My Freelance Writing Schedule

It's not exactly a set schedule – mainly because I conduct business each day with a two-year old under foot. Still, I try to create enough routine so that I actually accomplish something. I have chatted on forums with other freelancing moms. Some have scheduling down to a scary science. Every single second of the day is scheduled and accounted for. I guess we all have to do whatever helps us meet our goals.

I've had a few writers asking how I manage with four kids under the age of nine. My answer is sheer determination. The alternative, working for someone else, is not an option for me so I have to make this work.

Some days all goes according to plan, and on other days I just patiently wait for the end to come so that I can wake up in the morning and get a do-over. The unexpected usually occurs, but that's where the flexibility of being a freelance writer really becomes a benefit. Nevertheless, here is my daily schedule - of sorts:

5:00am-6:00am: Check email and write for an hour before getting kids up for school. I usually try to write my blog posts or proof and edit projects that are due one last time.

6:00am-7:30am: Wake kids to get ready for school. Wake husband for work. This includes making breakfast. By 7:30am we should be walking out the door to drop off kids at school and hubby at train station.

8:00am-9:00am: Return home. Snack and Mazy video for two-year old (yes, I still have a VCR/DVD player). Return emails, work on projects, update blogs (hopefully), and send out a few queries to businesses.

9:00am-10:00am: Workout. With two-year-old right beside me. Not easy, but essential since I sit at my desk all day. Sometimes I put him in a stroller and we take an hour long walk.

10:00am-12:00pm: Shower, change clothes and write while two-year old plays.

12:00pm-2:00pm: Thirty minutes for lunch, then two year old naps and I write like crazy. If he doesn't nap, he's usually content to lay quietly on the sofa with his pillow and blanket listening to music (no TV time) until he dozes off.

2:00pm-3:00pm: Off to get in car line to pick up kids from school (10 minutes away). Sometimes I bring along a notebook to write, or I'll bring my Alpha Neo Smart to work on a project, and then upload it to my computer once I return to my office.

3:00pm-4:00pm: Return home. Kids change clothes, wash up, get snacks and get ready to do homework. The two-year old colors quietly (sometimes). I am still working, but they know I'm available if there are questions about homework.

4:00pm-5:00pm: An hour of TV or playing outside (I take my Alpha Smart).

5:00pm-6:00pm: prepare and cook dinner. While dinner cooks, I sit with each kindergartener (twins) and take turns listening to them read their books the teacher sends home. Check eight-year old's homework.

Some days I'm completely done by this time, but most days I still have a few loose ends to tie up before bed. The kids are all in bed by 8:30pm. I get on the computer, check messages and sometimes write until around 10:00pm (if I'm on deadline, or have personal projects that need to get done). Otherwise I enjoy the evening spending time and watching television with my husband. I usually go to bed between 11:30pm and midnight. Lather, rinse, repeat. Care to share your schedule?

Raising Freelance Writing Rates in a Recession

After lots of careful consideration over the past month, I decided to raise the rates of my older clients. See, I'd technically raised my rates quite some time ago after burning out on a couple of projects and being enlightened by Jennifer Mattern's guest post.

What was I thinking?

At first I thought it would be wrong to make those older clients start paying more; but then my husband looked at me like I was crazy and asked, "Aren't you running a business?" Oh yeah, that's right. I am!

Giving them a "head's up"

I sent the email out last week letting them know about the changes that would occur. Some responded in support for my decision, some didn't. You can't win 'em all, and that's why you should always be marketing your writing services anyway.

I believe the new rates are very reasonable – I've still managed to get new clients who don't bat an eye at the "new" rate quotes. So why was I so hesitant to get everyone on board all at once?

Okay, so here's the truth…

Honestly, I think deep down I was afraid of loosing them, even though I was trying to convince myself that I deserved better. It's kind of like being reluctant to let go of a bad relationship where you give much more than you get. I wouldn't stand for that, so why put up with it when it comes to my livelihood?

I prepared myself to loose all of those clients, so it was a pleasant surprise to see that a few have decided to stick with me. The best part of this story is that I know my worth as a writer and service based business. I know what I deliver, and I'm worth every penny.

Writing from Home on a Snow Day

I wish my digital camera was working so that you could see the miracle of white that showed up in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday. We thought we'd escape that wintery whiteness this year (after all it was practically 70 degrees on Friday), but SURPRISE! My kids are over the moon with excitement. Atlanta rarely ever sees snow.

So there was no real surprise that we woke this morning to the announcement that all City of Atlanta schools are closed for the day. These are the situations that make me so happy that I work for myself from home. Being able to make an income and be available when my family needs me is so awesome and I'm grateful everyday.

How Freelance Writers can Benefit from Doing Less

I'm reading Leo Babauta's new book "The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential…In Business and Life." Leo Babauta authors the now famous blog Zen Habits. Lately I've been completely overwhelmed with work, stuff and clutter in general.

While I am ever grateful for the constant stream of work and my wonderful clients, overwhelmed is not a good place for me to be. Ask the people in my life who are forced to live with me. My number one goal for 2009 is to significantly simplify the way that I live and do business. Leo's book is very inspiring. Some of these lessons I suspect will help my business prosper and keep me from burning out:

Understand that less can be powerful

I guess I'm what you might call a "generalist" (if you like labels) when it comes to copywriting. I offer a very wide variety of writing services. What often ends up happening is I try to handle lots of things that get thrown at me all at once. I'm dealing with the repercussions of this right now actually.

