Real Words

This is a guest post by Mariana Ashley. Learn more about her at the end of the post.

There are many aspects of freelance writing that make it an extremely enticing career to pursue. With the freedom to create your own work schedule, make a living from the comfort of your own home, and be your own boss, freelancing has several alluring perks. While freelance writers all love what they do, there is not a single one of them that would describe their career as easy. Many of the aspects of freelance writing that make it enticing also make it challenging. Being your own boss means managing your own time. For many this can be a difficult responsibility to completely master, but time management is essential to a successful freelance career. One of the first steps to optimizing your career as a freelancer is learning to effectively utilize your downtime. Use these tips to help maximize your success in-between projects.

Vary the Time Intensity of Your Projects

One of the easiest ways to mismanage your time as a freelance writer is by having an excessive amount of downtime between projects. Try to organize your projects so you have several going on at one time that are of varying time intensity. As a freelancer, you will get projects that will require more time than others. It is a good idea to try to take on a few projects that you know you can finish quickly and then maybe take on one or two that might be longer term endeavors. This way, when you have finished all of your short term projects, you can go on to work on your longer term projects in the downtime. As we all should have learned from our grade school teachers repeating it over and over again, procrastination always makes things much more difficult. Rather than put off longer projects until the last minute, use your downtime from other projects to put in a little time on the longer ones. This is a great way to utilize extra time and complete longer more labor intensive tasks on time and without much stress.

Organize Your Workspace and Computer

Another great way to effectively utilize your downtime is by doing a little spring cleaning. Because freelance writers work from home, it can be easy to overlook the importance of a tidy and put together home office. With a little time off, take a break to clean up your office and put things in order so that you have an environment that encourages productivity. Many people underestimate the importance that their physical work environment plays on their ability to work efficiently. Create a space that encourages focus and creativity. Make sure that your desk is not cluttered or difficult to maneuver on. Furthermore, as a freelancer much of our work is done on the computer. For this reason, it is important to thoroughly clean up your computer and to organize your files. Be sure to back up all of your important work information and projects. Also, be sure to keep up with your computer’s regular maintenance, so that you are not stuck with a slew of work and a broken computer.

Spend Time Surfing the Web

I know this may sound silly. You’re thinking: “but I waste time on the internet all the time. How is this going to make me more productive?” A great way to utilize your downtime effectively as a freelance writer is by doing a little research. So, by surf the internet, I do not exactly mean peruse Facebook and Twitter. Take a look around the web to see what is new in the area of blogging, freelancing, and anything else pertinent to your specific project fields. A huge part of blog writing or freelance writing involves understanding where your skills might be of use. By reading other people’s blogs or exploring various websites, you can find new place to seek for a job opportunity or new inspiration for other projects you have underway. Search the web to keep yourself active and motivated in the freelance world even when you are not actively working on a new project.

Lull periods are common in freelance careers. Very often we are completely swamped on day and searching for new things to do the next. Learning to use your in-between time wisely and effectively is a great way to perfect your craft and maximize your payout as a freelancer.

Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online degrees. She loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031 @gmail.com.