However, there are patterns that you can look at and see if you’re the same as most other people when it comes to working. If you’re trying to work out a timetable in order to help yourself work as efficiently as possible, there are several things you should take into consideration and think about first of all.

Tip 1: Identify Which Times You Work Best

Some people find that they’re alive and ready to work first thing in the morning. However, other people find that it takes them several hours before they’re properly “awake” at around lunchtime. Others find that they work best in the evening or even late into the night. Discovering which category you fit into can help you to work as effectively as possible.

If you’re self-employed, you can usually organize your time yourself and choose which hours you work, so you could decide to work during the hours that you find your brain is most active.

Tip 2: Identify the Days of the Week You Work Best

Monday mornings are tiresome for the vast majority of people, although lots of people find that they can work particularly well on a Monday because of the break they have had over the weekend. Others find that Wednesdays and Thursdays are the best days for them, as they’ve had two days already to “warm up” and get into the swing of things. It’s very rare that Friday is a good day for anyone, but it’s not completely unheard of, as some people work better because they know the weekend is upon them. Keeping all this in mind, let’s create our working calendar!

Tip 3: Look at Statistics

Statistics show that most people work best between 9 and 11 a.m. Most people work worst between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., possibly because they are getting tired and are anticipating their lunch break. After the lunch break, the average person’s concentration rises by 10 percent, before dropping again after 6 p.m.

Working on Monday

Monday marks the start of a new week, and so it makes sense to start new projects on Mondays. Start work again after a nice break during the weekend and kick-start yourself by beginning a new project. Set yourself a target (perhaps the end of that week or the week after, depending on the size of the project) to help you stay on track during the week.

Working on Tuesday

You’ve already been working one day, and Tuesday is usually the day that most people get back into things. People have reported that Tuesday is a good day for business meetings, as most people are still quite refreshed and energized from the weekend, but they’ve been able to plan and get things ready on Monday, the day before.

Working on Wednesday

Wednesday is the middle of the week and the day that people tend to get fed up with the daily tasks. Try to make Wednesday a bit more interesting by launching new products, meeting new people or making that important weekly business trip. A change of scenery is a great idea for refreshing yourself and giving you the energy you need to finish off the week.

Working on Thursday

As the end of the week draws near, there are mixed emotions of excitement and slight panic, especially if you need to complete things by Friday. When deciding which days to allocate to certain tasks, you could make Thursday the day that you start finishing off and wrapping up anything that needs to be completed by the end of the week. Think about how much easier Friday will be if you get things done in good time, and that may give you the motivation that you need to move forward and work efficiently.

Working on Friday

Friday is everyone’s favorite day of the week, and as the weekend approaches, there’s usually either a lot to do or very little to do. If you need to finish things by the end of the day, make that your priority so that you don’t fall behind and have extra work to do when you return to the work place the following Monday.

If you have little to do, Friday is the perfect day for planning the next week. Plan the new projects that you need to start on Monday and maybe even get a head start before you finish and leave for the weekend.

Sonia Tracy works as the content editor for PsPrint‘s blog and website, and manages the company’s social media networks.

Image credit: 1, 2, 3, 4.

Crafting an email quite obviously depends upon who will be receiving the email; however there are a few tricks you can use to get an answer quicker than usual. Before getting frustrated that a few of your articles are still floating around the work of email, try using these tips:

How to Get Your Emails Answered

1. Subject Line – You absolutely want to have an engaging subject line. This may seem obvious, but many freelance writers type something generic in the subject line to stay simple. However, the key is to be descriptive and try and grab the attention of the person on the other end. Let them know exactly who you are and why you’re writing. Subject lines such as “Guest Post” or “Question” are the easiest to ignore.

2. Meaningful Content – Your emails are more likely to get answered if your content is concise and to the point. You want to be as thorough as necessary so as not to confuse your readers, but in general the rule of thumb is the shorter the better. Avoid asking a bunch of questions (at least in your initial email), and do not ramble on about information that is not necessary.

3. Call to Action – Be up front about what it is you want from the person. Many suggest putting this in the subject line, but at the very least put it in the first paragraph. Do you want the person to post your article by next week? Tell them. Do you want someone to make edits on your business proposal in the next two weeks? Tell them. Reminding them at the end of the email may also help you get that answer you’re hoping for.

4. Revise – One trick I use when sending out emails is this: I always type in the “To:” section last. This way you will make sure that you proofread your email before sending. After all, sometimes computers malfunction and you wouldn’t want an unedited email going out to an editor.

5. Respond – Once you get your first email answered, it is important that you do the same when it comes to a response. Often times the second email is the one that editors ignore, so it is important to remain persistent and let them know that you really care. If you can respond to emails in a timely fashion, editors will be more likely to do the same in return.

If you’re a freelance writer struggling with unresponsive recipients, you’re not alone. This is typical of many editors unfortunately, so do not take someone ignoring you personally. If you’re hoping to guest post on a website, chances are lots of other freelance writers are trying to do the same. This makes the job of an editor very hectic, but you can help by following a few of the tips listed above. Do any freelance writers or editors have advice that works for them? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below! Good luck!

Amanda DiSilvestro is a writer on topics ranging from social media to workers compensation insurance. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including document software to small businesses and entrepreneurs for the leading business directory, Business.com.

Photo Credit: ontheroadtoqueendom.blogspot.com, pageprogressive.com, weblog.scanyours.com

It is no surprise that an avalanche of free applications has been released by developers for the Mac that helps to combat the lack of productivity that sometimes occurs in our everyday lives. Whether the issue is that there isn’t enough time in a day to get it all done or you just don’t seem to know where the time is going, these apps can help.

RescueTime

You might not realize how much productivity you lose in a day just by the tiny interruptions you allow yourself. RescueTime allows you to see it all listed for you, so you can see just how much time you spend doing what and what it is costing you. It will also give you little warnings when you have exceeded a certain amount of time on any nonproductive task – for example, if you have spent an hour that day, even broken up, on Twitter.

Time Out Free

It is easy to overwork yourself, which can cause serious problems. Headaches, painful muscles and joints, tiredness and general irritability are among the most common issues. But spending too much time working without a break can hurt your overall efficiency, as well. Time Out Free is an annoying – but effective – program that reminds you to take breaks, small and large. It is fully customizable and can really help to eliminate some of those nasty effects of staring too long at a screen.

DropCopy

To copy and send files takes some time, especially across networks or machines. This application lets you do it all with one program by simply dragging and dropping it into the Drop Zone. You can even copy on one machine and paste on another. It is so fast that you’ll be hard-pressed to know how you got along without it.

Spelga PhoneLog

Keep track of every call that comes in with this advanced phone log. It allows you to categorize calls and place notes on each one. Details go directly into the app, with a built-in reminder system. There is a professional option for a fee, but the basic call log application is free of charge.

Remind Me Later

This is an easy-to-use reminder application that runs in the background as a calendar and then pops up when you have set an event, including monthly needs like paying bills, buying groceries or keeping appointments. It was designed to quickly add tasks to save time, making it a better program over most that require a lot of initial organization.

Alfred

This is essentially an application-launching program that puts together all of your browser icons in one place, along with other applications, to let you pick and choose without going through all of your files. Unlike other launchers, this one is genuinely simple.

Evernote

One of the most popular applications ever made, Evernote lets you make notes, save web pages, attach images and PDFs, set reminders, make shopping lists and more. Then, it automatically syncs with all of your Mac products, from your computer to your iPhone and more. This makes them accessible from anywhere and links them all up in a simple-to-use way. Now, it is compatible with Windows, all Internet browsers and various mobile phone brands, such as Android, BlackBerry, Windows and Palm WebOS.

