Are you just starting out as a freelancer? Are you stuck in a rut? Here are five simple tips to revitalize your writing career.
You may have been a freelancer for the last 10 years, or you may just be starting out in the industry. No matter what your situation, there are five ways you can jumpstart (or recharge) your career and start writing premium essays.
Out with the old
Do some spring-cleaning. Most freelancers work from a virtual environment, and that environment needs a vigorous scrub down every once in a while, just like a physical environment does. Clean out bookmarks, blogs, or pages that are not feeding your goal or helping you generate new ideas. Those bookmarks and blogs are time-wasters; they are not taking you anywhere. Then, once you have gotten all of the old out, bring in some new. Add a new blog, page, or column from a writer you respect and can learn something from or add an interactive kernel for freelancers in your niche market to your daily reading list. The fresh perspective and new ideas will help you refine your own.
Finish what you start
If you have things pending, get them done. For instance, if you have a book you haven’t finished reading or a stack of magazines you haven’t gone through, read them, and put them away or throw them out. After you absorb all of the new material, do your best not to let back work pile up again. The piles can generate tension and stress, killing your creative processes. Remember, a cluttered desk is usually the sign of a cluttered mind and freelance writers cannot afford excess clutter.
Work your resume
If you are penning a freelancing resume for the first time, check out samples online for ideas on proper structure and formatting. On the other hand, if you have been in the game for a while make sure your resume is up to date, includes your most recent work, and reflects any additional skills you have picked up since your last update. Make a point of updating your resume at least once each quarter.
Slim it down
Most freelancers have an endless list of ideas for columns, stories, articles or books. Revisit this list and remove the chaff. Focus only on your best ideas if you want to do your best work.
Track, confirm and track again
Create a spreadsheet with your rates, hours worked, and project estimations. This helps you estimate your hourly rate and adjust that rate as needed. Think of it as a road map. You will never know how much you are worth unless you outline what you are worth to yourself.
Then, draw up a separate rate and project spreadsheet to put on your website and another to send to prospective clients. Get organized. Be open and ready for business. The instant you begin to treat freelancing like your career is the moment your career will take you seriously, and you will get that kick-start you have been craving.
