I am the type of freelance writer who always likes to be on top of things. I do my best to stay ahead of the game at all times, no matter what it takes. If I get behind on my work it begins to take its toll on me, and soon enough I will find myself working long hours to catch up. Do you ever find yourself falling behind? How does this make you feel?
There are many ways to get behind on your work, and all of them should be avoided. Here are three of the most common mistakes that can eventually put you behind the eight ball:
1. Taking off too much time. If you are constantly taking days off and skipping out early you are going to find yourself falling behind soon enough. This doesn’t mean that you have to work seven days a week, but you definitely need to be careful about how much time you are spending away from your desk. If I am going to take a day off I do my best to plan for it.
2. Do you spend a lot of time everyday checking email and browsing the internet? This is one of the easiest ways to get behind. The internet is one of the biggest time wasters on the face of the earth. There is nothing wrong with browsing online and checking your email during breaks throughout the day. But you do not want to let this take over your career. If you do, you will find that you are not working as efficiently as you could be.Â
3. If you take on more than you can handle you are going to fall behind in one area or the next. There are only 24 hours in a day, and it is safe to say that you do not want to work all of them. For this reason you need to be careful that you do not bite off more than you can chew. It is nice to have a lot of work on your table, but only if you can handle all of it.
These are three common ways to fall behind on your work. Are you confident that you can avoid these blunders?
Chris, I really want to work with a client but they will not negotiate any of the terms, including payment. What should I do? This is a question I am asked over and over again. As you probably know, this is something that every freelance writer has to deal with from time to time.
There are two things you can do in this situation:
1. Bite the bullet and accept the terms that are offered to you. This may not be the ideal situation, but you need to ask yourself whether or not you can live with what the client is putting on the table. Sometimes it is worth your time to settle and take on the client. But sometimes you will be better off walking away. Only you know what position you are in, and what is most important to you when accepting a new client. Remember, money is not the only term that may put you at odds.
2. Walk away. Even though it is not always easy, walking away from a project is something that you will have to do at some point in time. Last week I turned down two jobs because the company would not agree to my rate. Both jobs were intriguing, but in the end they simply didn’t work out.
If you are going to turn down a job and walk away, keep this in mind: you never want to burn any bridges. I have turned down jobs just to have the client come back the next week and meet my demands. Do you think this would have happened if I were rude and inconsiderate during the first round of communications? Definitely not.
Not every client will give you everything you want. There are times when you need to negotiate, settle, and even turn down projects.
Are you guilty of making mistakes within your freelance writing career? If you answered no you are lying! I make mistakes all the time, and I am pretty sure that most others do the same. There is nothing wrong with goofing up from time to time as long as you learn from it and then move on.
Unfortunately, some freelance writers are always facing the same big mistakes. Here are five that you do not want to run into on a regular basis:
1. Missing deadlines. When you miss a deadline you are going to send your client off the deep end. There is nothing worse than needing something on time, and having somebody, such as a freelance writer, hold you back. Before you miss a deadline think about how the client will feel. Also, keep in mind that making this a habit will kill your career soon enough. Nobody wants to work with freelance writers who are always missing deadlines.
2. Not marketing your services. Is this the biggest freelance writing mistake that you can make? Many people say yes, and I agree with them. If you are not marketing your services you are not taking the necessary steps towards advancing your career. You always need to be in search of new clients no matter if you are cold calling, sending queries, or using bidding sites.
3. Sending work that is full of spelling and grammar mistakes. For many, this is one of the most difficult mistakes to avoid. Even though I always double proof my work before sending it to the client, spelling and grammar errors slip through the cracks from time to time. Do your best to avoid these errors. At the very least, keep them to a minimum so your client/editor doesn’t have to do a lot of work.
4. Avoiding clients when they want an edit. Some freelance writers get paid and then forget about their client if they contact them for edits. This may seem like a good idea at the time, but be rest assured that it will not gain you any long term clients. You should never hide from clients, no matter what they want.Â
5. Not being organized. Are you guys and gals tired of me saying this? Even though I harp on this point a lot, I truly believe that being organized will allow you to achieve more success in a shorter period of time. Keep your entire career organized from your desk to your invoices to your clients.