Credit Card Terminal

If you have an Inner Fence Merchant account, this is a must-have application. It works by connecting your financial account to your cell phone, turning it into a credible card terminal so you can accept payments, send invoices and more while on the go. It works very well, though if you don’t have an Inner Fence account, you will have to get one – that does cost money, though the app is free.

SketchBook Express

Sometimes you just have to sketch something, which is why many artists carry around a tablet with a stylus. With SketchBook Express (and SketchBook Pro), you can draw to your heart’s content, using professional digital tools and saving your images to your Mac. It has layers for building up a drawing, a ton of preset brushes and pens, the ability to import images and more.

StuffIt Expander

How much time would it save to just be able to compress files rather than send multiple zips? StuffIt lets you compress, decompress, share and browse other public zips. It also opens files from other zip programs, such as WinZip, RAR, Rucksack and more.

Conclusion

You don’t have to feel like you are drowning under your own lack of productivity anymore. There are plenty of tools to help you stay focused and make the best of the time you have. What are some of your own favorite apps? Let us know in the comments.

Now, it’s on to the next gig! That’s bad.

Well, it’s not really bad to move on to another gig. It’s just bad to look at assignments as one-off opportunities.

Most of the freelancers I know don’t make that mistake. They follow up with previous clients. They make calls or send emails, trying to scare up a little more work. They do a decent job of reminding the client to get in touch the next time he or she needs something.

That approach will create return customers and it’s something every freelancer should be doing. In fact, writers should have an organized system to maintain regular contact with past customers.

I don’t think it’s enough. Getting work is wonderful, making it is even better. Writers need to put their creative thinking, experience and skills to work to create new projects.

Your client is in the famed widget industry. She asked you to revamp ten pages of web content. You did a great job. The two of you got along very well and you’re pretty sure she’s going to contact you the next time she needs something.

Then, you happen to read a news article about these shoddy little Sri Lankan widgets that are flooding the marketplace. Apparently, these knock-off widgets don’t perform particularly well, but it’s hard to tell them apart from the world-class Canadian widgets your client sells.

You could hope that she sees a need to address the Sri Lankan widget invasion in a way that necessitates your golden pen. You could even send her a copy of the article along with a note mentioning your availability if she has plans to address the controversy. Alternatively, you could try to create new work.

What would happen if you sent that article along with a note outlining a way she could make a little lemonade from the Sri Lankan lemons? Let’s say you pitched her on the idea of a press release related to her commitment to maintaining only Grade-A Canadian inventory in the face of the weak widget onslaught. What if you mentioned the potential value of an additional page of site content about the matter? Do you think she might be interested in hiring you to ghostwrite consumer-friendly copy on the topic for syndication?

Obviously, we don’t always get lucky enough to see a client forced to fend off an invasion of Sri Lankan widgets. We can’t always turn morning headlines into new work. Sometimes, we might need to think a little harder.

Let’s say you have a system for maintaining regular client contact (again, if you don’t, you need to get your butt in gear). Consider making a point of proposing a new project to each and every client the next time each is due for an email or a call. Instead of sending a “just checking in with you” note, you’ll send them an actual idea that you can implement for them, along with a price tag.

When you’re writing, you’re learning. You know your client’s products, niches and approaches. You’re always working and you’re adding new tools to your writing workshop every day. You’re constantly coming up with clever ideas of some sort. When you add all of that together, you should be able to come up with something that will appeal to your client. Even if you miss the mark ever-so-slightly, there’s a good chance your idea will spur them to think of something they’d like you to do.

I recently worked with someone who uses Craigslist on a regular basis (no, not in some kind of “spam every city with my next golden multi-level-marketing scheme” way). During the larger project, I realized that he wasn’t getting the most out of Craigslist and introduced him to a number of design and copy improvements that have really, really worked well. I created another job for myself while finishing the first one.

I also created several other jobs because of it. I went through my client file and approached six who make (or who could make) use of Craigslist and introduced them to the concept. I explained what we could do and why it would work–without handing them an instruction manual, so to speak–and gave them a price tag for the service.

Here’s what I received in response: Two declined. One said “maybe”. Two said “yes”. One hasn’t answered yet.

I can live with that. Two new chunks of work–all because I “came up” with something new for another client and thought of ways the others could benefit from the strategy.

Marketing isn’t all about finding new clients. It’s about helping your existing and former clients, too. If you take care of them and take the initiative, it shows your genuine commitment to their success and your continued interest in their niche. Plus, you already know them, what they do and what the need! Talk about hot leads!

There’s nothing wrong with finding new clients and new markets for your work. Just don’t forget about the folks you already know and love.

So, FWJ amigos…  Opinions?  Insults?  Accolades?  How do you do it?  Discuss.

Earlier, I posted a review of the Dylan biopic I’m Not There at Filmsy.com.  Now, I’m using a little tidbit that caught my eye while prepping that post to get this one rolling.  Others may caution against quoting Bob, but I’m hoping to pull it off.

Here we go:

“It is the first line that gives the inspiration and then it’s like riding a bull. Either you just stick with it, or you don’t.”

That’s a Dylan remark about the writing process.

I’m not a Bob Dylan nut.  There’s a lot to like about the guy and his music.  There’s plenty to dislike, too.  I agree with his sentiments on some things and find other statements he’s made nothing short of silly.  This one isn’t right or wrong, good or bad.  Assuming he was quoted correctly and was being honest at the time, his perspective on writing and inspiration is true.  For him.

I’m wondering if it’s true for others.  For you.

There are times when a great opening grabs me and pulls me along at sprint, opening doors for me until the last period hits the page.  In those situations, I’m a true believer in the power of a first line’s inspiration.  It makes bull riding easier when that happens, too.

In other cases, I develop an almost visual understanding of the completed piece and it begins to write itself.  It’s sort of like A Beautiful Mind, only it’s not high-level mathematics and rarely, if ever, represents what would pass for pure genius (unfortunately).

Sometimes, I know how the work ends and it’s all a matter of figuring how to get to that point.  I almost work backwards to the beginning.

And I can’t overlook the times when every word is failure and the only way to put the train on the tracks is to keep plugging along until I have a draft to revisit.

I stay on the bull even when the first version of the first line is a clunker.

For me, the underlying inspiration in all of those situations more often involves the ideas at issue than the words I’ll eventually use to express them.

What about you?

Does it all start with the first line for you or does that initial kick-start come from somewhere else?

If the first line had been “Maggie comes fleet foot / face full of black soot” instead of “Johnny’s in the basement / mixing up the medicine”, would “Subterranean Homesick Blues” be materially different?

By the way… “It’s a Bob Dylan day” wasn’t one of those inspired openers.  I wish it had been.

With the risk of sounding like I’m ranting, I’d like to talk about wasting your time as a freelance writer.  There has been a lot of discussion here at FWJ about where to focus your priorities.  We’ve talked about building skills, about establishing a well-balanced portfolio, and about making an awesome first impression.  A lot of you are taking that advice to heart, and I can only assume you’re seeing the success because of it.  If not, keep pushing – good things take time to build.

