Even though it may not sound like it, working as a freelance writer can become stressful. You have a lot of clients to service, and plenty of work to stay busy. Soon enough this can begin to wear you down. In this case, you need to think about taking some time off. Even one day away from the office can do wonders for your professional life. When you finally return to your desk you will feel refreshed and more ready than ever before.
If you work as a freelance writer and are thinking of taking a vacation, use these three tips:
1. Prepare in advance. For instance, if you know you are going to be out of the office on a certain day you should not agree to a deadline at the same time. If you do, you will probably miss it and end up with an angry client. You don’t have to plan very far in advance; just enough to give yourself time to set everything up.
2. Don’t work on your vacation. Okay, I am as guilty of this as the next person. I find it very difficult to stay away from my work even if I am on vacation. If you are like me, take your computer but only use it for a few minutes each day. When vacationing I will check email, but never get into the habit of putting in long work days.
3. Grab some ideas along the way. Every time I go on vacation I look for new things to write about. This could be anything from a travel piece on a particular destination to a basic article on flying, renting a car, etc. You never know when a great story will come about.
Being a freelance writer means that you have a lot of freedom. With this, you can take a vacation whenever you want. Try to use the tips above to make the most of your time off.
Why do you want to work as a freelance writer? Before you ever join this industry you need to know why you are doing so. There are many great reasons to become a freelance writer. Your reasons for following this career path may be different than mine – and there is nothing wrong with that. The important thing is that you are happy with your decision.
Here are a few common reasons for wanting to become a freelance writer:
1. You want more freedom. Time after time I have talked about how much freedom you get when you work as a freelance writer. This is true now and always will be. If you are tired of the rat race and taking orders from others, becoming a freelance writer will allow you to take back your freedom.
2. It is what you love. I enjoy writing and that is one of the main reasons why I chose this career. If you don’t enjoy writing you are probably going to be disappointed with your choice soon enough. Make sure you truly love writing and everything that goes along with it before you decide on this path.
3. Potential to make more money. When you work for a company they are in charge of how much money you make and when you begin to earn more (or less). This is never the case as a freelance writer. Instead, you are working on your own to earn as much money as you can. This potential is reason enough for many to chase their dream of becoming a full-time freelance writer.
Do you have any other reasons? If so, I would love to hear them. It is always nice to show aspiring freelance writers what others are thinking. Any comments would be greatly appreciated!Â
Every aspiring freelance writer wants to discuss income and everything that goes along with it. Does this sound like you? If so, think about this question: why is it important to track your freelance writing income? You may be surprised at all the answers.
1. First and foremost, you need to track your income for tax purposes. There is no longer a company handing you a paycheck with all the proper taxes already being deducted. As a freelance writer you have to track your own income while paying quarterly taxes on a local, state, and federal level.
2. Good for goal setting. Surely you have some freelance writing income goals – all of us do. If you are not tracking your income you will never know for sure if you are closing in on your goals. Remember to set both short and long term income goals.
3. Motivation. At the end of every month I look at my freelance writing income as well as all the details that go along with it. Did I earn as much as I wanted? Where can I improve next month? Is there anything that needs changed? If you earn a lot of money you are going to be motivated to keep this up. If you come up short you will be motivated to change this in the upcoming months.
Now do you see why it is so important to track your freelance writing income? If you are not keeping close tabs on every dollar you earn, you are making a mistake that could haunt you in more ways than one.
