time management

Writing Career Tips: 9 Types of Useless Scribbling to Avoid

Posted by: Carol Tice — Comments Off

Do you love writing? Thinking of doing it for pay? Well, there’s a big difference between writing for the fun of it, and having a lucrative, bill-paying writing career.

Every day, there are loads of things you could be writing, sure. But when you’re writing for money, time is of the essence. You’ll need to focus on the types of writing that will help move your writing career forward.

You might think, “Well, any writing is good. Because it’s all writing practice.” Right?

If you’ve got unlimited time, then sure. But if you have other commitments in your life — say, a day job, kids, a love life — you’ll need to be efficient here.

What writing tasks should you avoid wasting time on? Here’s my list:

Tagged with: fear, overcome fear, pitch, pro, procrastination, query letters, time management

Slow Going? Drive Freelance Success with 11 Apps for Writers

Posted by: Editor — Comments Off

Are there any apps for writers that can help you speed things up?

You know, get organized and write faster. Give your writer website an SEO boost. And avoid a rolling-around-on-the-floor anxiety attack when you get around to invoices, accounting, and taxes.

In case your head is stuck in the sand, there’s a lot more to freelance writing than just cranking out copy for clients. Being a great writer definitely helps.

But if you neglect all the other parts of running a freelance business, getting ahead will feel like you’re inching along in rush-hour traffic.

Believe me, I know what it’s like. I’ve had my share of frustrations as a freelance writer trying to balance home, work, family, and everything else.

So how do you manage the crazy, run a freelance business, and speed up success? Check out the 11 apps for writers I’m using right now:

Tagged with: apps, guest post, productivity, time management

Freelance Dreams vs. Reality: 7 Truth Bombs About Time Management

Posted by: Evan Jensen — Comments Off

You think you’ve got time management dialed in to be a successful freelance writer.

But do you really? Be honest.

Go ahead. Cough up an hour-by-hour report of how you spend your time.

It might sound like a frivolous, time-wasting task. You’re too busy, right? Too busy doing what exactly?

I can almost guarantee the exercise will deliver some serious truth bombs about your time management skills and commitment to make a living writing.

There’s the made-for-TV dream version of what freelance writers do all day. You know, where they spend like five minutes a day writing.

And then there’s the reality of being a freelance writer (which doesn’t look anything like the dream version of the freelance life).

When you look at your day-to-day activities from a time management perspective, it’s a telltale sign of where your writing career is going…Never-Never Land or on a path to move up and earn more.

Here’s the truth about where you’re headed:

Tagged with: productivity, time management

Start Writing with This Simple 15-Minute Hack for Busy Freelancers

Posted by: Editor — Comments Off

Short on time? It can be easy to think you’ve got too many thigs on your to-do list to start writing.

Whether you’re a stay-at-home freelancer or working a day job and writing on the side, carving out time to start writing or marketing your services can be a challenge.

There’s a long list of reasons (aka excuses): Meetings, kids, email, laundry, phone calls, grocery shopping, writer website updates, etc.

You’re thinking you need an hour or more of time to start writing, finish an assignment or spend time marketing to land more client work. But that hour never seems to materialize.

Plans change. Someone pukes on the ride to school. Your toddler won’t go down for a nap. Or your designated writing time gets annihilated by some other priority.

If I waited around for a day when I got all the time I planned for writing, I would never get anything done. I had to figure out a better way. Here’s my simple strategy to hack 15-minute blocks of time to start writing:

Tagged with: guest post, productivity, time management, writing

10 Time-Saving Apps to Boost Productivity for Freelance Writers

Posted by: Editor — Comments Off

Are you one of those freelance writers who is always short on time, scrambles to get stuff done, and lives in a constant state of procrastination?

It happens. Shiny Object Syndrome is a real thing when you’re sitting in front of a computer all day.

There’s email, social channels, your favorite blogs and websites, the latest gaming craze called Fortnite, and much more to distract you from getting work done.

Sound familiar?

In the perfect world, you spend all your working hours writing for clients, marketing your services, and making lots of money.

But it doesn’t always work like that. Right?

Fortunately, the Internet’s abyss of never-ending distractions is also a great place to find apps to help you work smarter, get organized, and be more productive.

As a freelance technology writer, I’ve tested and used a long list of Chrome apps to boost my own productivity, and ultimately make more money. And so can you.

Check out these 10 time-saving apps to help you move up and earn more:

Tagged with: apps, Google+, guest post, productivity, time management

Productivity for Freelancers: Could Binge-Watching Help?

Posted by: Editor — Comments Off

The best part of freelance writing—and the worst part—is being your own boss. There’s nobody else standing over you, forcing you to calculate every minute to measure productivity.

It’s up to you to stay motivated and disciplined, even on days when you’d rather scoop the litter box than finish that blog post, write a query, or find new clients to pitch.

How do you keep the words flowing in spite of online and off-line distractions, family responsibilities, and bad days?

Most people aren’t born with a sixth-sense for productivity. In fact, a lot of people, including writers, are notorious for stalling, wasting time, and procrastinating for an infinite list of reasons (ahem, excuses).

That ends now. You can learn productivity habits to help you maximize your time, get work done, and even carve out a little time for binge-watching your favorite show. Here’s how:

Tagged with: guest post, productivity, time management