that FOMO is an immense problem in hyper-connected societies. We have our mobile phones always at hand, ready for a quick look at the latest news or the results of the championship of your favourite sport. Staying 5 minutes disconnected is often a real pain, an impossibility.
For freelance journalists the situation ends up being even more complicated, because in addition to the natural curiosity, our work depends on hyper connection and always being connected in the news. Looking at the cell phone constantly is not an option, but sometimes an important part of our work. But it doesn’t have to be always like that.
Anxiety and depression are not uncommon symptoms when you have to build a network, have great new ideas, propose new angles to editors and be up-to-date with all the world surrounding you. But if you don’t find some time to enjoy yourself and the people around you, you’ll find it even harder to focus and deliver results.
We don’t just read the news. We have to think from other angles, how to connect different stories, how to give a new “face” while looking for characters, background, new ways to tell a story — all this before even sending the idea to an editor.
