Practical Productivity Tips for Freelance Writers

One misconception people have when they first consider working from home, is that once they quit their day jobs, they will have more time. They find out fast, once they kick-start their plans into action and begin living the life of a busy freelance writer, just how wrong they were. A few good clients lead to more paying jobs, which eventually leads many freelancers to more writing job opportunities than time to do the writing. Often, responding to emails and other correspondence can take up an entire afternoon. If your freelance writing career consists of borrowed time while the youngest child naps and the eldest is at school, you're likely to give up from the stress of it all before you have the chance to really begin. The solution? Those dreaded words: time management.

The bottom line is that the writer who manages her time well manages to make more money. Don't fret; time management doesn't have to mean you become a spreadsheet addict or an obsessive "to-do list" maker. The best way to learn how to use your time wisely is to learn who you are, learn how to accept what works for you and what doesn't, and learn how to save time by making the most out of your personality's assets.

Know Your Personality and Don't Waste Your Time on What Doesn't Work for You: If you hate lists, don't make them. If you're the type who makes a list but never refers to it or loses it, don't bother. It's a waste of your time. If you do your best work in organized chaos, then don't waste your time trying to be organized just because you read someplace that keeping a neat workspace will help you save time. If you've tried ten filing systems but still can't find anything, stick with your mess. I know, the time management gurus may cringe; just don't invite them into your office.

Know Your Writing Skills and Speed: If you can crank out ten articles a day and sell them all in a week, more power to you. If you can sell each article you write once and make a great profit off of each and still have the creative juice for more, then stick with that. However, if it takes you three hours to research and write a single article, and you're short on time and inspiration to write as it is, you might want to consider selling your articles to publications which will allow you to re-sell your articles. This way, you can write one article and sell it over and over again. You'll make more money this way over time, and you'll save yourself some time, too.

Know Which Markets Would Benefit You Best: If you hate to write articles but you love to write short stories, even if you think you could make more money writing articles, keep on writing your stories. If you have to supplement your story-writing from time to time to keep food on the table, so be it, but spend as much time as you can on doing what you love and finding the right market for your chosen genre or subject matter. You might think you could make the most money writing for magazines, but if you don't enjoy it and you allow yourself to burn out, even if you're making a living, you won't enjoy it enough to make it for very long. No matter what you enjoy writing, there is a market for you and your work out there. The trick is finding it. Go to a public library or pull up your search engine and do some research. Several hours or even days of your time in researching finding a market for yourself is worth the time spent.

Know Your Communication Weaknesses: If you detest making phone calls, then communicate through email as much as possible. If you know you spend too much time replying to email and going back and forth about something that could be settled right away, make a phone call, preferably at a time you anticipate being able to leave a message on an answering machine. If receiving phone calls while you're trying to write distracts you, get voicemail and turn your phone ringer off while you work. If you feel all forms of communication intruding in on your working time, keep your inbox shut and your phone off for at least half of the time you work. Set a time limit for yourself on returning the calls you must return, and for sending and responding to email and to any other correspondence you have to tend to, and then stick to your limit.

Know Your Prime Time and Adjust Accordingly: If you do your best writing at night, but you are generally confined to working in the mornings while your children are at school, arrange at least one night per week where you can write at night, even if it means hiring a sitter or sending the kids to a friends' house. You may find that giving yourself the opportunity to work at the time of day you work your best, even if it can't be a regular thing, will make you more productive.

Know Your Limits and Don't Bend Them Too Much: If you constantly find yourself stretching in too many directions, maybe it's time for a break, even if you don't think you can afford one. Sometimes taking a day or even a week off will make you more productive in the long haul. Don't take on more jobs than you can handle. If you feel overwhelmed and can't go back on jobs already accepted, learn to outsource. There are plenty of freelancers out there who will not mind taking the jobs off your hands. You might lose out on a few dollars, but your sanity is worth it, and you will most likely make up for lost time quickly once you're less burnt out.

Freelance writing is serious business. Even if freelancing is only something you do on the side to earn extra income, you may soon find yourself with more jobs than you have the ambition for. Especially if freelance writing is your full time job, it is essential to manage your time and work so that you can continue to provide for yourself and your family long into the future. By taking care of yourself now, you will reap the benefits later.