As a freelance writer you want to stay busy day in and day out. This means that you have a lot of work on your plate, which is always a good thing. But there may come a time when you run into some downtime during your workday. If this happens you need to ask yourself a very important question: how am I going to make the most of this time?
When I have downtime, even though this is not very often, I always turn to my marketing plan. After all, if there is time in my day that is not filled a new client would fit in nicely. The way that I market depends on what has been working for me, how much time I have, etc. For instance, some days I may write a query letter or two. But other days I may spend my time searching online for new clients. Either way, it is important to note that I stay busy in hopes of finding more work.
Some freelance writers who face downtime look at this as a chance to rest. While there is nothing wrong with taking a break, you don’t want to spend all your free time during the workday staring at the television. This is waste of valuable time, and you will find out soon enough that you made a mistake. If you want to take a break, so be it. Just make sure that it does not last too long.
In a perfect world you would be able to work eight hours per day on projects, and then call it quits after that. Of course, this is not the case now and in the life of a freelance writer it probably never will be. When you have down time, time when you are not working on projects, make sure you do something that can better your career.Â
One of the nicest things about being a freelance writer is that you do not have to spend a lot of money to get started or to maintain your career. That being said, you should be spending some money along the way. I don’t want you to think you should blow through your money, but there are definitely times when you should lay out some cash.
As a general rule of thumb I only spend money on my freelance writing career when I feel that it will bring a nice return. For instance, I recently hired a designer to help with several of my niche blogs as well as a new service site. This is money well spent because it will help me to earn more in the long run. When there is a chance for a return I don’t mind spending money.
Of course, there are times when I spend on supplies as well. This can be everything from a new computer to stamps and paper clips. Even though it is not always fun to buy office supplies, they are necessary to keep things running smoothly. If you are smart about when, where and how you buy these supplies you should be able to get what you want at a reasonable price.
Don’t be afraid to spend money on your freelance writing career. Even though you can go many months without spending too much, there will come a time when you have to part with some cash. As long as you spend your money on something that will improve your career you don’t have anything to worry about.
Do you feel that your freelance writing career is in trouble? There are many situations that may make you feel this way. Fortunately, even if you feel that your career is doomed you can get out of this by making the right moves.
Below are three reasons why you may get the feeling that your career is in bad shape:
1. You are not seeing any growth. This is part of every freelance writer’s career. There will be times when you land new clients day after day and others periods when you hit a slump. You need to work hard to get through these tough times. Just because you are not landing new clients does not mean that your freelance writing career is doomed. If you are worried about this, continue to work harder than ever before at marketing your services.
2. You lost a client. No matter what you offer you are sure to lose clients. This happens to the best of us, and you are not going to be any different. It is very easy to get upset and angry if you lose a client. But guess what? Another one is waiting for you just around the bend. If you lose one client you have the ability to pick up another so that you never miss a beat.
3. A client is not happy with your work. I have had clients ask for revisions in the past. And I am sure that this is going to happen again in the future. If a client is unhappy with your work you should do what you can to address the problem, and then make sure that this does not happen again in the future.
Are you currently facing one of the above situations? If so, you may feel that your freelance writing is doomed. And while there is reason to feel bad, you need to continue forward and realize that a change for the better is on the horizon.