But a lot of writers, in my opinion, are wasting their time – and I don’t mean going past your allotted time browsing the New York Times or Newsweek.  Some examples that I’ve seen this week – and as I write this, it’s only Wednesday:

• Flogging their Twitter and Facebook streams for votes for contests, instead of spending time on researching niche markets that probably would pay better.  Doing nothing but entering contests is like playing the lottery – maybe you’ll win, but probably you won’t.  You’ll win bigger by working on relationships that continue to pay over and over again, and you’ll have a lot more control over the results – without the need to pull every Joe, Tom, and Sally you’ve ever met on social media to help you.
• Publishing way-too-personal and a little-too-opinionated rants on their blog, which can be a huge turnoff when an editor is checking out your website after receiving a query.  Sure, controversial titles will get clicks, and heated articles get comments, but is that really what you’re after?  Why not write and publish work that gives you an opportunity to refine the skills in whatever your “thing” is - narrative, prose, etc. and ask readers for their comments on feedback and tweaks.  As an editor myself, I know I’d far rather see an interesting conversation about a related topic to the niche rather than something a little too heated.
• Moaning about the state of affairs – think content mills, guest posts, and other buzzwords – incessantly.  I know these are important and difficult topics for our industry.   I think they should be discussed.  But I also know that being a freelance writer is really hard work.  Lots of work.  I work long hours, so I’m surprised to see some writers that have so much time to spend worrying about the future instead of working in the now.  Instead of moaning, how about  hustling to make a few more pitches, explore a few new niches, and educate yourself on a few new technology tools and writing concepts instead?

I have always said that the best strategy for personal success is to do whatever other people aren’t.  But some things, I have to say, are a total waste of time.  Look at your time tracker for the past week (you do track your time, right?), and ask yourself if a portion of the time spent on those tasks could have been better spent doing something more focused on results.

I don’t mean to imply that interacting with your fellow community, or that letting off some steam now and then isn’t helpful – in fact, it is healthy.  But letting that get out of balance is dangerous, and as a writer – or anyone whose business is primarily digital, I think – it is really too easy to lose focus.

What ways have you wasted your time, and what did you decide to do with that time to make it more productive?

Photo Credit: grahambones

When I first started out as a freelancer, I had dreams of waking up at noon, getting my work done by 2:00, and spending the rest of my days playing in fields of daisies. When that didn’t quite pan out, I started to realize that many of the things that people consider to be an advantage as a freelancer are really hindrances, and can really stop productivity in its tracks. Because of that, I developed a system that works well for me, and could work well for others as well.

1. Discover Your Productivity Window
Everyone has a time frame in which they are more productive than others. For myself, I find that early in the morning and late in the evening are my sweet spots for getting things done. Between 1 and 5 is a horrible time, and never really works out. As a result, I adjusted my schedule accordingly, and now I tend to either meet with clients or work on other projects in the afternoon.

2. Set an alarm and stick with it
Once I figured out that my problem was consistency, I decided to set my alarm for the same time I did every morning when I had to commute across town. It worked, but it meant I was starting my day at 9 am. Since that wasn’t quite early enough for me, I tried waking up at 5 am, but that was way too early and I ended up overdosing on Red Bull later in the day. The sweet spot for me has become 6 am, and that means I’m ready to go by 8. By lunchtime, I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot, which sometimes can push me through that crappy afternoon drop.

3. Establish an office area and make it perfect
Before I quit my day job, my wife and I spent a month fixing up my new office so that I would be able to work in peace. We put down new wood floors, ordered up a second monitor, mounted pictures to the wall, and made sure everything was perfect. At times though, I wanted to work on the couch or in the bed, just to mix it up a bit. For those moments, I purchased a portable lap desk that works pretty well. It’s not perfect, but it keeps my computer off of my lap and makes me more comfortable. Whether it’s on the sofa or in a dedicated room, make it work right from day 1.

4. Treat the “office” like any other place of business
Yes, it’s nice to be able to work all day in pajamas, but to really get my head in the game, I had to shower and get dressed every day like I was going to a job. This puts me in the mindset that I need to get in, but also allows me freedom to get up and go somewhere if need be. I live in Arizona, where flip-flops and t-shirts are considered business casual. As a result, I wake up, put on a pair of shorts or jeans, and top it off with a white undershirt. This way, if I need to go to a meeting, I put on some flip-flops and a polo shirt and I’m golden. Otherwise, a quick trip to the store just requires a t-shirt. Works for me.

5. Wash, Rinse, Repeat
Being a freelancer means having the flexibility of making a schedule personal and functional. For me, that means working 8 am to 10 pm, with liberal breaks in between for errands and meals. But sometimes, I need to take a Monday to run the kiddo to a doctor, or hang out with a client. In those cases, I rotate my schedule to the weekend. For example, this Sunday, I have an interview to do in the middle of the day. Because of that, I’m taking off Monday so I can have some personal time. Always block out a day or two a week for yourself, no matter what.

Ultimately, this all comes down to finding a system that works for each person. These tips help me out, and maybe they’ll do a lot for you as well.

About the Author

Kevin Whipps is a writer and photographer based in the Phoenix, Arizona area. For the past 10 years, Kevin has been writing for various print and web publications, while carving out a name for himself in the industry. Although he writes about a wide variety of topics, he tends to focus on the automobile and tech industries.  He is also the editor of Splashpress Media’s Apple Gazette.

Image: stock.xchng

Even as simple as what you use to actually write can have an impact on your writing. Most writers can identify differences between the types of writing we do with pen and paper and what we do on a computer monitor. It’s not necessarily better or worse — it’s just different. Personally, I have a much harder time writing fiction when staring at a computer screen than researching and writing non-fiction.

Identifying the Tools that Work for You

When it comes to writing tools, you may have to kiss a lot of frogs — the only way to see what works can be a matter of trying out a demo account or a free version of anything you’re considering working with. The really tough part is that it can take long-term use to find certain types of weaknesses. For most of us,it’s generally not worth trying out a new system unless there’s something seriously wrong with an existing system just because of the time involved.

But if you are ready to make a switch, put yourself in a position to actually evaluate the tools you’re trying out, rather than just going for it. If you can put together some numbers on how long certain types of projects take you with your current system, you can determine the usefulness of a new tool right away. If you spend a lot of time just trying to get your research in order, for instance, finding a tool that lets you organize and search your research quickly is going to make a lot of sense to use regularly.

Most of us don’t need the newest tools or the shiniest gadgets, no matter how appealing they are. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t buy new tools, of course — I have an iPad and I certainly enjoy it. But it is useful to approach the tools you use for writing at least somewhat conservatively. Changing every week isn’t likely to be necessary and, in fact, many changes can actually slow you down as you adjust to a new tool, even if it’s more efficient in the long run.

There’s an instinctive reaction from some freelance writers that project management tools simply aren’t necessary — it’s just one person working on a few writing projects, after all. Why bother with a fancy system? The other factor that seems to contribute to reluctance is the price tag: even relatively simply software can seem pricey when you consider that one of the benefits of freelance writing is that you don’t need much more beyond a word processor to get started.

Understanding the Value of the Right Tools

There are big, fancy project management tools geared towards companies with big teams. They have big price tags to accompany them. And if you think that’s all that is out there in terms of project management tools, it’s no wonder that it’s impossible to justify using them. But there are new applications coming out every day, including many geared towards freelancers. Both the prices and the tools were set with a freelancer in mind. But they offer big benefits.

There are the obvious features: notifications of deadlines, ways to keep research organized in the same place that you’ve put all the details of the project, even built-in invoicing tools in some cases. Beyond keeping you organized in a way that you don’t have to think about or devote time to maintaining, you can also protect yourself from anything happening to your notes and system. With web-based applications like Basecamp, you don’t even have to mess with backing up your data — even if something horrible happens to your computer, you can just sit down at another computer with internet access and be back in business.

There’s an added benefit that comes with investing in the right tools for freelancing: when you’re ready to pay even a few dollars for software that will make you more efficient, you’re reinforcing that you’re working on a real business. You’re building the mindset that you’re going to continue to move forward and expand your business. It doesn’t hurt that the right tools can free up some more time to devote to earning money, either.

What Do You Wish You Didn’t Have to Do?

