In a similar situation?  The only reason I found this article right now is because I'm on hour 2 of procrastination, "getting ready" to write the 700-word write-up for a demo that I started yesterday morning.  Also, I've already taken two breaks from writing this comment to reply to two texts.

Yeah, I can relate.

Seriously, I'm in the exact same boat.  Out of college, still living at home, not much to do, life going pretty slow and easy (but also, nowhere).  With no structure, I'm just completely aimless.  I hate to say it's "hard" to buckle down and get work done, but with no one looking over me, no actual deadlnes to meet, and no paycheck waiting for me when I finish, motivation doesn't seem to rise to the top.

EDIT: I really wish I had a computer that could only use a text editor and gmail (but not gmail chat).  I'd get so much done...

Actually, this aimlessness has led me to strongly consider taking the LSAT and looking at law schools.  Over the past couple weeks, I've been slowly making my way through the prep. material (in my defense, my progress was sidetracked by a nasty wisdom tooth extraction).  As a writer, the LSAT is composed of stuff that I'm already pretty good at.  Law school itself seems like it might be a good way to get my life and career aspirations on track, and open more doors for me when I once again return to the real world.

I'm a 'startup' freelancer myself - though in a completely different field - and I have a very similar problem. I am still at university and do still have reports to hand in and exams to revise for, but when I have free time I am less than productive with it.

One of the issues is my current job though. I can't focus on freelancing when I'm worrying about the security of (well - lack thereof) my income, and I can't motivate myself to really put my all into it if I know I've got a stream of money - however small - elsewhere.

I'm certainly not advocating quitting, but it's worth thinking about where you could get motivated, and for me personally it would probably be a kick up the backside. You've got to remember that you can force motivation, too. It seems like such an elusive thing, but if you sit down and make yourself work, you will. A lot of freelancers will tell you that complacency can be a huge issue, but I personally think that starts long before you're 'established'.

I don't have an issue with actually sitting down to write, I just have an issue with having enough confidence to pitch stories and sell myself. Hopefully you find some way to concentrate on your writing, Nick.

@ Alex I definitely have that problem, too.

Like Alex, I find the writing part easy. The problem is plucking up the courage to tell people they should pay me to do it. But I've made huge strides in the past 10-12 months -- I actually believe I am a writer now, and I've got a growing body of professional-quality work to prove it. (I'll take this opportunity to give a big thanks to Bitmob for giving me both a platform and the encouragement to write more.)

@Christian -- You sound exactly like me (except for the law school part ... not for me). I always think, "Man, I wish my computer didn't have Internet access and I didn't have a TV -- I would get so much done." But if I didn't have those things, I'm sure something else would distract me. I'm glad I'm not the only one in this situation. (Not to say I'm glad you're in this situation. I'm just happy I'm not alone here.) :)

@Sandy -- "The Well-Fed Writer," which I mentioned in my article, has some tips for juggling a career and freelancing. It might be worth checking out; however, I don't think there's anything in the book about balancing work, freelancing, AND school. That will be tricky. But like you said, you CAN force motivation, no matter how hard it is to do.

@Alex -- I haven't even concerned myself with pitching yet. If I finally do buckle down, then I'll start dealing with the scary stuff you mentioned. (Cold-calling scares the shit out of me.) But I think it's something you get used to. I'm sure everyone is apprehensive about selling themselves at first, but it only gets easier with time. Once you do it for awhile, I'm sure it'll be a piece of banana-nut cake.

@Richard -- Confidence in your abilities is key to selling yourself. You don't even have to be a great writer (you have to be at least good, though); as long as you can make a convincing case about yourself to a prospective client, you should have plenty of work. And I'm sure a growing body of professional-quality work doesn't hurt your confidence. :)

I'm definitely in a similar position. When I figure out the solution, I'll let you know. In the meantime, read this: http://youarenotsosmart.com/2010/10/27/procrastination/ 

I hear this situation as it mirrors my own. I like to think that I'm a decent enough writer to provide content, the problem is that I'm sporadic in the content I provide, and I don't know what I want to write.

Plus, it doesn't help that if I want to write in the wacky world of video games, I have to write in a language that isn't entirely my own because there's no real interest in my language.

I'm glad this post got promoted.  These comments make me feel slightly better about myself. :P

I've been trying to get "in" to the freelancing goodness for almost 2 years now. I'm also a student. This is what I do: I sit down, I don't get up until the article I want to do is done. The end. The only thing that gets in the way of that is lack of sleep, and that is the only time I ignore writing-- when I can't get my hands to type words that dkld sio;ej f. 

I'm in a similar situation, but under different circumstances. I'd written over 20 articles for patch.com, but I had to take a break in order to get good grades in a community college course. I was taking classes on "multimedia journalism," but the classes consumed a lot of my time.

Now I almost have writer's block. I'd rather finish the semester before I try any more articles, but I'm really hoping that I don't lose my Midas touch on writing.

In fact, after the class, I think I'm more upset. I know how to use video, photos and sound effectively. I just don't have the money to bring everything together. And I can't make money unless I write more stories.

Quite a difficult dilemma. At least I found another part-time job to earn me some dough. All work, no play. Sigh...

I think the article Alejandro linked to gets at the core of the procrasination issue. It really comes down to self-discipline. "Now-you" has to set up "future-you" in a way that will make, uh, him do what "now-you" wants him to do. The hard part is figuring out how to make that work.

@Nick and Alejandro: The other hard part is figuring out to make it sustainable.  I have definite phases where I'm able to sit down, cut out distractions, and work like crazy; days where I write, job hunt, read, game, practice my guitar, and even *gasp* get some exercise in.  Problem is, these phases never seem to last.  It's not that I get burnt out or anything, bur rather, I fall back into my regular ways at some point and then habit just takes over again.

I freelance in a bunch of fields –– as a writer, editor and photographer –– and even after a year I still have difficulty starting projects. Some jobs require me to sit in an office and give updates on my work. Lemme tell you, nothing motivates you like hard deadlines and the chance for a public verbal smackdown. Also, if you don't write (or take pictures or do any other freelance job) you don't get paid. Hunger can be a great motivator as well.

For a while after college I lived at home and was a total bum outside of my day job. Once I moved out and had to pay for rent, food and loans, that's when I got my hustle. Good luck on finding yours.

@Matt -- Yeah, my main problem is that I don't have any structure. If I had some deadlines or the threat of a public haranguing, that would definitely motivate my ass. I'm a hard worker, but I'm kind of slacking right now since I don't feel a sense of urgency.

Thanks for the input. Good luck with your career!