Lately, I have received numerous emails asking how I earn so much money without killing myself. Others have suggested that I must work 10 plus hours each day in order to keep up my current income level. But when it comes down to it, if you learn how to increase productivity, you will have more time for writing and will find it simple to move from job to job without wasting a lot of time.
Productivity is a topic that I have been covering a lot lately. Although I like to keep posts fresh, this is a subject that is very important and one that many readers seem to be struggling with.
Here are four easy ways to increase productivity. These tips will help you if you are a full-time freelance writer, or just trying to break into the industry.
1. Make sure that you work at least eight hours. Once you become established and more comfortable with your workload, you can then tweak your hours in order to do what is best for your personal life and career. Personally, I try to work eight hours, five days per week. Sometimes I go over and other times I have short days. But all in all, if you want to increase productivity you need to work a full day.
2. Do you have a to-do list? If not, this is a big mistake that can negatively affect your freelance writing productivity. Before I shut everything down for the day I always put together a to-do list so that I know where to start the next morning. There was a time when I thought I didn’t need a list, but soon enough I found that this was only confusing me and leading to a disorganized day full of wasted time.
3. Make sure that your desk and all related files are organized. If you need to pull an invoice do you know where to find it? Some people are naturally more organized than others. Even if your home is always a mess, you need to make sure that your office is the one space where organization takes priority.
4. As silly as it may sound, taking breaks is important if you are going to increase your productivity. Many people feel that when they are on a break they are not getting any work done. While this is true, you need to keep in mind that taking a break from time to time will allow you to stay fresh throughout the workday. When you get tired, both mentally and physically, your productivity is going to suffer.
By increasing your productivity, you will find that your freelance writing career is moving forward smoothly.Â
Are you aware of the many common freelance writing myths that circulate the industry? If so, some of these have probably worried you a bit in the past and may still be eating away at your mind. But remember, a myth is just that: it is not the truth. By learning about these common myths, including why they are not true, you will be able to move past them and continue building a successful career.
The following are three common freelance writing myths that you should never believe:
1. Let’s start off with the most common and widely known freelance writing myth: you cannot make any money now, and there is no chance of this changing in the future. This is absolutely a myth. If you do not believe it, check out my freelance writing income report from last month. And guess what? The money that I earn is small change compared to other freelance writers out there. This does not mean that making money as a freelance writer is easy, but it is possible.
2. There is too much competition to succeed as a freelance writer. Once again, this is nothing more than a myth. What industry do you know of where there is no competition? No matter what career path you take, you are always going to be up against others who are vying for the same jobs. When it comes down to it, there is plenty of freelance writing work out there for anybody who is willing to search for it. You can write for magazines, newspapers, websites, large corporations, small companies, and much more.
3. It takes too long to become a full-time freelance writer. This is a myth for two reasons. First off, “too long†means something different to everybody. Additionally, there is no saying that it will take you years on end to reach your goal of being a full-time writer. It only took me a few months, and with so much work available, you may be able to build your income to full-time status even quicker.
No matter who tells you these myths are true, you should never believe them. If you do, it will slow you down from achieving your freelance writing goals.Â
Even though every project is unique, there are several steps that I follow with each job that I take on. As a freelance writer, it is very important to stay organized, and to also know how to proceed when a new job comes across your desk. If you a new to this industry you may have yet to perfect your project timeline. Hopefully by taking a look at how I complete projects from start to finish, you will have a better idea on how to proceed.
1. After a client awards me a project, I ask for any details that may be needed. This includes the length of the article(s), keywords, topics, and perhaps most importantly, the deadline. If you forget to ask about any details up front, you can always touch base with the client as you move forward.
2. Either the same or next day after accepting the work, I take the time to set up the project in a separate Word document. This allows me to have a blank slate to work with, and helps to keep my organized. Some freelance writers like to work on paper first, but this is not something that I usually do.
3. If no further research is needed, it is time to work on a first draft. During this step I am not obsessed with being perfect. Instead, I simply attempt to gather my ideas and get an outline for the end result.
4. Once the first draft is complete, I read it over and make notes on changes that jump out at me. As you can imagine, some drafts need changed quite a bit and others are almost ready to send off to the client. This all depends on the type of project, and how much I know about the topic.
5. When putting together the final draft you must always strive for perfection. After all, this is what you are going to be sending the client. Make sure that you take your time during this step; it is always nice if you can catch mistakes as you write.
6. Proof the final result before attaching it to an email and sending it to the client. If you are worn out from a long day, you may want to proof your work the following morning. This will go a long way in ensuring that you do not miss any silly mistakes.
As you can imagine, this timeline is not set in stone. With that being said, I always follow these steps in one way, shape, or form. If you are still working on a freelance writing timeline that you are comfortable with, consider adding a few of the steps that have helped me throughout the years.