One of my pet peeves is conducting interviews over the phone or in person, simply because I can’t write fast enough to get an accurate transcript of the interview. I started recording such interviews quite a while ago, but since I still would want a transcript of the whole conversation, a recording actually requires me to spend more time on an interview. But there are plenty of services that will turn a recording into a transcript overnight. The prices are low enough that it makes sense for me to outsource transcription. If I clear an hour’s worth of time that I’d otherwise spend on transcribing an interview, I can write enough to not only cover the cost of getting the transcription done but also earn enough to take myself out for dinner. Based on my average hourly rate, it’s a good deal.

The same can hold true for many of the tasks that go along with writing: bookkeeping, technical tasks and so forth can all go to someone else. Making the decision to outsource such tasks should generally come down to the cost and benefit. Not all outsourcing frees up time for writing, after all, and if you aren’t going to be able to be more productive in the time you’ve cleared, it’s harder to justify the financial aspects of outsourcing as a freelancer.

When Should You Outsource?

Because of the cost of certain types of outsourcing, some careful consideration is in order before most freelance writers start outsourcing anything. At a bare minimum, it’s necessary to compare costs and benefits to make sure you come out ahead. Furthermore, there are different tasks that are more worthwhile to outsource at different stages in your freelancing career. If, for instance, you’re nearer to the beginning of your career, the only area outsourcing really makes sense is marketing, where an outsourced project like building a website provides the opportunity to attract numerous clients. At that end of the spectrum, it’s less likely that your workload will be able to pay for help on smaller tasks as well as your own bills.

But a freelancer with a bigger practice may be in a position to hand off more tasks to. Some freelancers rely on a virtual assistant for everything from scheduling to research. It can become a question of the value of your time: not only can it be worthwhile to free up more time for writing, but if you need to make sure that you have a little more free time, as well, a little outsourcing may be the key.

A big part of writing is knowing when it’s time to remember that you don’t always have to reinvent the wheel to make an impact on an audience.  If you write evergreen content for a blog or other media that can get lost in the clutter over time, then there is absolutely nothing wrong with bringing that content back out to the front and center of your stage.  The trick is to revive it in a manner that makes it interesting again.

Andrew offered five great tips to do exactly that.  He suggests that to revive old blog posts (and these tips work for various forms of online content) you can do the following:

1. Repost old content, but do so within boundaries so your search engine rankings are not negatively impacted by it.
2. Feature old content in a list such as a “Best of” list.
3. Include a link in a current post to related and valuable content in a past post.
4. Resubmit old posts to social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.
5. Rewrite old posts so they’re not exactly the same as the original but still communicate the same evergreen ideas (with new thoughts added as appropriate).

These are great ideas, and you can follow the link above to read Andrew’s entire article with all of his suggestions for breathing new life into old online content.

The concept also works when you write for multiple clients.  Just because you already wrote about a specific topic for one client doesn’t mean that topic is off limits when it comes time to write for another client.  The key is to rewrite the content for the specific audience that will read it and include unique ideas and concepts each time you write about the same topic.

If you’re an expert in a particular area, then you’ll undoubtedly be called upon to write about similar topics again and again. You’d go out of business if you only wrote about a certain topic for one client then never touched it again.  As long as the words, structure, and voice are unique in each article you write about the same topic, your varied clients will get a piece that their audiences will gain value from.

Bottom-line, great content can live many different lives.  It’s up to you as the writer to give it the various lives it deserves and get it in front of the various clients and audiences that can benefit from it.

What’s your top trick for breathing new life into old content?  Leave a comment and share your tips.

Image: stock.xchng

Following are a few of the free tools that consistently get great reviews from small business owners.  I use (or have used) most of these tools and each offers its own benefits that may or may not be right for you.  Since most are free to try, you can test them out and see if they meet your needs without investing a penny!

1. Freshbooks

Freshbooks is a great tool for invoicing.  You can track time, send invoices (by email allowing clients to pay via PayPal) or mail, add your logo to invoices to brand them for your business, automate some billing, and more.  There is a free account that works for people with 3 or fewer clients and paid accounts for bigger businesses.  There is also a free 30 -day trial.  I’ve tested Freshbooks and know many small business owners and freelancers that use it and give it rave reviews.

2. YouSendIt.com

Do you ever need to email huge files to your clients but either your email or your client’s email can’t process large message or attachments?  If so, then YouSendIt.com is a great option.  YouSendIt.com offers a free account that allows you to send files up to 100MB as well as paid accounts.  I have used the free option more than once to send large files to publishers and it works perfectly!  The recipient receives an email message that includes a unique link that he or she clicks on to visit a special web page where the file can be downloaded with a click of the mouse!

3. Google Docs

Google Docs is perfect for projects that require collaboration. You can give multiple people access through Google Docs to word processing documents, spreadsheets, forms, drawings, or presentations.  As long as you (and your colleagues — if you’re collaborating on a document) have access to the Internet and free Google accounts, you can access Google Docs as well as set sharing permissions!

4. Skype

If you’re not using Skype for business related calls and chats, then you really need to try it.  Skype is incredibly easy to use and it’s an excellent way to make free calls with people around the world.  If you and the person you’re speaking with both have webcams, you can even conduct video conversations.  Not only is Skype a great way to speak with clients, but it’s also a great way to conduct interviews for pieces you’re writing!

5. MailChimp

There are many email marketing tools that enable you to send promotional emails about your freelance business or newsletters to help build relationships with your clients and boost your business.  However, MailChimp is one of the few options that has both a solid reputation and a free account option!

What are your favorite free or cheap online tools that make your freelancing life or business easier?  Leave a comment and share your can’t-live-without tools.

Image: stock.xchng

No Right Answer

Unless you’re right up against a deadline, there really isn’t a right answer in this sort of situation. When we’re talking about an article or a project that is due tomorrow, it’s usually best to get that done and in — not just because it’s important to make sure that the bills get paid but because you have to maintain your reputation as a freelancers and fulfill your contracts.

But if you aren’t staring a deadline in the face, you can probably afford to be flexible. Choosing to work on something more appealing than whatever you’ve scheduled for the day may mean being a little rushed when you are actually closer to a deadline, but it’s certainly not out of the question. It may actually be beneficial: working on what appeals to you can help avoid burnout and keep those creative juices pumping, which in turn helps you complete other projects.

Using Your Flexibility

If you’ve got a particularly appealing project that you’d like to work on, it may be worth considering it as a way to get your more run-of-the-mill work done. I’ve been known to use fun projects as rewards, telling myself that if I can get a certain number of words written on the less-fun stuff on my work, I’ll let myself ‘play’ and work on the project that really has me excited for the rest of the day. More often than not, I can find ways to speed things up so that I accomplish at least some of the stuff that will pay my bills while still getting some time for other projects.

It’s a compromise, of course, but this sort of compromise has gotten me through plenty of client work, as well as projects like ebooks that had me a lot more excited. Of course, I’ve also pushed things back to the absolute last minute of a deadline: the compromise approach is easier to manage, but when I absolutely can’t buckle down on whatever’s on the official agenda, I’ve realized that my work will be sub-par at best and it will take forever (or at least feel like it). In those cases, it’s better to switch to something more entertaining and come back when I’m fresh and actually have a little more energy to spend.

How do you handle these situations? When is it okay to ignore your planned work and focus on something more fun?

But it’s not out of the question that you can improve the speed at which you write.

Prep Work Makes All the Difference

When you watch a busy chef put together dinners at a restaurant, you may notice that he or she turns out meal after meal quickly. If you watch closely, though, you may notice one of the secrets: a good chef rarely needs to stop and chop ingredients while actually cooking. A good chef will come in before the dinner rush ever begins and prep ingredients.

