I get a lot of emails asking about my freelance writing routine. As always, I tell these people that the life of a freelancer is never the same two days in a row. In other words, I do not have to be in my office at a certain time or leave for lunch when my boss says so; after all, I am the boss. That being said, I try to keep a basic routine in order to ensure that all of my days move forward in a similar fashion. This helps to keep me productive while also ensuring that I do not burn out.
Time to Wake Up
Monday through Friday, I get out of bed around 7 am. I know many freelance writers who sleep until noon and then work through the night, but that would never work for me. I prefer to work “normal hours†when I can, and getting up this early in the morning allows me to do just that.
After I roll out of bed, I head for the computer and check all of my email accounts as well as traffic and income stats from the day before. I like to slowly move through this process so it usually takes me approximately 30 minutes or so. Of course, this can change based on how many emails I received throughout the night, etc.
Time to Start Writing
On most days, I begin tackling my projects sometime between 730-8 am. Since I write a to-do list at the end of each workday, I do not have to spend time trying to determine how to get started or which project to take on first. Instead, I simply check out my list and start at the beginning. Some days I have more projects than others, but in most cases I have approximately 10 items on my must-do list and several others that I hope to get to during the day.
Time for Lunch
Like many workers, freelance or not, I usually take a quick lunch break around noon. Of course, it is tough to stay away from the computer for too long so I usually eat lunch at my desk. This gives me time to once again catch up on email and other related tasks.
Time for more Writing
The afternoon is pretty much a mirror image of the morning. After lunch I usually have a better idea of how much progress I am making on my to-do list and what still needs to be done before I call it quits. On most days I am done with my freelance writing projects sometime between 3 and 4 pm. At this time I put together my to-do list for the next day, and usually move onto reading some blogs, researching new projects, or just relaxing as I browse the internet.
Miscellaneous Tasks
Throughout the day I tend to take care of many miscellaneous tasks that go along with being a successful freelance writer. This can include anything from paying bills to responding to emails to following up with clients on the phone. There are times when I complete these tasks between writing projects, and times when I save them all for the end of the day. It simply depends on how much work I have, as well as my progress for the day.
As you can see, my freelance writing routine is nothing special. This is a basic outline of what my workday looks like. But keep in mind that no two days are alike when you are a freelance writer. In my opinion this is one of the biggest benefits of being self-employed.
Many people have a difficult time believing that they can get paid to write. Of course, getting paid to write means something different to everybody. When I started as a freelance writer my goal was to earn a couple thousand dollars per month. Over time this changed quite a bit, and now my freelance writing income is considerably higher.
If you want to get paid to write, there is one thing that you must first do: realize that this is a possibility. When you compare a freelance writing career to a more traditional office job it is obvious that there are quite a few differences. If you are not careful about your way of thinking and are easily swayed by others, you may never chase the dream of becoming a freelance writer. Simply put, there are a lot of roadblocks standing in the way between wanting to make money writing and actually doing so.
While you will be asking yourself “can I get paid to write†others will be saying “can you really get paid to do nothing more than write?†As you can see, you not only have to answer to yourself but there will also be others who want to talk about your career move as well. My advice in this area is simple: explain your situation, as well as the freelance writing industry, to anybody who asks or questions your decision. Many people think that becoming a freelance writer is a bad idea because they do not really understand what it entails. Believe it or not, many think that freelance writing is nothing more than writing books and feature articles for magazines. This is definitely a part of the career, but far from being the end all. If you explain what freelance writing is all about, including the opportunities available from a project and pay point of view, it is safe to say that you will open some eyes.
There is no denying that you can get paid to write. Even if you are struggling with this question internally and others are questioning your decision, you should always remember that this goal is attainable. It may take you one month to reach your first income goal, or maybe it will take one year. But one thing is for sure: if you stick with your freelance writing career and do not let yourself or anybody else talk you out of this choice, success will come your way soon enough.Â
I receive a lot of emails asking what topics the majority of my freelance writing projects cover. I assume that many people think that some subjects pay better than others. While this may be true in some cases, you should not get stuck in this train of thought for too long. If you only take on projects that pay a lot, you are going to find out soon enough that you are bored with the content that is staring you in the face. I find it much easier to enjoy my job if I am making a decent wage writing about topics that I enjoy.
At this time, I am working on projects based around a wide variety of topics. Some of them include: insurance, real estate, sports, gambling, health care, and software among many others. Do I enjoy writing about every one of these topics? I sure do! Although some of them are more exciting than others, they are all subjects that are of great interest to me. Over the years I have found that writing on subjects I enjoy makes it easier to complete a project while also learning a lot at the same time. By learning from every freelance writing project that you complete it will make your job much easier in the future as you ponder and accept new jobs.
The bottom line is simple: although money is important to a freelance writer, you do not want to chase projects that you perceive as high paying if they are not of interest to you. Believe it or not, every topic, no matter what it is, can be turned into a high paying project. I have worked for large companies with thousands of employees that paid in excess of $.50 per word. At the same time, I have worked with smaller firms in the same industry that paid just as much or more. In most cases, it does not matter what industry you are working in but the company or publication that you are working for.
All in all, concentrate more on topics that interest you and less on those that you feel will pay the most money. Remember, there are well paying clients within every industry. It is your job as a freelance writer to find them and then break in where possible.
