As of late, I have been thinking a lot about how to become as productive as possible. Many freelance writers think that becoming more productive means working more hours. This can be the case for some, but not everybody. After all, you can only work so many hours before you begin to burnout.
I have found that one of the best ways to increase productivity is to start your day off right. Of course, this means something different to everybody. That being said, the three tips below can help any freelance writer to increase productivity by starting their day right:
1. Do not sleep-in. I know, I know. Some of you guys like to work at night, and sleep during the day. If this is the case, and it is working for you, continue with this lifestyle. But personally, I like to keep a more “normal†work schedule. Over the past few months I have been experimenting with what time I wake up in the morning. I have found that 630 am has led to the most productive start. While this may sound early to some of you, it works out perfectly for me. Simply put, you need to do your own experimenting in order to find what works best for you.
2. Don’t start working until you are awake! It is one thing to get up early, but another to be on top of your game. Trust me, if I was not capable of writing quality content at 630 in the morning I would not be getting up this early. For some, all it takes is some breakfast and/or coffee to get up and moving. No matter what, you need to be energized and in the right frame of mind when you begin to write.
3. As I have said in the past, you need to know what tasks you are responsible for in a given day. I keep track of this by putting together a to-do list at the end of every workday. This way, when I wake up in the morning and head to my office, I can look at this list and know where to start. This saves a lot of time trying to get organized, and in deciding a work order.
By starting your day off right, you will find that you are becoming a more productive freelance writer.
Imagine what it must have been like to be a freelance writer before the internet. Your only option was print projects such as feature articles, corporate material, etc. In other words, there was no such thing as web copy, keyword articles, and other projects that are exclusive to the web. To go along with this, freelance writers had to find clients the good old fashioned way: cold calling and query letters. After all, there was no email. Additionally, the lack of email meant that submitting completed projects had to be done via fax or mail.
Are you getting a better idea of the benefits of the internet to freelance writers? As you can see, the online world has forever changed the way that writers tackle their career.
This all leads to the question of: which is better, web or print freelance writing? The answer you get will depend on who you ask. I don’t take one side or the other. I enjoy writing for the web, but at the same time I never turn down a print job (for the most part). Simply put, I have found them both to be lucrative and enjoyable.
Most new freelance writers agree that finding web work is the easier of the two; and I have to agree with this to a certain extent. That being said, many of these aspiring writers never break into print projects because they don’t put in the time. If you want to write for a magazine it takes more work than finding a webmaster that needs a couple keyword articles. You have to put together a query letter, show samples, and of course, find an editor that has a need for you.
Do not feel that you have to choose between web and print freelance writing. You can easily do both, as I do, and make a nice living along the way. In fact, it is fun to take on both types of projects because it keeps things fresh. As you know, there are many projects that fall within the broad headings of “web and print.â€
Many freelance writers like to take on the label of writing “web only†content. While this is fine for some people, you are limiting yourself by doing this. Keep an open mind to both types of projects, and it will help you to secure more work and a higher income.Â
The more clients that you gain the more work you are going to be presented with. And this holds true with much more than writing related tasks. More clients also means that you will also need to spend more time on customer service. While there is nothing wrong with this, you need to make sure that you are ready for what you will be facing in the future.
One of the most important questions to answer is: how much time should you spend with each freelance writing client? Many freelance writers believe that every client should be treated the same, but I am not one of them.
Here are three ways to decide which clients should receive the most attention:
1. Which clients give you the most work? It goes without saying that a client that offers daily work should get more of your attention than one that only sends a few articles your way every so often. This does not mean that you should ignore others, but you definitely want to spend the most time with regular clients that make up a large portion of your income.
2. Deadlines often times determine how much time you spend with a client. For instance, some editors that I work with are always in touch, sometimes more than once per day, as a deadline closes in. The reason for this? If they do not receive the completed feature from me they are going to be in deep trouble. For this reason, they like to stay in touch, and in turn, I spend time with them to ensure that everybody is on the right track.
3. Simply put, some clients demand more attention than others. There are many reasons for this. Some of them need help because they do not know what they want. Others know what they want but are always adding additional work. You will find out soon enough that some clients will let you do your job, and others like to stay in touch and more or less micromanage.
With the three details above, it will be easier for you to decide which clients need and deserve the most time.Â
