Every month, with the exception of a few, my freelance writing income seems to build the same way. I always look at my income in three sections: the first, second, and third 10 days of the month.
For me, the first 10 days of the month is always the most profitable. In most cases, by the end of these 10 days I have earned anywhere from $2,500 to $3,000. This is due in large part to the fact that my checks and bank wires arrive during this period.
The second 10 days are always the slowest. This is when I am churning out work for clients, and is usually when I work the most hours. For the most part, these days usually net me somewhere around $1,000 or so.
Finally, the last 10 days is when I make my final push for as much money as I can. While not as much as the first segment of the month, I can usually draw in $1,500 to $2,500 during this period. As mentioned above, a lot of this has to do with the amount of work that I complete during the middle stages of the month. By the end of the month all those projects are complete, and payments begin to roll in. Subsequently, I do not work nearly as many hours as the month winds down.
Of course this can change, but over the past few months when I have been earning just about $5k, this tends to hold true. Personally, I love being able to rely on this sort of pattern. It helps me to chart my progress, while also knowing when certain payments are going to arrive.Â
There are many ways that you can increase your productivity, but I bet you never thought buying a dog was one of them. To tell you the truth, when I recently brought my new puppy home I had no clue how it would affect my work life. In fact, I thought it might take away from it a bit because training and housebreaking a puppy can be hard work. But luckily, this has not been the case. Instead, Sammy has helped me to become more productive, which is something that I am always interested in.
So you want to know the details before you head out and buy a dog, right? Well, here is what I have learned over the first week of caring for my new puppy.
First and foremost, he likes to stay up late. And even when he does go to bed, he likes to get up every few hours to stretch and head outside to go to the bathroom. Instead of sitting around and watching him sleep, I have taken to working while he lies at my feet. This is a great way for me to keep an eye on him (don’t want any accidents on the floor) while also increasing my productivity. All in all, this has resulted to an extra three to four hours of work per day; many of these in the middle of the night.
Sammy has also given me quite a few ideas that I have been thinking on for a few days now. For instance, I have never written many pet articles in the past. But now that I have a bit more experience, this is something that I am definitely considering.
Additionally, I am thinking about starting a blog about Sammy as well as his breed. This would be a great way to dive into a new topic, but of course, I need to assess my situation first.
Are you going to buy a dog in order to increase your productivity? Probably not! While I could have done all of this without buying a dog, this is what it took to open my eyes. And I am thankful for it! I am a firm believer that increased productivity will eventually lead to increased profits.
As I have openly admitted, I do not know much about web site design. In fact, that is why I am using a free theme for this blog. While I am happy with the way that ChrisBlogging looks, I would not mind paying for a custom design in the near future.
Over the past couple of years I have hired several web designers. But with that being said, I have not been overwhelmed with any of them. Maybe I have been unlucky, or maybe I am not asking the right questions.
So how do you hire a web designer? If any readers work in this capacity I would love to hear what you need to know before you take on work with a client.
Here are the three questions that I usually ask before hiring a web designer. There is a good chance that there are other inquiries that I should probably add to this list.
1. Just like most, I always ask how much money I will be charged. This is never too big of a problem because I do not have any issue paying a bit more if high quality is sure to follow.
2. Can I see some samples? Before I hire a web designer I always like to study some past work. As a freelance writer I am used to sending out samples, and figure that web designers probably feel the same way.
3. What is the process for making changes after the first draft? Even though it would be nice to get exactly what I want the first time around, this very rarely happens.
These three questions have done alright for me in the past. But with that being said, I really want to get this hire right. A new layout for this blog could really help in the near future.Â
