Last week was just one of those weeks in which nothing would stick. Sent an idea to one of my editors late at night and saw it on their website first thing in the morning (it wasn’t stolen; someone was obviously much quicker), missed a bunch of e-mails from friends inviting me out to lunch, and went through idea after idea in my notebook, going “this sucks, this sucks, this sucks.”

Yesterday, there was breaking news, and I was back on track. An editor called to say “Get on it,” and  I was on the phone working my contacts within minutes. (Resulting piece here: Report on the Trashing of a Mosque Prompts Fury in India)

(Also? Thank God for editors. Mine totally saved my butt yesterday.)

Today, I’m all fired up again. Ideas are flying, queries are being sent, editors are responding, and the world seems to be in sync. I thought about that while I was writing this: one positive outcome suddenly brought my whole world into sync again. How did that happen?

I think it’s because once we have a positive affirmation, we tend to push a little more, believe in ourselves a little more, be a little more aggressive and get infused with more of the go-getter attitude. Right after I’d finished my assignment, I was still energized, so I followed up with two editors, transformed two more ideas into pitches, and caught up on my reading.

That’s something that crosses over into pretty much all of freelancing. You ask one client for more pay and get it, you’re more energized to ask the next one for more as well. You get used to being treated with respect by one organization, you start expecting that treatment from others as well. You write one good piece, and the bar is raised for everything you do after that as well.

Freelancing can be very all or nothing (as those of you who know me on Facebook might have heard me complain about), and after days of silence, I’m having a very “all” week. One of these days, I’ll find the balance.

In the meantime, share with me your tricks. How do you keep the balance between no work and too much work? Do you space your pitches? Have a monthly target? Wave your magic wand? Post in the comments.