You never want to get labeled as a “lazy freelance writer.†And this is particularly something you want to avoid being called by clients. After all, if you are seen as lazy you are not going to achieve much success.
While it can be easy to settle in and become complacent from time to time, you do not want to become so lazy that it is hurting your career. If you feel this coming on, or you are already in this position, follow these tips:
1. Market your services in your downtime. You are going to feel most lazy when you do not have much to do. But as a freelance writer you can always find something that can keep you busy. One of the best things you can do during your spare time is market yourself to potential clients. This is one surefire way to end a lazy spell, and to bring in new work at the same time.
2. Keep in mind that you only get paid when you work. It is easy to be lazy when you work at 9-5 job because you will still get paid no matter what. But as a freelance writer the money only rolls in when you send quality work to your clients. If you want to get paid you better do your work.
3. Create your own projects. I strongly believe that all freelance writers should work on their own projects when they have time. For instance, I manage this blog as well as many others. In addition to writing, I also work on marketing, design, ad sales, etc. This can be a great way to not only stay busy, but to also earn some additional money.
If you are the type of freelance writer who is always running into lazy spells you should follow the above three tips.
I can still remember by first day as a freelance writer. I was scared of many things including not being able to find any clients. There is no denying that landing your first client can be difficult. It took me a week or so to find a client who was willing to do business with me. Fortunately, after that first client things began to speed up quite a bit.
If you are having a difficult time landing your first freelance writing client you should keep the following tips in mind:
1. Stay patient. Even though this is easier said than done, it is very important. If you get down on yourself and begin to give up you are never going to achieve success. You may get lucky and find a client on your first day as a freelance writer. Or you may have to work hard for a few weeks to achieve success. No matter what, stay patient and stick with what you are doing until something breaks your way.
2. Do not limit yourself on how you are attempting to find your first client. Some freelance writers only search online job boards. While this may work, they are missing out on other opportunities such as cold emailing, cold calling, bidding sites, etc. Be sure to keep all of your options open when it comes to your marketing plan.
What if nothing is working for me? How long should I wait before giving up once and for all? This is up to you. If nothing is working you need to make some changes. Again, don’t stick with one type of marketing if it is not working for you. Instead, change your approach to see what else is out there. It is your right to give up on your freelance writing career whenever you want. But remember, quitting now will only make it more difficult to jumpstart your career in the future.
Even though landing your first freelance writing client can be difficult, once you do so you will be off and running. Â
Many freelance writers in my course tell me that they do not like getting up early because they can never get off on the right foot. This is a common problem, and I used to deal with the same thing. Fortunately, I found out soon enough that getting an early start was not all that hard and it can be quite beneficial.
If you want to start your day off right, follow these three tips:
1. Eat breakfast before heading to your computer. For some people, all it takes is a little bit of food to get a huge boost of energy. This is something that you should definitely do no matter what time you are waking up. As soon as I began to eat breakfast in the morning my productivity increased.
2. Do not rush. Even if you are getting up early so you can work, it is important that you are not in too big of a rush. Give yourself time to wake up, get ready, and hopefully grab a bite to eat. Tip: set your alarm a few minutes early so you do not have to feel as if you are in a big rush.
3. In contrast to number two, you do not want to take too long to get to your computer. Getting up early is a great idea. But if you are spending too long in the bathroom, at the kitchen table, and on other related tasks you are not going to get an early start on your work.
This post is not meant to tell you that you have to wake up early. Instead, it is for those who want to start their day early but are finding it difficult to do so for one reason or the next.Â
Even though I have good and bad days, there are not many when I have a hard time getting motivated. From the moment I wake up in the morning I am excited to get to work. This is one of the main reasons that I got involved with freelance writing. I knew from the start that it would excite me, day in and day out, and this is still the case many years later.
If you are not motivated to work it is time to make a career change. Not only does a lack of motivation make you feel bad on a personal level, but it also puts you in a tough spot when it comes to actually getting your work done. When I worked as a sales manager there would be days when I was gung-ho about making money and landing as many new accounts as possible. But there were also an equal amount of days when I felt like staying in bed, or worse yet, going to sleep when I finally arrived at the office. This is how unmotivated and bored I was with my job!
As a freelance writer there are many things that motivate me. Not only do I want to do good work for all my clients, but knowing that I can earn a good living is also something that keeps me going. This does not mean that everyday is a good day. Just like everybody else there are times when I get frustrated and feel that time off would be nice. But unlike past jobs, these bad times are few and far between.
If you are working as a freelance writer and are always motivated to do your best you are in position to succeed. But on the other hand, if you are unmotivated, no matter your job description, now may be the best time to make a change.Â
There is one easy way to determine if your freelance writing marketing plan is working: are you gaining new clients on a regular basis? If the answer is yes you must be doing something right. If the answer is no, there is a good chance that you need to change the way you are marketing your services.
As you know, there is more than one way to find new clients. Some freelance writers spend all their time cold calling companies all over the world. Others spend hour after hour sending cold emails in hopes of landing a few clients. No matter how you market your services you need to do what you are most comfortable with, and of course, what is yielding the best results.
One thing I have found over the years is that tweaking your marketing plan is necessary from time to time. You may be satisfied with your current results, but there is always room for improvement. If you can change a few minor details here and there you may find that your marketing efforts are even more successful. How would that make you feel?
In my opinion it is very important to track the success of your freelance writing marketing plan. Have you had success with cold emails? If so, you should continue with this method and maybe even increase your output. But at the same time, if you are not succeeding with a particular method you should think about replacing it with another for the time being.
Whether or not your marketing plan pays off is a big part of how much success you have as a freelance writer. Once you find something that works, milk it for as long as you can while also thinking about new ways to stay ahead of the curve.
