Tag Archives: productivity

What Gets You Through a Long Day of Writing?

By on June 12th, 2013

There are some days when I really don’t feel like writing. But the work has to be finished anyway. Sometimes I plug away and get through the day on sheer will. Sometimes it’s more of a struggle and all I can think about is making it to quitting time. Fortunately these long, exhausting days aren’t the norm. Maybe I committed to too much because a project ran longer than expected. Or perhaps a project is simply boring me to tears and the thought of writing another word seems unbearable. Rare. But it happens. And I know I’m not the only …

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Posted in Productivity & Organization |

My New Home Office (And How It’s Improving My Productivity)

By on June 10th, 2013

As some of you might know if you follow me on Twitter (@AllIndieWriters), I have a bit of a “neighbor from hell” issue. Imagine the worst neighbors you can think of. Now imagine that tenfold. You have my neighbors. Let’s just say their fascination with terrorizing their neighbors has led to some pretty serious tension (and resulting health issues and work-related issues). It’s tough to focus on work when you’re in a situation like ours, and moving is not an option, and likely won’t be for several years. We’d lose tens of thousands of dollars if we moved too soon. …

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Posted in Working From Home |

How Freelance Writers Can Be Productive With Finances

By on March 25th, 2013

Writing is actually one of the easier parts of freelancing writing. Maybe it’s like that with all craft-turned-businesses. The tougher parts of being a professional freelance writer can be things like finding clients, having a steady stream of ideas, and managing the finances. Because I’m no fan of mulling over finances for hours, there are some things I do to make this area of freelancing more productive. Set a day and time for doing financial tasks Even if it’s a few minutes everyday, schedule time for finances on your calendar just as you would for any other business-related task. You …

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Posted in Finance, Productivity & Organization |

How Word Count Trackers Can Make You More Productive

By on March 20th, 2013

I’m a big fan of any tool that can help me get more work finished in less time. One tool freelance writers might not think to use is a word count tracker. (By the way, we offer two free word count trackers here for our readers.) But word count trackers are more for authors, right? Sure. They’re great for tracking your progress on a book. But there are also plenty of ways you can use them with typical freelance projects. For example, you might use a word count tracker to: Work toward blogging word count goals for the week or …

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Posted in Productivity & Organization |

Weekend Reading: Productivity

By on March 15th, 2013

Each week we look at a specific issue facing freelance writers. This week let’s look at productivity — how you can improve yours, get more work done each day, have more time for yourself, and make more money in the process. I make it no secret that productivity plays a big role in my own freelance writing business. Focusing on a “work smarter” strategy to productive work days is what lets me run a full-time business working part-time hours. It’s why I get to take off every Friday. It’s why I get more done than ever before, even while working …

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Posted in Productivity & Organization |

5 Tips for Becoming a Happier and More Productive Freelance Writer

By on March 13th, 2013

It’s one thing to enjoy the freedom freelance writing offers. But sometimes we still get overwhelmed. Deadlines loom, payments might seem to take forever, and our to-do lists could occupy a mile-long scroll. Fortunately there are some things you can do to make yourself more productive than ever, and even happier in your freelance writing work. Here are five tips to help you become a happier and more productive freelance writer: 1. Make a plan. If you don’t already have a business plan and marketing plan, create one. If you have one but you created it a while back, update …

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Posted in Freelance Writing Business, Productivity & Organization |

Get Productive and Increase Your Writing Income

By on March 12th, 2013

By : Angela Booth – © 2013 The freelance life is complicated. You can get to the end of what seemed like a productive day, and realize that you achieved nothing of major importance. Deadlines are looming, you’re not making as much money as you feel you should be making, and you wonder what you’re doing wrong. Professional writing used to be much simpler. You got clients, completed projects, and collected the money. When the mail arrived, on a good day you received several checks. On a bad day, the mailbox was jammed with rejected manuscripts. All these years later, email …

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Posted in Productivity & Organization |

Gamification: Make Freelance Writing More Fun

By on February 26th, 2013

In the comments on our recent post about loving your work, Anne Wayman mentioned that she might try to turn some of her marketing into a game. That’s something I try to do with my daily work as much as possible too. So I thought it might be fun to look at gamification and how you can gamify your freelance writing work. Gamification doesn’t have to mean literally turning something into a game. But you use game principles in your process — like racing a clock or incentivizing certain goals or actions. I find it makes work not only more …

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Posted in Productivity & Organization |

5 Time Management Tools for Freelance Writers

By on December 8th, 2012

As a freelance writer do you ever feel like you aren’t working to your full potential — that you could get more work done if you could just eliminate some distractions and improve your productivity a bit? Fortunately there are plenty of time management tools that can help you do that. Today I’d like to share some of my favorite types of time management tools and some examples you might want to try. Here are five simple time management tools for freelance writers. Enjoy! E.ggtimer.com – This is probably my all-time favorite time management tool. I use it to time working …

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Posted in Productivity & Organization, Writers Resources |

7 Ways to Double What You Get Done Each Day

By on May 16th, 2012

Very little hurts a freelance writing business as much as poor productivity. For example, if you feel too overwhelmed with client work, you might run out of time to seek out new clients (leading to a later lack of work). Or you might get so caught up in writing that you neglect important administrative duties. Or you might just work so many hours that you push yourself to burn out. I used to fall into that last group. I’d work 60 to 80 hours a week early on in my writing and PR consulting business. And the work I loved …

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Posted in Productivity & Organization |