At the beginning of the year I made a few posts about setting freelance writing goals. This past weekend I took a closer look at my list, and was surprised at what I saw: at this point, I am only on track to complete about one third of the goals that I set forth in January. As you can imagine, this is quite disappointing. After all, when you work hard day in and day out you expect to reach your goals. Unfortunately, this does not always happen for one reason or the next.
Things Change
The number one reason that I am off track is that my freelance writing workload has changed drastically since January. Not only do I have more steady clients, but I have also picked up a few large jobs. In turn, I have been left with less time for the projects that I thought I would be able to complete. It is obvious that I made the decision to move forward with these new projects as opposed to staying on track with the goals that I set for myself. Is there anything wrong with this? Some would say yes, some would say no. While I do not like scrapping goals, it is never as hard when you have new ones to chase that are every bit as desirable.
Should I Keep Chasing Old Goals?
Even though many goals that I set have been abandoned, the question remains: should I keep chasing them in the long run? The best way to answer this question is to look over each goal, and decide how important it is to you. I did just that this weekend, and found that some goals were worth keeping on my list whereas others were best left off for now.
Of course, when you get rid of old goals because your vision has changed, it is important to add new ones. After all, you need something to chase after, right? Without goals, you will go through the year not knowing what you want to accomplish.
I strongly urge you to take a look at the goals you set for yourself at the beginning of 2008. Hopefully you did a better job than me of staying on track. If you didn’t, there is a good chance that your workload and vision has changed over the first few months of the year.Â
Beyond the Rhetoric is the official blog of fellow freelance writer Michael Kwan. When I first started working on my blog over a year ago, it was Beyond the Rhetoric that showed me the way. Although Kwan strays away from freelance writing topics more than me, this is one of the details that make his blog so great. Although it is not my style, I personally enjoy when other bloggers break away from content on their main topic to discuss other areas that they enjoy.
There are several reasons that Beyond the Rhetoric is one of my favorite freelance writing blogs:
1. Kwan offers information that is backed up by real life experience. From what I can gather, he spends most of his time writing on “tech†related topics. While this is not my cup of tea, it is obvious that he does quite well in this niche. It is always nice to take advice from bloggers who are achieving a high level of success, and can offer anecdotes from their personal career.
2. After reading a few posts at Beyond the Rhetoric you will agree that Kwan’s writing style is smooth and simple to follow. Once again, this makes for an enjoyable experience when reading one of his posts. As you can tell from my blog, I prefer simple, easy to read content; and this is just what Kwan delivers.
If you enjoy my blog, you will definitely benefit from signing up for the Beyond the Rhetoric RSS feed.
Although the internet and email have a lot to offer freelance writers, it is important to remember that the phone is still a tool that should be used from time to time. I am just like everybody else in the way that I primarily communicate with clients via email. But with that being said, I always offer to speak with them on the phone as well. Why do I do this, you may ask? Well, here are two of the top reasons:
1. Speaking with a client on the phone helps to build rapport. In other words, email is such an impersonal way to communicate. While email is commonly accepted, by offering to talk on the phone a client gets the feeling that you are really interested in learning about who they are and what they do.
Do not go overboard when offering to call a client. Simply give them your phone number, and let them decide whether or not a phone call is necessary.
2. A conversation that would take 10 emails and hours worth of computer time may only take a couple seconds on the phone. If a new client is having a difficult time explaining themselves or need a question answered right away, I always turn to the telephone. It is always easier to clearly and efficiently communicate when you are speaking with a client in real time.
As you can see, offering to speak with freelance writing clients on the phone brings forth many benefits. Some clients never take me up on this offer, and that is fine. But at the very least, they know that I am willing to converse on the phone if necessary.
