Are you ready when your Day Starts?
The ability to stay organized is one of my best traits. In my opinion, every freelance writer needs to be organized if they are going to reach their goals. One thing you do not want to overlook is the importance of being ready when your day starts. You don’t want to spend the better part of your morning getting settled, determining what you have to do, and dealing with other similar details.
I have found that the best way to hit the ground running is to have a to-do list. If I know what needs done it is easy to move from one task to the next. There used to be a time when I did not use to-do lists. Instead, I would work directly from my email account. Soon enough I realized that this was not the best idea from an organizational point of view. As soon as I made some changes, such as using a daily to-do list, my productivity increased.
It is also essential to be ready to work from the moment you sit down at your desk in the morning. You do not want to waste any time. I always write my to-do list the night before so I can get to work without having to scour my emails account to decide what needs done first.
This may sound so simple that it is not even worth your time. But trust me, there are many freelance writers out there who struggle mightily because they have a difficult time staying organized. They don’t know what projects need completed, when they are due, or what order to work in. In turn, the result is lost time, missed deadlines, and angry clients.
Being ready to work when your day starts can go a long way in helping you become a more efficient freelance writer.
May 26th, 2009 at 9:27 am
I place much importance on time management. To that end, I always have a to-do list that covers all aspects of my life, not just the writing.
I find that the time put into organizing what I have to do is paid back many times, and I also just feel better about my life and work.
May 26th, 2009 at 11:59 am
John – Good to hear that I am not alone on this. I am confident that most freelancers feel the same way!
May 26th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Excellent point Chris. Without a to do list, it seems like nothing gets done. I mean nothing. At the beginning of my freelance writing career, entire weeks would go by (I am embarassed to say) and I was confused as to just what I actually got done. I now run my day in slots – marketing, networking, education, writing – and fit my to do’s in there.