good freelancing habits

Writing in a Clutter Hole? How to Clear Space for Your Home Office

Posted by: Evan Jensen — 11 Comments ↓

Declutter Tips to Write in Your Home Office. Makealivingwriting.com

Want to know a dirty little secret about Carol Tice? She doesn’t even have a home office.

Depending on the day and the level of clutter (perpetrators responsible for the mess = hubby and kids), she floats from the living room to the TV room.

How’s your home office space for writing? Frustrating, distracting, the bane of your existence?

If you’re trying to crank out copy at the dining room table next to a syrup spill that keeps sticking to your arm, or every room in the house is littered with toys, clothes, and never-ending piles of crap that seem to regenerate like the legs on a cockroach, you may have a problem.

When you work from a home office, you have to figure out a way to declutter and minimize distractions so you can actually…you know, work.

Wondering where to start?

If you’re writing in a clutter hole, follow these writer recommendations to clear space for your home office:

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Success Habits: Crush Your Freelance Writing Goals in 2019

Posted by: Evan Jensen — 8 Comments ↓

Success Habits to Crush Your Freelance Goals. Makealivingwriting.com

What success habits should you adopt to level up your freelance writing game in 2019?

If you’re thinking about that, you’re already on your way.

But if you’re not sure where to focus your efforts, it’s easy to get distracted by Shiny Object Syndrome.

You second-guess yourself about targeting a new niche. You avoid going after bigger clients. You keep getting sucked into searching job boards hoping to find a dream client. Or maybe you’re paralyzed with fear, feel stuck, and don’t know what to do to make this year better than last.

Sound familiar? It happens. Almost every freelance writer knows what it’s like to flounder at some point in time.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. One freelance writer went from a literal unknown to a New York Times best-selling author by adopting a specific set of habits to move up and earn more. A little bit of moxie, old-fashioned hard work and the right success habits can go a long ways.

Ready to crush your freelance writing goals in 2019?

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5 Fast-Track Fixes to Find More Freelance Writing Jobs

Posted by: Editor — Comments Off on 5 Fast-Track Fixes to Find More Freelance Writing Jobs

The Curious Q&A Strategy for Freelance Marketing. Makealivingwriting.com

Ever feeling like one failure after the next keeps you from finding good freelance writing jobs?

I know I did. When I first started looking for freelance writing jobs, I felt like a total failure. I even thought about quitting. It sucks when…

  • You’re not getting any bites from query letters or letters of introduction
  • All the freelance writing jobs you find on bid sites, job boards, and content mills pay pitiful rates, or
  • Even after consuming countless podcasts, courses, and blog posts about freelance writing, you still doubt your skills.

Sound familiar?

Instead of giving up, I decided to take a step back and look at what I was doing wrong. I really wanted to find a way to turn things around and get back on track.

And I’m glad I did. It took me about five months to break down all the false ideas I had about freelancing writing and start landing better-paying gigs. It wasn’t easy, but I learned a lot from those failures.

Want to avoid making the same mistakes? Check out these five fast-track fixes to find more freelance writing jobs:

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Be Prepared: How One Resilient Freelancer Built an Emergency Fund

Posted by: Editor — Comments Off on Be Prepared: How One Resilient Freelancer Built an Emergency Fund

How to Build Your Freelance Writer Emergency Fund. Makealivingwriting.com

What’s your game plan as a freelance writer for unexpected events and expenses? Do you have an emergency fund?

Imagine buying same-day international plane tickets to flee political violence with a toddler. It happened to me while I was freelancing in Nicaragua. And those tickets were expensive.

What about an unexpected medical bill? Could you take time off if a family member got seriously ill…or if you were ill yourself?

If your house burned down, could you put yourself up in a hotel and restock your toiletries, underwear, clothes, and food before an insurance payout?

Most people don’t like to think about all the possibilities that could turn an ordinary day of freelancing into a need for fast cash. But it’s bound to happen.

And when it does, being prepared can make all the difference between being stressed out and desperate or nothing more than a minor bump in the road called life.

Here’s how I built an emergency fund as a freelance writer:

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The Habit That Will Transform Your Freelance Writing Income

Posted by: Carol Tice — 35 Comments ↓

Change THIS to Boost Your Writing Income. Makealivingwriting.com

NOTE: Want to know the secret to boosting your freelance writing income? I learned this a long time ago, and it’s still true. Change this one thing, and you’re on your way. Enjoy! —Carol.

Would you like to create a drastic shift in your freelance writing income?

There’s really only one way.

The good news is, this is something you can do no matter where you live, or how the economy is doing.

I was reminded of this when I ran into a mom I know casually — she’s the mother of one of my son’s longtime friends.

I hadn’t seen her in a while, and I about fell over when I ran into her at a local bike race I did with my family recently.

She has lost probably 80 pounds or more, and looks 15 years younger!

Between slimming down and growing her formerly very short hair out to ponytail length, she looked almost like a teenager. Even the shape of her face had changed.

And you know what? Her approach to losing weight was so smart, it can even help you boost your writing income. Here’s how:

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5 Karate-Inspired Moves to Beat Fear and Doubt for Freelancers

Posted by: Editor — Comments Off on 5 Karate-Inspired Moves to Beat Fear and Doubt for Freelancers

Should freelancers use grammar checker tools. Makealivingwriting.com

Are you one of those freelancers in the writer’s dojo who secretly thinks you’re too weak at this writing thing to earn a living?

Maybe you’re scared you’ll screw up, suck at getting clients, fail to deliver high-quality work, and basically punch yourself in the face.

Or maybe you’re overwhelmed because you’re trying to learn pro-writer combos and strikes before you’ve learned the basics.

I know what it’s like to be one of the white-belt freelancers on the mat staring down opponents like Fear, Self-Doubt, Procrastination, and Lack of Direction.

It’s scary. It’s frustrating. And if you don’t do something about it, those bad guys from the Dojo of Doom and Failure will take you down.

But it doesn’t have to be like that. After some training, practice, and a few blows to the head, I learned five moves freelancers can use to beat fear and doubt.

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