Members of my freelance writing course are on a hot streak. Last month, two members, both who were with me for a couple months, decided they were finally ready to take the leap into full-time freelancing. For me, this is just about as good as it gets. It gives me a great sense of satisfaction to see these writers realize their dream, while doing my part along the way.
As these members moved on, two new spots opened in my course. If you are interested in joining me (as well as approximately 20 other students), send a short email and I will get back to you right away.
With the new year closing in, I don’t expect these spots to stay open long. After all, everybody is setting career goals for 2012.
I am looking forward to working closely with a couple more of you in the near future!
Before I go any further, let me say one thing: not every freelance writer has time to work on the weekend. However, if you get a couple hours here and there you must know how to make the most of your time.
There used to be a time when I worked seven days a week. Fortunately, this is no longer the case. Of course, I always find a few hours on the weekend to devote to growing my freelance writing career.
I prefer to use the weekend for less time consuming and detailed oriented tasks. Three of my favorite tasks include:
1. Marketing. From sending queries to researching new publications, it does not take a large block of time to complete a few marketing tasks. If you stay on the ball, you may be surprised at how much marketing work you can complete in one to two hours.
2. My freelance writing blog. Every day, weekday and weekend, I receive 5+ emails through this blog. From those wanting to start a career to advertising inquiries and everything in between, my inbox is always filling up. The weekend is a perfect time to catch-up on past emails while working on other areas of my blog such as new posts and design changes.
3. Networking. Why not send a few emails to other freelance writers? Why not jump on LinkedIn to connect with professionals in a variety of industries? Just because you work at home does not mean you should avoid the networking process. In fact, this is a big part of staying in touch with the “outside business world.â€
No matter how much time you work on the weekends, taking on one of the above tasks is a great idea.
Just like most careers, when you work as a freelance writer there are going to be “busy times†and “slow times.†When things are busy it is safe to say that your head is spinning as you move from one project to the next. On the other side, when your writing slows down you may find yourself looking for something to do.
The last thing on your mind should be taking a break. Instead, you should use this downtime to your advantage. Here are three ways to fill empty time as a freelance writer:
1. Get ahead on your work. For example, you may have a project that is due three weeks from now. Why wait to finish it off? If you have downtime now, finish the project and send it to the client early. Not only will this clear the work from your plate, but it will give your client a sense of satisfaction. On top of this, they may immediately send you more work.
2. Market your services. If you have nothing else to do, this is one task that can always keep you busy. From making cold calls to working on your website and everything in between, when you market your business you are doing what you can to take your earnings to the next level.
3. Work on a blog. It does not matter what you write about, as long as you write something. Although most people are familiar with my freelance writing blog (the one you are reading right now) I have many others spanning a variety of subjects. In addition to giving me another place to publish my thoughts, several of these blogs earn good money through advertising.
When you have time to spare, don’t sit back and wait for things to pick up. Instead, work on one or more of the tasks detailed above.
