Why do you want to work as a freelance writer? Before you ever join this industry you need to know why you are doing so. There are many great reasons to become a freelance writer. Your reasons for following this career path may be different than mine – and there is nothing wrong with that. The important thing is that you are happy with your decision.
Here are a few common reasons for wanting to become a freelance writer:
1. You want more freedom. Time after time I have talked about how much freedom you get when you work as a freelance writer. This is true now and always will be. If you are tired of the rat race and taking orders from others, becoming a freelance writer will allow you to take back your freedom.
2. It is what you love. I enjoy writing and that is one of the main reasons why I chose this career. If you don’t enjoy writing you are probably going to be disappointed with your choice soon enough. Make sure you truly love writing and everything that goes along with it before you decide on this path.
3. Potential to make more money. When you work for a company they are in charge of how much money you make and when you begin to earn more (or less). This is never the case as a freelance writer. Instead, you are working on your own to earn as much money as you can. This potential is reason enough for many to chase their dream of becoming a full-time freelance writer.
Do you have any other reasons? If so, I would love to hear them. It is always nice to show aspiring freelance writers what others are thinking. Any comments would be greatly appreciated!
Every aspiring freelance writer wants to discuss income and everything that goes along with it. Does this sound like you? If so, think about this question: why is it important to track your freelance writing income? You may be surprised at all the answers.
1. First and foremost, you need to track your income for tax purposes. There is no longer a company handing you a paycheck with all the proper taxes already being deducted. As a freelance writer you have to track your own income while paying quarterly taxes on a local, state, and federal level.
2. Good for goal setting. Surely you have some freelance writing income goals – all of us do. If you are not tracking your income you will never know for sure if you are closing in on your goals. Remember to set both short and long term income goals.
3. Motivation. At the end of every month I look at my freelance writing income as well as all the details that go along with it. Did I earn as much as I wanted? Where can I improve next month? Is there anything that needs changed? If you earn a lot of money you are going to be motivated to keep this up. If you come up short you will be motivated to change this in the upcoming months.
Now do you see why it is so important to track your freelance writing income? If you are not keeping close tabs on every dollar you earn, you are making a mistake that could haunt you in more ways than one.
Over the past few weeks it seems that questions surrounding my freelance writing schedule have come up time after time. Many members of my course have been asking, as well as some others. Although my work schedule does not have to be the same as yours, this is definitely a good subject to look at more closely.
Before we go any further, keep this in mind: it may take awhile to find the best work schedule for you. Some freelance writers find the right schedule early in their career and do not change very often. Others switch from time to time as they try to get into a groove.
Personally, I enjoy waking up as early as possible. This allows me to get a lot of work done, and to feel as productive as possible. In most cases this means getting out of bed between 6 and 7 am. While this may sound early to some, once you are up and moving it really is not that bad.
Does this mean that I knock off eight hours later? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Generally speaking, my work days last until the late afternoon – somewhere around 4 or 5 pm. Of course, this is not written in stone. There are times when I work straight through dinner because I am on a roll. You never know how you will feel as the end of the day closes in.
To find the best work schedule for you I suggest experimenting as much as possible. Try to get up early, try to get up late, and try everything in between. The more schedules you experiment with the better chance there is that you will find the one that is perfect for you.
Early in my career I found that the morning hours were a great time to get work done. For many this holds true. For others, this is a joke – these people don’t like to rise early. If you are interested in working more effectively in the morning, follow these three tips:
1. Give yourself time to wakeup. In other words, don’t roll out of bed at 630 and sit down to work at 632. Instead, give yourself a few minutes to get up, move around, and get ready for the day. You don’t want to waste time, but you definitely need to make sure that you are 100 percent energized and ready to go. If your mind is still sleeping it is safe to say that your work is going to suffer.
2. Eat. No matter what, make sure you get something in your stomach. You may be one of those people who don’t like breakfast, but give it a try anyway. I have found that getting something little in my stomach is a great way to wake up. Of course, if you are a coffee drinker this is the time to get your fix.
3. Know what you want to accomplish. As I have said before, at the end of every workday I write down my tasks for the next day. This way when I wake up in the morning I know where to start. Do you have a to-do list staring you in the face when you first sit down at your computer desk? Hopefully your answer is yes.
These three tips will help you work more effectively in the morning hours. Even if you are not used to waking early, give this a try. You may be surprised at how much more work you can get done.
If you are like most freelance writers there are some clients you enjoy and others that make your life miserable – this is just the way it goes. While you may get the urge to talk down on or get mad at a “bad” client you need to keep this in mind: treating every client with respect is very important. Even if you are not receiving the same treatment you should keep a smile on your face and do whatever you can to take the high road.
I have been lucky enough to avoid bad clients, for the most part. Sure, somebody comes up from time to time that makes things difficult for one reason or the next, but these situations have been few and far between over the past couple of years.
If a client is annoying you for any reason the first thing you should do is look at their side. Are they all over you because of something you did? You may find that the client is acting a particular way because of something you did or did not do.
Don’t get me wrong. There are some freelance writing clients that are going to treat you poorly no matter. Dealing with these types of people is never easy. The first thing you should do is try to fix the relationship. Don’t stoop down to the client’s level. Instead, stay professional in hopes that this will rub off on them. At some point you may have to decide if continuing your relationship is the right thing to do. If the client refuses to change and you are becoming fed up, it is better to cut all ties than to get into an argument. Only you know if this is necessary.
No matter what, always treat clients with respect. Even if you plan on cutting a client loose, be respectful up to the very last minute. You don’t get anywhere by burning bridges.
Are you ready for a full-time freelance writing career? Ah, what a difficult question to answer. This is a huge step in your life. Some people don’t think twice about moving forward full-time, but they are few and far between. Most people think long and hard about this decision.