A good writer can speed up the time it takes to put together an article with a similar approach. By making sure the research process provides you with the specific ingredients you need, ready to go when you start writing, you can move a lot faster. Study your research process and see how you can tweak it: I found that just by asking sources to give me their bio information in a certain way, I could shave at least a few minutes of of trying to get into shape — and even more if I was dealing with a source who normally wouldn’t have even thought to give me bio information in a usable format.

Practice Always Helps

Just writing on a regular basis can help improve the speed at which you write. It’s not always a question of your typing getting faster, although practice does help with that. Instead, it’s more of a matter of becoming a better writer. You learn certain formats inside and out, you start recognizing certain mistakes before you even type them.

It’s slow progress, but every so often, most writers notice that you’re moving a little faster than you used to. It’s a good feeling and it may mean that it’s time to adjust your estimates of how long a particular project will take you.

Speed-Reading It’s Not

All that said, there’s no secret trick to make yourself suddenly start writing faster. Writing isn’t just a matter of typing — a skill that’s relatively easy to improve on — there is a thought process that goes into it, turning mere words into a cohesive whole. When you’re trying to write faster, you’re also trying to think faster — and sometimes you just have to invest the time.

There are a few ways that can make it easier to think through the constructive process of putting together an article. Mileage may very, though, depending on your writing style and the topics you’re working on. Reading is a good method — it makes you more familiar with approaches other writers have used, give you more options. Setting yourself writing challenges is another way to improve your ability to quickly come up with a written solution.

Giving TextExpander a Shot

I recently noticed that TextExpander has a free trial and I decided to give it a chance. I started with the shortcuts that the program comes with — like my name and address. As I’ve experimented, I’ve quickly added more: the bio that I include at the end of articles I’m submitting to an editor, the paragraph explaining my experience that I tack on to the end of every query letter and so on. It’s not only saving me time typing, but also the time that I used to spend copying and pasting from the templates I’ve created for myself.

I’m still having some trouble with shortcuts…I do have to look up just what I’ve set for a shortcut every so often. But the program does allow you to set your shortcuts however you like and there are a few tricks to creating memorable keyboard shortcuts. I’ve taken to doubling up the first letter on a word that describes what the short cut does, following the model set by TextExpander’s examples. Such an approach is helpful in avoiding creating shortcuts that you might accidentally trigger as you type different words.

You can do more with TextExpander than just adding text to a document, though. You can use it to speed up filling out forms, adding content to websites and much more. Unless you specifically instruct the program not to apply shortcuts in specific software, it will run across all programs you use, from your word processor to your web browser. You can also do more than add plain text snippets. You can format text, add images, add automatically calculated information, like the current time and more.

Is TextExpander Worth the Price?

TextExpander comes with a price tag of $34.95. It’s a Mac-only tool — there’s a free tool called ‘Texter‘ for the PC, but it doesn’t have as many features as TextExpander. Considering that a lot of tools that many freelance writers rely on are free, spending more than $30 on a piece of software may seem a little pricey.

But TextExpander offers you statistics on your own typing, showing just how much time you may have actually saved: based on my typing speed and the number of words I’ve added to documents with TextExpander, I’ve already saved more than an hour. That means that it isn’t out of the question that a writer could free up more time for actually writing, by using TextExpander, rather than just using that time for typing. I’d recommend TextExpander.

1. Build in procrastination: Some days, writing is harder than others. On those days where I want to be anywhere but my desk, I break down my assignments into small increments. I’ll tell myself that as soon as I finish the first 250 words, I’ll let myself go spend five or ten minutes on procrastinating — all those things that you suddenly think of to do when the writing isn’t going so well. I set a timer and, when the timer goes off, I go back and write another 250 words. The number is entirely variable, depending on just how much I need to get done in a given day.
2. Think about where the money is going: I track the time I spend on writing in a spreadsheet, alongside the money that I’m earning for each project. I also keep a few notes on what I’m going to do with the money I’m earning right now, reminding me of why I do all of this. I have a basic number for monthly bills, but I also make a note of anything really exciting that I’ve got coming up, like a vacation. By seeing the number that I’ve got to make is surprisingly useful, especially when I break it down into how much I need to make today.
3. Create personal incentives: There are pros and cons to creating personal incentives — it’s easy to turn a luxury into a necessity if it’s your standard incentive. But an occasional prize that you can keep your eyes on can make a world of difference on a tough project. Even if it’s something simple, like promising yourself a bowl of ice cream at the end of a particularly long day, sometimes offering yourself a reason to stick to your desk just a little longer can make a world of difference.

These approaches aren’t universal, of course. Everyone has different ways to stay on track and I’d love to hear some of yours. How do you focus on your work without a boss looming over your shoulder?

In an effort to make that happen, I approached the FWJ community for advice.  The post received a number of great comments that, when combined, serve as a fantastic resource for anyone who wants to work on their own efficiency/time management/etc.

As I mentioned last week while handing out free nachos, I decided to combine them into a single post (this one) and to comment on them a little bit.

Buckle up and bring a drink.  This is gonna be a long trip.  It could be even longer–there were some truly great ideas and some of them deserve more attention than I can give them here.

Note: You won’t find anyone talking about increasing their rates.  That was intentional, not an oversight.  When I asked folks to chip in with their $.02 worth, I asked them to leave that topic alone.  I didn’t want to get into the 8,372,898th discussion of freelance writing rates.

Without further ado, here’s an overall look at what folks around here had to say about getting things done more efficiently.

Thanks again to everyone who commented.  My apologies if I somehow forgot to reference your particular remarks in this post.  Every shred of advice provided had real value.

Chill Out

Some of you decided that my rant about “killing time” and some of my other remarks evidenced excess stress and advised me to relax.  Dava, Marcia, Debi and Debra all seem to think I’d benefit from a healthy dose of chill pills and they’re probably right.  Tsarina thinks I should cut myself a little slack.

That’s good advice. A high-stress attitude can be exhausting, which can reduce efficiency.  If one wants to log fewer hours, it’s important to make the remaining hours awesome.

In all honesty, my original post probably made me seem a little more tightly wound than I actually am.  Nonetheless, I think we can all benefit from stress reduction and I’m going to try to maintain a nice, mellow sense of perspective as I work toward my goals.  I think that much of the other advice provided will make it easier to shed stress, too.

Hire Out

A number of you recommended hiring someone else to handle aspects of my business, freeing up my time to concentrate on what matters most to me.  Ideally, the improved productivity would generate enough money to pay the support while leaving me with an improved bottom line and more time on my hands.

Chris recommended hiring someone to do my research.  Kate thought I could benefit by putting a VA on the payroll.  Allena and Phil liked the idea of hiring out, as well.

I think I can benefit from this in the near future, but not immediately.  My fractured schedule and somewhat weird organizational strategies make it tough to bring someone else in on the action without hitting the “pause” button long enough to get that someone up to speed.  We work in a deadline-driven discipline and that just really isn’t an option right now because of it.

By doing some other things, I can get myself in a situation where it is possible to utilize the talents of others more frequently and with greater effect.

This is an area in which I have extensive experience.  For several months, I was spending a significant percentage of my time assembling teams to complete large content production tasks and managing the projects.  Let’s just say I discovered that outsourcing and relying on others can be a challenging process.  I hope to use the lessons I learned on that front in the future.

