6 New Year's Resolutions for Freelancers

Writing New Year's Resolutions is a great way to set up goals for your freelancing career. Take small steps to further your career, earn more money and get more jobs in the new year. The following list is not only my own list of New Year's Resolutions, but at the same time I feel that it's a good "To-Do" list for all the freelance types wishing to change something about their career. So, in no particular order:

#1 Subscribe to a site/blog for Freelancers

Chances are that if you decided to treat your freelancing more seriously, you already have subscribed to those most popular sites like Freelance Switch, ProBlogger or the 43 Folders. Because while reading what other people write might not earn you money, it certainly can help you learn new things, new approaches and give you new ideas.

Not to mention, that if you decide to comment on those popular sites, and offer actual insightful opinions, people might want to get to know you better and navigate to your own site, blog or list of articles.

If you, like me, are already subscribed to sites you find interesting and important for your development as a freelancer, make it a goal to find at least one or two new sites that could benefit you in a way. Use Google or follow the links until you find something worth subscribing to.

#2 Find a new Revenue Stream and try it out

This is actually a big one. Most freelancers, at the very beginning of their career, tend to play it safe and stick to one revenue stream. Usually by sticking to one type of work (like designing logos or writing reviews). And while receiving your income from one revenue stream isn't all that terrible, it's not the best thing if you want to be successful.

Depending on one revenue stream when it comes to earning money can put great limits on you. The worst case scenario you might find yourself without work if something happens (not enough clients in a month interested in hiring you etc.). More than one revenue stream gives you financial stability. Because even if you don't get enough clients as a graphic designer, you might get a job or two as a web site designer. If writing articles for revenue share web sites doesn't earn you enough money, you might try blogging for money as well.

I admit, that it might be difficult to spread your wings in a completely new area of expertise, while at the same time maintaining high quality work. After all, what's the point of risking new things if your income from the usual sources might suffer.

Yes, there are risks, but if you think it through, instead of jumping head first, you might not only NOT lose anything, but you can gain a lot.

#3 Built a web site/blog

As a professional freelancer, your income greatly depends on how your clients perceive you. And most of us do their business online, therefore our online presence is what might make or break our freelance career.

Well built web site or a professional looking blog can act as your portfolio, way to reach out to your potential clients and an effective marketing tool. If a part of your income comes from a revenue share web site like AssociatedContent or Helium, you can link to your articles and profiles from your website. And most of you probably already know how important links are when it comes to getting high on the list in search engines. Not to mention that a regularly updated blog provides a face and a personality behind the professional articles. I written on the subject of how blog can improve your earnings before.

If you already have a blog or a web site, make it your New Year's Resolution to improve it one way or another. It might be a simple layout change that will make your web site or blog appear more professional. Or new features such as RSS feed or Google AdSense. You can try setting up a newsletter or making your web site or blog more user-friendly. Simple changes can have a huge impact for the better.

#4 Market yourself

This is something that is very obvious to me. You can't get clients or page views if people don't know you exist. Let's face it. The Internet is a big place, and it's getting bigger and bigger every second. You know that you're the perfect choice for the job, and people can really benefit from your knowledge. So it's just a matter of time before people learn about you. But without any marketing, it might take a really long time.

And despite what you might think, marketing yourself doesn't have to be difficult or expensive. Every comment you leave in somebody else's blog, every email you send, every post to your favorite forum can be your marketing tool. Simple link back to your web site, link to a relevant article that you've written, a signature with information on how to hire you. It might seem like a little, but it is establishing your online presence. Showing that you're a professional.

Another way to get more people to learn about your existence and expertise is to ensure that your work is properly credited. That all your designs have your name on them and your articles have a proper byline. Even more, you can offer to write a guest article or a guest post on sites that cover areas you are an expert in. Who knows, it might land you a job or two.

#5 Offer a free service

Yes, I do realize it might not sound like something that will improve your earnings. But offering free services is closely connected to my previous point. It's a great marketing tool. You'd be surprised how many graphic designers got a job just because clients saw their free designs and wanted something custom.

Same goes for writers and editors and any other freelancers. Free work can be great for your portfolio and will look great on your resume. And additional credits will help you get new clients.

#6 Stop procrastinating

This seems like the most obvious New Year's Resolution. But at the same time, it's the most difficult one to achieve. I'm a freelance writer and I find almost all my writing gigs online. Not to mention the fact that a lot of my friends contact me via IM and emails and I get a lot of notifications (about updates on my friends' blogs, from my Feed Reader, from my e-mail etc.) and I always have something to do, to write... To be honest sometimes it feels like I have an attention span of a 5 year old. There's always something shiny to look at and something interesting to do.

But to be a freelancer means meeting deadlines, working even if you don't feel like it. If you don't work, you don't get paid. So procrastination is your biggest enemy. And if you want to further your career in freelancing you have to learn not to procrastinate, however difficult that might be.

Good luck with becoming an even better freelancer and Happy New Year.