To decide if you are ready, answer these questions:
1. How did you like working as a part-time freelance writer? If you enjoyed your experience and are earning money, you have a solid base for moving forward and taking on this career full-time. Most people work as a part-timer first to get a better idea of what they are up against.
2. Are you confident in your ability to earn a full-time income? Let’s be honest. You do not want to become a full-time freelance writer unless you can earn the income that goes along with working long hours. How much are you earning part-time? Do you have the ability to increase your income by working more hours? You definitely want to think about how much money you will need from a full-time freelance writing career to feel comfortable.
3. Will you enjoy yourself? The money and freedom are great benefits of being a freelance writer. But when it comes down to it, you must have a good time day after day. Sure, there are going to be rough spots along the way. Even though you are not going to enjoy every minute of your freelance writing career you must be confident that you will be happy the majority of the time.
Upon answering these three questions you should know once and for all if you are ready for full-time freelance writing. Don’t move forward until you are 100 percent confident in your decision.
Are your days as a freelance writer going by without getting any work done? If so, you are just like many freelancers. Early in my freelance writing career I was the same way. I was not very efficient, and for this reason I found it difficult to complete every task for a given day. Soon enough I woke up, and from there I became a more efficient worker.
Here are a few tips that can help you better schedule your day:
1. Use a to-do list. Are you tired of me saying this yet? I know I harp on this fact on a regular basis, but it really is a great idea. If you are going to make the most of every day you need a list that is complete with all the tasks that must be tackled.
2. Try to schedule breaks. This is very difficult to do – I have found this out over the years. That being said, try it out. For instance, I schedule one break for breakfast and another for lunch. For the most part I am able to take these breaks every working day. You may think you will become a more efficient worker if you cut out breaks. Unfortunately, this is not always true. Both your mind and body need rest from time to time. Don’t push the envelope by working straight through the day.
3. Don’t be afraid to change your ways. It is easy to get into the habit of doing the same things, day after day. Even though a schedule is a good thing, there are times when you will need to break the mold for one reason or the next. For instance, maybe a client wants to schedule a call during your lunch break. In this case you will have to move things around a bit to accommodate this task.
These three tips will allow you to best schedule your day for success.
Most people don’t become freelance writers because of how much fun it is – even though this is true. Instead, they want to have a good time while also making a living. This leads to the question of how long it takes to make money as a freelance writer. Before I go any further, keep this in mind: making money means something different to everybody. How much I earn may not be enough for somebody else and vice versa.
How long it will take you to make money depends on many factors. In my first month as a freelance writer I only pulled in $52. While this was worrisome on some levels, it also showed me that the potential to earn more was waiting for me. The next month I cracked $2k and continued to grow from there. So as you can see, it only took me one month to make money as a freelance writer. But it actually took a bit longer than that to bring in a substantial sum.
Be patient. I know some freelance writers who began to make four figures after only a few weeks. I know others who struggled for quite some time, six months or more, before things began to pick up. If you are going to work as a freelance writer you must be patient. Good things, including money, are sure to come your way soon enough. But if you want to be around to see it, you must exercise an extreme amount of patience.
Unfortunately, I cannot tell you that you will begin to make money as a freelance writer in “x and x” amount of time – this is not possible. There are too many factors that go into how much you will earn, when the money will begin to come in, etc. The one thing I can say is this: you can earn a full-time income as a freelance writer if you are devoted and patient.
It is hard enough to run a successful freelance writing career without getting in your own way. Time after time freelancers make trouble for themselves. Why would you want to do this? Unfortunately, one bad decision could lead you down the wrong path without you even knowing it.
Here are three ways to avoid making additional trouble for your freelance writing career:
1. Don’t miss deadlines. If you want to make a client mad all you have to do is miss a deadline. This is the quickest way to make trouble. If you agree to a deadline you should do whatever it takes to meet it.
2. Chart your income and expenses. Now that you don’t work for a company you are 100 percent in charge of your books. It is very important that you accurately track both your income and expenses. This will make it easy on you when it comes time to pay your quarterly taxes and file your final return.
3. Don’t take on too much work. This may sound silly, but it is a big problem for many freelance writers. A lot of work is a good thing. Too much work can lead to many problems including missed deadlines (see number one above), burnout, and confusion. Know your limits and don’t take on more than you can handle.
Have you ever run into any of these problems? In the past I have dealt with all three of these situations. Simply put, you don’t want to make any additional trouble for yourself.
There is nothing worse than making a decision and then doubting that you did the right thing. This is particularly true if you decided to leave your job and become a freelance writer. After all, your career and how much money you earn are very important. Any doubt can definitely cause more stress than you ever thought possible.
Before you do anything, answer this question: why do you doubt your decision to become a freelance writer? Chances are that if you feel this way you will be able to answer this question without any delay. Some common reasons for this are: not making enough money, not being able to find clients, and not having any idea of where to go next. Do any of these doubts sound familiar?
Don’t jump the gun. No matter what job you take you will probably doubt your decision at some point in time. This is exactly what I did early in my freelance writing career. It is difficult to go from a steady 9 – 5 position with a regular paycheck to a freelance career in which you have to call all the shots and don’t know where the next payment is coming from. But if you stick things out and don’t give up you will eventually realize that your decision to become a freelance writer was a good one. It is those people who jump ahead of themselves that usually end up ditching their career as a writer and heading towards something that is considered “safer.”
Before you ever become a freelance writer you should realize that you will probably have some doubts early on – the same can be said for almost any job you take. It is how you deal with this doubt that will determine if you settle in or decide to quit before you give your new career a fighting chance.