Scheduling

Smart scheduling was another recurrent theme.  Chris thinks I should actually work intentional “moments of nothing” into the schedule.  Laura cautioned against overscheduling.  Jeremy recommended scheduling things that don’t really exist in hopes of fooling myself into heightened levels of efficiency.  Vicky liked the idea of making time bargains as a means of self-encouragement.  Dee advocates the idea of a 50-minute hour and Su-sieee recommends cutting one thing out every day in order to make life easier and more productive.  Carol thinks I should take more time off and believes that a weekly all-day break is a great way to recharge one’s batteries.

I can see how some of the scheduling “tricks” would work extremely well for some people.  I don’t think I’d respond well to some of them–they seem a little artificial to me.  The ones that really resonate with me on a personal level are the need to avoid overscheduling and working periods of “down time” into the schedule That notion of turning the world “off” one day per week is mouth-watering.

Reading all of this advice about schedules has pushed me to examine the actual mechanics of my personal scheduling.  That includes the tools I use, the way I assess likely time requirements, etc.

Spending

A few people made the perfectly sane observation that there was an alternative to trying to work less while maintaining or increasing income.  Camilla and Marcia both recommended spending less money in the first place and Janed pointed out the potential advantage of moving somewhere less expensive.

Like most families, we’re getting pretty vigilant on those fronts and it can make a big difference.  I’m completely portable in terms of work and my wife is a special education teacher, which is a relatively high-demand profession all over the place.  We’ve discussed the idea of moving to a less expensive area (yeah, we are in Kansas, but we’re in Johnson County, which is relatively pricy).

Perspective

TBri reminded me that single parents are in an even tougher situation.  Brad (the official Nacho Winner) pointed out just how silly it is to complain about having too much work when some folks are struggling to make ends meet these days.  Helen’s tongue-in-cheek recommendations about canceling the good things in life to make more time for work pointed out the risk of taking efficiency to an extreme and Fran’s comments about the role of personality responsibility in these situations struck a chord.

These comments don’t really qualify as advice.  However, I found them to be some of the most valuable contributions.  It’s really easy to get so wrapped up in the details of running your business that you lose track of the bigger, more important things.  Thanks for the reminders.

Systems and Automation

Chris advocated automation and overall simplification (cutting things in half repeatedly).  Matt told me it was time to stop multitasking and that working through the ol’ to-do list in a more focused way would yield results.  Ericka recommended devising better systems.

I’ve had the tremendous luck to work extensively with a leading expert on systematic approaches to business operation and with a client whose analytics business focuses on isolating and improving critical drivers in business processes.  So, I do have a good understanding of how to develop and apply smart systems to my workflow.  Now, the challenge is listening to the good advice I’ve received and combining it with the knowledge I’ve gained.

On an intellectual level, I’m a true believer in systematic processes and automation as a means of improving efficiency.  The problem, thus far, has been stopping the existing Rube Goldberg-esque machine long enough to implement the changes.  It’s hard to stop to tie your shoes when a bear is chasing you.  I’m going to find a way, though.

Health

Karen and Patti recommend improved health.  Of course, they’re absolutely right.  Even if they weren’t right with respect to the impact of better health on productivity, it would still be worth following their advice simply because early death isn’t really on my to-do list.

We tend to have sedentary lifestyles.  When we’re working way too much, the effects of that motionless life becomes even more pronounced.

I think it’s time to start running again.  Swimming on off-days.  Sorry, Patti, but I just can’t see myself doing yoga.  I know it’s great, but I just don’t think it’s me.

Zzzzz…

Angie, Marcia and Su-sieee all think I could benefit from a little more shuteye.  They’re right.  A little more sleep would boost waking hour productivity so much that it would probably result in a substantial net gain in output.  It might also cure my Exploding Head Syndrome.  It’s also a great stress-reducer and it would undoubtedly improve my mood.

Other

Jodee wants me to hold out until we perfect cloning.  I just don’t think science has advanced enough for me to keep plugging along with the status quo that long.

Raina recommends decluttering my life and Ericka emphasizes a productive workspace.  These are extremely smart recommendations and they’re two of the few I’m already doing effectively.  I’ll vouch for them.

Leslie observed that one can kill two birds with one stone by finding ways to work on projects that provide you with information you can use to improve other elements of your business.

Annie reminded us that priorities trump the concept of “balance” and that we should strive to do the bulk of our work during those times when we tend to be most productive.

Ashley understood  my “I wanna crush Ian’s head with a window air conditioner” impulse and Stacy appreciated my use of the word “asshat”.  No, those aren’t pieces of advice.  But I love them.

1. Can you reschedule due dates? Asking your clients if there’s any flexibility in when a project is due is best done up front. But if you have a reoccurring project (such as blog posting), you can often bring up the question as you get close to the dates you plan to be away for.
2. Can you work ahead? It’s not always possible to do a ton of writing before you leave — packing can take a surprisingly long time, after all — but if you have enough advanced warning, it’s often possible to write a little more each day and gradually get extra work done.
3. Can you get ahead and stay ahead? Especially if you routinely work for the same clients, it can be possible to work ahead of the schedule and give yourself some breathing room in your calendar. It can be a difficult approach but it also means that an illness or emergency doesn’t throw of your schedule quite as much.
4. Can you reject a project? No freelance writer likes to turn down paying work, but if you don’t have work scheduled for your trip in the first place, life gets a lot easier. Simply rejecting a project that would require you to work as you travel can make things easier to manage.

Even if you do want to write as you travel and you feel perfectly comfortable doing so, it can be worthwhile to clear you schedule, at least as far as your clients are concerned. Not only do we make sure that clients aren’t in the habit of assuming that a freelance writers is available every day of the week, but we can give ourselves an opportunity to get ahead. Of course, if you’re on vacation or otherwise not supposed to working, take the time off and enjoy it, rather than trying to get ahead.

Luckily, the guy was spared from a beat down.  I was in a hurry and didn’t have enough time to work him over.  Okay, the fact that I wasn’t really that upset was part of the deal, too.

In any case, my thick skull was finally penetrated by the indisputable fact that burning the candle on both ends is rotten and that my approach–tossing it directly into a steel smelter is even worse.

So, took advantage of this handy platform to write a long diatribe filled with elements of my personal story that couldn’t really provide much value to you.  I tacked on a plea for ideas at the end.  My goal?  Work half as many hours without bringing in less bacon.  I wanted your tricks, tips, hints, ideas, theories, recommendations, commiserations and maybe even a few ninja kicks in the ass.  The only rule?  I asked that no one talk about increasing rates as a means of decreasing workloads.  That seemed to easy.

Oh, and I promised a free order of nachos to the person who gave me the best chunk of time-sparing wisdom.

That post generated over 40 comments and I think only one of them was from me.  Almost all of them contained great advice and those that didn’t tended to provide equally important context.

My comment, which came only after 20+ FWJ readers decided to contribute, was simply to encourage even more input (which I received).

It became pretty clear to me that the ideas you provided could serve as the core of a great text about creating an efficient and streamlined freelance business.  A few bigger themes emerged and they were coupled with concrete recommendations and examples.

All in all, it was an incredibly valued idea dump and everyone who added $.02 or more created one of those great situations in which the comment discussion is 100x more valuable than the actual blog post on top.  Kudos to you all.

Anyway, I wanted to do two things before walking away from that post and implementing those good ideas.  First, I wanted to write a “wrap” post about the recommendations, noting the prevailing themes, providing my reactions to them, etc.  Second, I wanted to give away the free nacho prize.

You’ll note that this post is labeled “Part One”.  You’ll see “Part Two” next week.  I’m going to use “Part Two” to break down all of the advice, to provide kind words of thanks to the geniuses who provided it and to come up with what I hope to be a few Marvelous Insights of my own.

This part?  Two things are about to happen.  Keep on reading.

