What Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer Can Teach Freelance Writers About Staying on Top

The Jennifer Aniston, John Mayer romance and subsequent breakup can teach freelance writers a thing or two.

Like actors and musicians, freelance writers struggle to land the next gig. Actors –even Jennifer Aniston in some cases — have to constantly audition. Freelance writers have to constantly query. Acting is synonymous with being broke; freelance writing is also (only we’re not broke, we “struggle”).

Jennifer Anniston, John Mayer and Lessons in Freelance Writing

Jennifer Aniston Media Blitz: Whomever Ms. Aniston dates seems to bring out the shutterbugs. But, when she hooks up with someone famous (eg, Vince Vaughn (Vaughniston)) or John Mayer, the glaring light of the media is white hot.

The Jennifer Aniston lesson for freelance writers: Write in niches that are red hot. Technical writing and SEO copywriting are two that come to mind.

Jennifer Aniston Work Ethic: No matter what seems to be happening with Jennifer, she always seems to be headed right into her next project. From the outside looking in, I see that as proof that she doesn’t get distracted by what’s going in her personal life.

The Jennifer Aniston lesson for freelance writers: Remain professional at all times. Outside of illness (you, your loved ones) there’s rarely a good excuse for missing a client deadline. You must remain professional to keep your career on track. Missing a deadline because you were up crying half the night and fighting with your boyfriend is no excuse. Client deadlines should always be met.

Jennifer Aniston Health Habits: To be almost 40, Jennifer Aniston looks great. And, while having money certainly accounts for some of that, her obviously healthy habits are paying off as well as she ages.

The Jennifer Aniston lesson for freelance writers: Take care of yourself. Client deadlines can be unrealistic and downright brutal sometimes. Freelance writers — because we work at home and can work 24-hours a day — often put in long hours. It can be hard to say — enough — and log off!

If you don’t take care of yourself, no one else is. Make time to exercise, eat right, and spend time with friends and family. A balanced life is as critical to your success as a freelance writer as finishing a client project on time — don’t forget this.

So, what happened to Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer’s Romance?

According to the 8/16/08 article, John on Breakup with Jen: There Was No Lying, No Cheating, on People.com, “Sources confirmed that the duo, whose whirlwind romance began in April, mutually decided to split earlier this week. Since the breakup, Aniston and Mayer have settled into their separate lives on different sides of the country.”

And there’s even a freelance writing lesson in that from John and Jen: Sometimes it just doesn’t work out with a client. It doesn’t mean that they’re a bad client or you’re a bad writer — it’s just that you want, need and expect different things (eg, rates, writing style, schedules, etc.)

Jennifer Aniston’s romance with John Mayer can teach freelance writers a lot — if they look beyond the headlines.