In the past I have talked quite a bit about being organized. To me, organization is essential if you are going to succeed as a freelance writer. You may not think that this is important, but you would be wrong. No matter what you are doing, writing, marketing, or accounting work, being organized will make it easier for you to achieve maximum success.
I have found that staying organized is not nearly as hard as many people think. I do this by using to-do lists, as well as a system for all of my paperwork. You do not have to spend a lot of money on software and filing cabinets to stay organized. After all, you are a freelance writer not a CEO of a large company. Since you are probably your only employee you can get by with a simple system of spreadsheets and folders.
If you feel that your career is getting disorganized you need to fix this as soon as possible. Ask yourself this question: what is causing my problems? Once you know this answer you can then begin to search for a better way of doing things. For instance, early in my career I was constantly disorganized when it came to sending and receiving invoices. But after making a few tweaks this came to an end, and I began to feel much better about my career as a whole.
Believe it or not, staying organized will give you a better chance of success while also cutting out a lot of day to day stress. If you are not 100 percent satisfied with your organizational system, there is no better time than now for making a change.
As a freelance writer you will get asked for many things by your clients. One of the most common inquiries has to do with your ability to complete a project with a quick turnaround. This can work in your favor in some cases, but against you in others.
There is nothing wrong with accepting a project with a quick turnaround. As noted above, this can be beneficial in many cases including when you do not have a lot of work on your plate at a given time. After all, if you have some spare time there is nothing like knocking out a project in a hurry and helping a client out. Not only will this make you some quick money, but you will be doing something good for your client which is sure to help you in the future.
On the other side of things, if you are loaded with work and a client needs a project quickly you are going to find yourself in a bind. You have to complete the work you already have, but at the same time you do not want to turn down a project. At this crossroads you have three options: 1. Turn down the project and apologize for not being able to help. 2. Negotiate a deadline that is more suited to your current workload. 3. Take on the project as is, and do whatever it takes to complete it. There is no way of saying which option is best. You need to base your decision on what you feel most comfortable with.
I do my best to accommodate every client, even if there request is a bit unreasonable. The way you deal with quick turnaround requests is up to you. You have three options, and it is important to choose the one that will work best for your career and client relationship.
Even though working as a full-time freelance writer is the best career move I ever made, I realize that this is not something everybody can do. For this reason, I wanted to lend some information and advice on working as a part-time freelance writer. If you don’t have the time or motivation to work as a full-time freelance writer you can always do so as a “side job.â€
Here are a few things to keep in mind if you are going to work in a part-time capacity:
1. If you are going to work a full-time job, in addition to being a part-time freelance writer, you need to have a lot of energy. I did this for a few months at the beginning of my career, and it was not easy. If you add other responsibilities to the equation, such as a family, you need to be careful that you do not burn out.
2. You can make money as a part-time freelance writer, but it will be difficult to pull in a full-time income. I am not saying it is impossible, because I know several part-timers who make big money. But for the most part you should realize that working less hours usually means making less money.
3. You need to leave time for other tasks such as marketing, accounting, etc. One of the biggest mistakes new part-time freelance writers make is believing they will only spend their time writing. Unfortunately, this is not the case. You need to become a professional at time management to ensure that you not only get your writing done, but that you leave time for drumming up new business, paying taxes, and all the other stuff that goes along with running your own business.
If you eventually want to work as a full-time freelance writer you may want to start out on a part-time basis to get your feet wet. In this case, keep the above information in mind. It should give you a good feel for what you will encounter as a part-time freelance writer.
The more energy you have the more work you can get done; or at least that is the way I see things. Over the past few months I have been working hard to pinpoint ways to increase my energy level. Even though this is still a work in process, I have found three things that work for me.
1. Wake up early. When I wake up before the sun I always seem to have more energy. Sure, I may be a bit tired at the beginning of the day, the first 10 or so minutes, but after that I feel real good. This is not something that will work for every freelance writer, but at the very least you should give it a try.
2. Take breaks throughout the day. I do not like taking time away from my computer during the workday, but a few breaks here and there have done wonders for my overall level of energy. I usually take a quick break in the morning and afternoon, as well as a few minutes for lunch. When I return to my desk after a break I always feel like a new man.
3. Have a to-do list. What does this have to do with energy, you may ask? When I have a list that shows me the way I am always more energized. Maybe because I can chart my daily progress? Maybe because I can see an end in sight which motivates me to work harder? Whatever the reason it seems to be working.
If you are having a difficult time keeping up your energy level, try out the three tips above. They have worked for me over the past few months, and I am confident that they can do the same for you!Â
There are many things you can do to help your situation as a freelance writer. You can make contacts, improve your writing skills, and have all the right equipment. But nothing is as important as working hard day in and day out. If you are not dedicated to your craft and willing to work hard through good and bad times, you will never find much success as a freelance writer.
Working hard means something different to every freelance writer. One person may need to work 10 hour days in order to feel that he is really getting after it. But on the other side of things, another writer may go hard for six hours and then feel satisfied. As long as you feel that you are working hard, and truly believe this, you are in a good place. It is when you begin to slack off and attempt to trick yourself into thinking you are working hard that the real trouble starts.Â
There is no replacement for working hard. This holds true for every freelance writer regardless of career stage or expertise. As a new freelance writer I was always working hard so I could make a name for myself. But even though I now have more experience and contacts, I still work as hard as ever to ensure continued success.
You will be amazed at how much more success you have when you really dig in and decide to work hard everyday of the week. It may be a major change to your current work schedule, but soon enough you will settle in and realize that working hard is the only way to go.
If you feel that you are slacking off, even a bit, you need to make a change. If you are determined to work hard everyday of the week, for as many hours as possible, you will reap the rewards in the end.Â