Community

Community.  It’s an extremely over used word in the social networking field.  It’s been overused in the blogosphere for half a decade or more.  Everyone is always talking about building communities, community management, community participation, community this, community that…

Usually, it’s more jibber-jabber than reality.  We use the term “community” to refer to even the least tightly knit groups.  We’ve drained much of the power and meaning from the term by tossing it around as convenient shorthand whenever we’re talking about anything that involves more than one person.

Occasionally, you actually see community in action and understand what it can mean.

I know this has nothing to do with my quest to work half as much without losing money, but it’s probably one of the biggest lessons I’ve seen in real community.

I asked a whole mess o’ people–most of whom wouldn’t recognize me if I bumped into them on the street–to give me good advice.  Yeah, I dangled the magic of nachos as a reward, but no one (I hope) was actually excited about the joke of a prize.  On a superficial level, there was nothing, absolutely nothing, for them to gain by providing me with a recommendation.  In fact, they spend valuable time doing it.

Yet three dozen or more people did do it.  They took the time and effort to comment and to offer something meaningful.

Now, we can make the somewhat cynical argument that people contributed because they’re trying to boost their own name recognition or because they hope to grab a little comment link traffic, etc.  And it’s true that being an active participant in a larger “community” can have some pragmatic benefits along those lines.  I have a sneaking suspicion that most of the people who spoke up weren’t really concerned about that, though.  Some are already well-known and well-read amongst the FWJ population.  Some didn’t bother to even leave a link.  They seemed sincerely motivated to provide people interested in maximizing efficiency with some good advice.

They wanted to share for the sake of sharing.  And that is a big part of what community and social networking in general is really all about.

And none of that happens without Deb Ng, who’s grown this site up from square one.  Her dedication, constant adjustment and all-out effort to create a quality space for freelancers is a big part of why this works.  It may seem ironic, but online community really often starts with a significant effort by one person.

I’m making a big fat point of this because, as most you know, Deb sold Freelance Writing Jobs to SplashMEDIA.  She’s still here, handling the transition.  However, in July, the new crew is gonna take the controls.

That makes this a perfect moment to thank Deb for a job well-done.  It’s also a reminder to the new ownership that they’ll be filling some big shoes and, if they can pull it off, they’ll have one really great community on their hands.

Nachos

After a great deal of consideration, I’ve decided to extend an invitation to all who commented to join me for nachos at El Torreon in Overland Park, KS if you’re ever in the area.  Just drop me a line and we’ll hook up for our nacho date–on me.  I don’t cover the margaritas, though.

Knowing that few of you will venture into the KC suburbs for nachos and pleasant conversation any time soon, I’m also specifically awarding a plate of my favorite vice to Brad.

Interestingly, Brad didn’t really give me any advice about how to reduce the amount of time spent working.  Instead, he reminded me of how some folks wouldn’t mind being that busy and made me think about f-ing obnoxious it probably is to publicly gripe about having too much work in the midst of an ugly recession.  Thanks for the reality check, Brad.

Here’s the comment:

Well I would say to run around in circles as long as possible before your circle gets taken away from you.
Being an IT guy I’m used to running around in circles.

However since Dec 19,2008 when the president of the company I worked for decided they made a mistake in hiring me because I had 4 years experience and not 10 and laid me off, I would love to have a run around in circles experience again.

I like thousands of other people just realized that my last unemployment check that I just spent on food and other household necessities will be my last for a while until Congress and the Senate can work together to pass an unemployment extension bill.

I wish I had a job with people driving me crazy again. I have been unemployed for almost 2 years with no hope in close site. I’m going to school in hopes that an increased education will increase my employment opportunities.

I would love to have someone asking me stupid technical questions right now. When I go back to work someday I’m going to be smiling a really big smile the whole time and saying yes sure I can help you with that and be glad that I can.

Brad, drop me a line and I’ll take care of your cheesy, chippy needs.

Back next week with “How You Made My Life Easier, Free Nachos and Other Delights (Part 2)”

1. Think electronic: You don’t absolutely have to put all of your notes on the computer, but I recommend it. When I started taking notes electronically, all I used was a gigantic messy Word document. Even that was better than a physical file folder, though, because I could search for a phrase or a word, rather than rifling through my papers. I’ve moved on from the single document system, but I’ll never take my notes offline.
2. Add new notes easily: I rely on a tool called Evernote, first and foremost because there are so many different ways to add information to my notes. I can take photos with my cell phone, clip web pages and make new notes from any computer. No matter what sort of system you use, putting in place a strategy to add notes — especially those taken while you’re away from the computer — is crucial.
3. Organize, to an extent: A little organization can significantly help your information system — but too much is a waste of time. As long as you have a general method of categorizing or tagging your notes so that you’ll be able to find them again down the road, a simple search will probably get you exactly where you need to go. Exact cataloging may have been necessary for hard copy notes, but it’s not an issue now.
4. Look through your notes: It’s not enough to just pull out what you need from your notes whenever something jogs your memory. When you’re planning a new project or putting together a new query, take a quick look through your notes for relevant information. Short on ideas? Go through your notebook and see if you have anything you can work up for a pitch. The information you collect should be a reference.
5. Postpone perfection: Good enough for now is good enough, at least when it comes to managing article ideas, sources and the other information you’re probably juggling. A note-taking system doesn’t have to be perfect — it just has to get the job done. You can always tweak it later, after all. Don’t be afraid to try your own system, either. What works for me may not work for you. If you need to, try out a couple different tools and approaches to find the right options.

The Quality Over Quantity Question

At the end of the day, if you’re pushing for quantity, the quality of your writing can suffer to the point that most editors don’t want to see it — I’ve had editors reject articles that I wrote on days that I also punched out page after page of content. And if you set aside more time for editing than you might otherwise, you can easily wind up spending more time on an article than you might otherwise. It’s not out of the question that you could need to rewrite the entire piece!

There is a financial question, as well. If you’re shooting for higher pay rates — maybe those dollar per word publications — quality can become absolutely crucial. It’s not just the work that you’re submitting to editors who have big budgets for freelance writers, either. When you’re querying, you can bet that many editors will type your name into a search engine and take a look at what else you’ve written.

The rates that better publications pay can make it worth your while to focus on quality, as well. It is perfectly possible to make a living writing just a few hundred words a day, provided that they are the right words.

Quantity is Still Important

Of course, quantity is still a factor. If you can write more each day, without giving up quality, that’s a good thing. It’s worth working out your writing muscles: push yourself so that you can add a few more words each day. Setting yourself a quota that you have to meet each day can be a useful approach. Every couple of months, up the quota. It doesn’t have to be by much — adding an extra hundred words to your daily output is no small step.

But the fact of the matter is that you can often make your research do double duty — you can use it to write more than one article, letting you improve the return on the time you’re investing.

Keeping Your Editors Happy

It’s a rare editor that will be happy to publish your article, then see an exceptionally similar article in another publication immediately and still send work your way. Honestly, as a writer, it can feel a little off to just rewrite a story from the same angle and submit it elsewhere, as well. But you can go far beyond simple rewrites if you’ve got good research.

The key is to change either the slant or the focus of the article. If your original article is on how crafters are making money selling their work online for a craft magazine, you can use the statistics you gathered about those crafters to write about how crafters are creating small businesses by selling their work online for a business magazine. The key is in how differently you can present the same statistics. You can go back to the same interview subjects for new quotes. It’s just a matter of coming up with new ideas.

Making the Most of Your Work

Many especially productive writers seem to crank out article after article in a certain niche. They may write about that niche from outside angles, but they tend to cover a fairly select topic area. Those writers often have piles of reference materials they’ve collected over time, that they can use in their articles over and over again. Heck, there are certain topics that I can spout off statistics and where I got them off the top of my head, because they’re relevant to so many articles.

