No matter what day of the week it is I always have a to-do list next to my computer. This more or less guides me through the day, and keeps me on track to ensure that I don’t miss anything that needs to be completed. That being said, many freelance writers feel that planning their day is a lost cause. In other words, they have found that this never works to their advantage because something is always coming around that knocks them off schedule.
There is no denying that your schedule can and will change on a moment’s notice. For instance, even though I have a to-do list it doesn’t mean that I will stick to it if something more important comes up. In the past I have had clients get in touch with an urgent project that needs completed the same business day. While situations like this don’t come up often, when they do it is important for me to scrap my to-do list and move forward with the new project first. Of course, I eventually head back to my list to complete the rest of the day’s work.
I have found that planning my day usually works out just fine. There are times when I may have to stray from my to-do list, but they are few and far between. Even though it is nice to stay on track, you never know what is going to come up. Make sure you have enough flexibility to adjust if need be.
All in all, you can and should plan your day as a freelance writer. I strongly believe in having a to-do list, and this is something that I will never change. Just remember there may be days when you have to tweak your list to satisfy yourself and/or your clients.
As a freelance writer you will face periods of frustration. You may become frustrated with yourself or with your clients. Simply put, there is no way of avoiding this. Fortunately, you don’t have to let frustration kill your career. Remember, no matter what job you have you are going to face bad times. You cannot let them keep you down and out for too long.
When frustration begins to set in you should take a step back and settle down. Even if you are extremely upset or angry you need to concentrate on calming down before you move forward. Remember, you are not going to do yourself any good if you carry this frustration in your back pocket day in and day out. For instance, if you are frustrated with a client you have two options: you can take your bad mood out on them or you can calm down and work together to fix things. As you can imagine, the second option is the way to go. Nothing good ever comes from taking your frustration out on others. In fact, if you do this you can expect to lose clients.
Is this easier said than done? It sure is. There have been times when I was so frustrated that I wanted to stay away from the computer for a few days. But soon enough, after I settled down, I was ready to fix the issue at hand and get back to work. As you move along as a freelance writer you will learn how to better deal with frustrating situations.
One of the most common questions that I receive via email is “how do I get started as a freelance writer?†This is a basic question, but for one reason or the next many people want to know the answer. While there is no set way to take the leap, my best advice is that you simply have to do it. In other words, just get started. The more you think about becoming a freelance writer the less chance there is that you will actually go for it. This does not mean that you should change careers without thinking long and hard, but it does mean that you can think entirely too much.
When you think too much there is a chance that you will let too many negative thoughts creep into your head. Although I researched the freelance writing industry for a few weeks before taking the leap I knew that getting started was going to be the most difficult part. There is no denying that a new career, especially one without a guaranteed paycheck, can be scary. But remember, if you let this fear take over your professional life you are going to be stuck in the rat race until the day you retire.
If you are still a bit scared, set a timeline for “getting started.†For instance, give yourself two weeks to research and setup your career. When this time is up force yourself to take the leap no matter what it means. If you are truly convinced that a freelance writing career is what you want the only thing holding you back is you.Â
