Naturally, you'd rather be sitting in the sun with your laptop. Come Monday morning, in fact, you'd probably settle for sitting in the snow with your laptop. An embarrassing case of frostbite would still be less painful than another week of work, right?

Being a writer with a day job takes courage, and a high pain threshold. You need strength and willpower to do the work that pays, instead of the work you love.

So how do you face another day of working purely for the money? You can start by remembering these four empowering facts.

1. Your current situation is temporary.

Your day job is not where you have to end up for the rest of your life. For the moment, it pays the bills while you write your book.

By trading part of your week for a paycheck, you get financial security while you work on your real career. But it's a short-term compromise, not a life sentence. There are no shackles at your desk, no locks on that office door.

2. You shape your own future.

Achieve something for your writing career every single workday, and you actively design a more attractive working future for yourself. And when you work for a living, there's no time to wait for perfect writing conditions! Find a way to write every single day, and your manuscript will slowly take shape.

Your future doesn't have to be dominated by a day job you don't enjoy. The writing you do now will help to ensure creativity is a big part of your professional life in the years to come.

3. Some depression is inevitable.

There's nothing wrong with you if the thought of going to work depresses you! It's a major challenge to endure a day job when your soul yearns for more creative work.

You can learn to recognize the symptoms of depression, and take measures to treat the toxic effects of office culture. There's no need to give your job the power to ruin your life, or damage your motivation to keep writing.

4. You have a secret identity - you're a writer.

When the white noise of the office world becomes a meaningless, deafening roar, remember who you really are. You're a writer who's temporarily holding down a day job. The endless meetings, the unrelenting tedium - none of it is relevant to your writing career, or your real life. Find a way to touch base with your real identity as often as you can.

Bookmark a handful of writers' websites. Set up a screensaver that reminds you of your book. Write the working title of your manuscript in your daily planner, where you'll see it throughout the day and feel a rush of recognition and pleasure. These little gestures effectively create a flotilla of life boats that can save your creative life when the waters of despair start to rise.

It's a fact of life that a Day Job Monster's not great company. Of course you'd rather be writing than spending your days with him. But he's a lot easier to face when you can remember just how marginal he is to your real life.

Protect yourself from the horror of the Day Job Monster, and it's easier to remember that your working relationship has only one purpose. It supports your true calling, and helps you get that manuscript finished.

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