The secret to making the most of your research is to keep your materials organized. If you make them easy to come back to as you find new ways to pitch the information, you may be able to use some materials three or four times, provided you create top-notch articles around your research every time.

In Search of Separation…

Being a freelancer guarantees weirdness.  Unpredictability is the only constant and the bizarre twists and turns of everyday life constantly squash efforts to create that ideal professional/personal balance.

How in the hell are you supposed to balance your work with the rest of your life?

Sure, writing copy so beautiful it brings tears to your eyes is mega-fun/rewarding, but so is making homemade spaghetti sauce, catching an afternoon ballgame on getaway day, dancing to the Godfather of Soul with your kid, making out with your spouse and, to a lesser extent, keeping your house somewhat tidy.

What’s the big secret to separating the wild yet wonderful world of freelancing for a living from the rest of your life?

If you want suggestions, they’re easy to find.  Drawing the work/life line is constantly buzzing topic.  You can find freelancers who’ll suggest setting regular hours, dressing as if you’re actually heading off to a day at the office, putting up signs to keep your family away while you work and a million other things.

You’ll hear lectures about time management, recommendations about working smarter instead of working harder and pleas to turn off your phone, computer and everything else even remotely related to your profession during the weekend.

My Failure to Divide…

Some of that stuff probably works for some people.  It hasn’t worked for me.  Not even close.  This is my experience:

The need to run to Price Chopper for diapers can shred a well-planned schedule.  A weekend free of work sounds ideal until you chop off the tip of your index finger with your favorite Wusthoff on Wednesday (just try writing anything other than “ewoek/lifer supaeratioij u s so dalmn haard” at three a.m. with a bandage on your hand).

The idea of dressing for traditional success makes me a wee bit queasy and all of the smart work in the world can’t solve for an overflowing toilet plugged with a small stuffed giraffe and three plastic Strawberry Shortcake figurines.

If you can tidily separate your work from the rest of your life and that’s what you want to do, congratulations.

I’ve given up.  Completely and intentionally.

Integration vs. Separation…

I realized that I don’t really want a separation between the professional and the personal.  I don’t want regular hours, a regimented schedule or a sign on the door of my basement office.

Screw separation.  I want integration.

I love working for myself for a number of reasons, but the biggest weight on the scale is freedom.  I spent a long time being a damn good employee who secretly hated being on the payroll because I didn’t have that freedom to do what I wanted to do how and when I wanted to do it.

The joy of freelancing isn’t just the money or the satisfaction of those occasional moments of copy perfection.  For me, it’s the fact that I can do things on my terms.

After wrestling with time and experiencing a never-ending series of scheduling snafus, I realized something.  I don’t wear suits for a reason.

Weddings, Russians and Realization…

Let me explain that last part about suits.  A few weeks ago, we were up in Iowa for a wedding.  I decided to dress appropriately.  I was standing in front of the mirror, wearing a suit and marveling at just how freaking weird I looked.  My wife says I look snazzy in a suit.  Maybe she means it.  Maybe she’s just being nice.  All I know is that I think I look like someone else.  I hate the damn things.  I have broad enough shoulders without the jacket’s enhancement.  Neckties are too silly (and phallic) for my tastes.  I generally dislike shoes and hold particular animosity toward dress shoes.  I dislike them on an almost visceral level.  They conjure up feelings of conformity, caste and rigidity.

Unless I’m at a wedding, a funeral or taking the stand in my own defense, I really don’t want to wear a suit.  I don’t like them.

Then a question occurred to me.

Why would someone who hates suits make an effort to run his business as if he’s wearing one?

In what turned out to be a happy coincidence, my websites and email accounts were serving as a playground for a few Russian hackers while I was standing in front of the mirror.  When I returned home and surveyed the damage, I decided to burn things to the ground instead of repairing them and to start anew.

Authenticity and a Liberating Integration Casserole…

On a superficial level, this switch freed me to blog about things like the death of Jose Lima, my status as a victim of Exploding Head Syndrome and Kalae All Day–things I usually would’ve avoided because they didn’t match “The Brand”.  It allowed me to tweet about the lapse in sanity exhibited by Royals third base coach Eddie Rodriguez last weekend and to dial back the formality of my client communication.

We talk the authenticity talk more than we walk the walk, I think.  At least I did.  Not any more.  I’m retiring from thinking about being authentic.  I’m just doing it.

That has included embracing my inability to maintain traditional, set hours and all of the other stuff that usually goes along with separating work from the rest of one’s life.

I’m not separating anything anymore.  It’s all just one big crazy, gorgeous, wacky, depraved, enlightened, messy, tasty casserole.  Yum.

It’s been a liberating experience.  I’m bobbing between work and parenting.  I’m weaving between being a husband and making a living.  I’m cool with a two-hour client call on a Sunday and I’m just as happy to tell someone that I’m too busy buying diapers and freezer pops to take a call on a Wednesday afternoon.

Interestingly, this new outlook isn’t creating waves with clients.  It’s allowing us to float closer to one another.  It’s breaking down barriers and encouraging more human connections.  It’s as if we’re all actually having fun for a change.

I’m sure someone will find this kind of authenticity worrisome.  Discovering a blog post that includes a piece of Haiku about a baby kicking my ass may very well dissuade someone from doing business with me.  There are traditionalists who want appreciate that sort of thing.  I can accept that.

It’s a small price to pay, really.  Besides, who knows how many ultra-cool people might actually like it?

An Alternative to the War of Separation…

If you’re fighting and losing a bloody war of attrition in the effort to defend or establish a dividing line between work and home, consider waving the white flag and walking away from it.  It may not be the right fight.  Consider integration instead of separation.

It’s okay if your peas touch your meat, folks.  That’s true whether you hate shoes like me or if the idea of dressing like a corporate bigwig gives you a thrill.

At least that’s my experience.

What’s yours?  Are you having a great time keeping your freelancing career and your personal life separate or do you feel like a struggle?  If it is tough, do you think it’s a fight worth having?  Can you imagine surrendering to overlap and to integration?

I’d love to know.  I see many people writing about keeping things clearly delineated and very few, if any, advocating wholesale integration.  It probably won’t change my perspective, but I’d like to know if I’m a nut-case.

Setting office hours and sticking to them is necessary if you want to keep moving forward as a freelance writer. It’s nice if you can be incredibly productive during each and every one of those hours, but, even if you can’t, just having them can help.

…Even When You Don’t Have Work

It’s rare that an employer will let you leave early because you have already completed all the work he has for you. At the very least, he’ll have you get a head start on tomorrow’s work. If you can treat yourself the same way, you can actually do some great things for your freelance career. Completed all your work for today? There are tons of steps you can take to get ahead:

• Work ahead on assignments you already have — turning in assignments early rarely does anything but endear you to editors and clients.
• Send out query letters or work on your marketing. Just because you have plenty of work right now doesn’t mean that you won’t want more work in a couple of weeks.
• Create your own project. Want to eventually earn money off of a blog or a project of your own? Put the time in ahead of time and you can reach that goal.

But Don’t Stay Late

It’s not impossible for a freelance writer to go too far in the other direction — a problem I occasionally suffer from myself. Even when I’m not up against a deadline, I find it tempting to keep working even after my official work hours end. But when you do creative work, like writing, you absolutely have to take time to recharge your creative batteries. Too many late nights spent on getting ahead of the game can eventually burn you out.

It’s important to take your work hours seriously, both in terms of staying on the clock when you might have finished the day’s writing and in terms of leaving the office at the end of the day.

Do you already have office hours set? How do you make sure you stick to them?