I do it because I want to be sure that I have enough money to survive and pay my bills each month. Things were pretty desperate for my family when I first started freelancing, but I'm realizing that this method is no longer working for me. I feel like a machine that just cranks out projects. I'm in the process of redefining my goals, the writing services and some of the rates I provide for my clients.

Apply limitations in life and business

This is a hard one for me, but if I learn to do this I will work much more effectively. I need to limit the number of projects I take on each week, the number of times I check my email each day, and the number of side projects I have going on and the number of days that I work, just as I plan to limit the number of things I own and allow into my home (goodbye clutter!).

Focus on one thing at a time

I keep thinking about that saying: "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." I've got to stop trying to shove the whole thing down my throat. I'm the self-professed queen of multi-tasking, but it's making me crazy. Leo wisely says that switching gears to single-tasking allows you to focus on just one thing which preserves your energy, mental health and allows you to do a much better job. It's less complicated reducing the chance of errors and stress.

Life is what it is. We can't avoid the messes and complications that happen in our personal lives or in business. But you can simplify things considerably which could help you rediscover joy in what you do again.

Freelance Writers Need to Create a Residual Income

Last fall I spent some time writing a few articles at eHow.com about twin pregnancy and parenting. Being the parent of twin boys made it easy to come up with the information needed to develop the articles. Besides, I hoped they would be helpful to some other shell shocked, soon-to-be mom who just found out she was having more than one baby.

I bring this up because shortly after writing these articles I began receiving monthly payments to my Pay Pal account from eHow. I stopped writing for eHow because I was asked to sign a non-compete agreement with another client who considered writing for eHow as a conflict of interest. I was so busy with other freelance writing projects at the time that I forgot all about them – let alone that they are a revenue sharing site. But considering that I had only written a few articles for them, I am surprised at how much money I now receive from them each month. Now it's not enough to run out and buy that Prada handbag I'd love to have, but it's nothing to sneeze at when I think of how much passive income I could be earning had I really put in some effort.

So now the genie is out of the lamp – I love getting residual income while I sit back and do nothing, and now I want more. Jennifer Mattern at AllFreelanceWriting.com recently fanned the flames even more with her Tuesday post titled Invest in Your Writing Career and Build a Richer Future. She discusses many reasons why writers should "invest" in their writing careers by developing a residual income from their own products. She really hits home when she explains that freelancers shouldn't plan to depend solely on our billable hours as our only source of income. Having a substantial residual income stream can really lighten the load should you suddenly be unable to work or lose a major client. As freelance writers we should leverage our knowledge and experiences and set aside time regularly to work on our own projects and products.

If you are like me you may wonder where this elusive extra time will come from. The answer is you have to decide it's important enough to make the time. It can seem impossible to squeeze another task into an already jam packed day. You can start by committing to an hour a day of working on writing that eBook, developing a niche blog/website or some other promising venture. If you can eventually balance the income received from freelance writing projects with income received from residual income, you will have more freedom and financial security. I don't know about you, but I'm all over this.

Generalist or Specialist? What Kind of Writer are You?

When I look back on some of the mistakes I have made as a freelance writer, I'd say one of the biggest could be marketing my services as a generalist. In the beginning when people found out I was a freelance writer, they'd ask me to write all kinds of stuff: business plans, resumes, grant proposals, school charters, constitutions for non-profit organizations – you name it.

Now I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I'm a decent writer, so I was able to do a pretty good job for some of these clients. For other projects I was completely out of my league. I jumped into my business so quickly that I didn't have a well formulated plan for figuring out which writing services I would offer. I'm in the process of correcting that now.

A lot of writers talk about niche writing and having a specialty. I thumbed my nose at it at first thinking I'd make much more money doing it all. But now I think they were on to something all along, and I've arrived a little late to the party.

Becoming a specialist in one or two areas of writing can position you as an expert in that area. Whether it's press releases, sales letters, SEO copywriting or direct mail material, there are clients looking to give expert writers a lot of business – and they pay well too.

As I said, I'm still figuring it all out, but I am finding some success in targeting certain niches. I'll keep you updated on how things turn out…

A Freelance Writing Challenge - Time to Bump it Up a Notch

I always enjoy reading Chris' blog Freelance Writing at the end of each month where he tallies up his monthly income. Talk about giving you something to aspire to – Chris' income for May 2008 is quite impressive! As a writer, I'm doing okay. I am able to pay my bills each month, and some months are more generous than others; but I have to wonder what is keeping me from setting the kind of goals Chris sets? Why am I not aiming that high with my own income goals? I love to write, but this is a business and I want to be able to earn a comfortable living with my business.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, part of my trouble is an inconsistent marketing strategy. So this week I came up with a plan and am taking steps to change that faux pas. I also need to set a structured writing schedule and stick to it each day. This is my biggest weak spot. I am impulsive and easily distracted. I also have four small children between the ages of eight and two, and a husband who works nights so during the day he likes to talk. A lot. Yes, I have a few challenges, but I should have no problem managing them if I learn to manage my time better and become more disciplined. This week I kept close tabs on the time I spent each day on my writing projects and was amazed at what I don't actually get done!

So now things are going to change. I am preparing a writing schedule for next week. I will designate a set time each day to spend reading and responding to my favorite blogs. I will write my own blog posts this weekend to give myself a head start. I will organize and strategize! I have set a mighty high income goal for myself this June, and I will work like a dog to meet it. Watch out, Chris.