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Archive for the 'Business of Freelancing' Category

I’ve written a post on how I stay productive as a professional communicator over at my other blog, Nonprofit Communications. You can click over for the full post, but here is the quick summary:

1. Invest in speed.

2. Prioritize often.

3. File good ideas away.

4. Delegate.

5. Hire professionals.

6. Do similar jobs at the same time.

7. Make a little time for yourself during the workday.

8. Turn everything off and shut the door.

9. Get organized, but don’t obsess about it.

10. Be realistic about long tasks take.

Read the whole post here.

If you are like most writers I know, you are constantly coming up with ideas for articles, stories, client projects, blog posts, marketing for your business, and more. All the ideas I get would prevent me from getting any real work done if I entertained them all as I got them. Instead, I have to get them out of my head and into my system for tracking ideas so I can get back to the current to-do list.

I use a combination of paper and electrons to keep track of everything. It’s not the most elegant method, but after many years, I’ve learned that my system is the only one that really works for me.

I have a big notebook on my desk divided into the major categories that represent my various writing enterprises, a tiny notebook in my purse for when I’m on the move, and a pad of paper on the bedside table for those late night, middle of the night, and early morning brainstorms.

All the random ideas I get go into one of these three paper places. Every now and then I move ideas that still seem interesting or relevant from the little notebook and the bedside pad into the big notebook. Notes about clients go into that client’s project folder on my desk.

I look through the big notebook regularly and when I decide to act on an idea, I move it into the PDA. The PDA only contains items that I really consider to-do items for the coming month or so. When I’m working, I look at the PDA only and don’t get distracted by the hundreds of waiting ideas in the notebook.
This may seem like a terribly inefficient method, but it’s actually a great way to filter ideas and let the best rise from the scraps of paper and into the PDA. Looking through the notebook also lets me see themes in my thinking over time, which inspire new approaches to projects.

How do you keep track of all the ideas you get? How do you prevent all of your ideas from overwhelming you or distracting you from your paying work? Write a post on your blog and link back here, or leave a comment.

I’ve recently hired a few freelancers to help me catch up on some projects and I was stunned at some of the rates people quoted to me. I ended up offering two writers MORE than they asked for, because I couldn’t in good conscience pay the paltry sums they requested. I’m not talking big bucks here, folks.

When I first decided to contract out some work and was looking at my finances, I decided that I couldn’t afford to pay more than $0.10 per word for material that I would be offering for free on my websites and in my e-newsletters. I don’t work for that little, so I felt a little sheepish about offering a fellow writer that rate, but I reasoned that it was acceptable pay for a new freelancer or a young writer. The writers who are helping me with e-books that I sell are getting more, because those assignments generate revenue for me.

Imagine my surprise when I got offers to write for as little as $0.02 per word from people whose writing samples and resumes looked good. How can anyone who is serious about freelancing for a living write a 1,000 word article for $20???

Maybe I’m completely out-of-touch with the cut-throat world of freelance writing as I work in my little specialty niche, but working for pennies per word seems ludicrous to me. How can freelancers expect a living wage if we don’t ask for it?

I really want to thank Deb Ng for posting my recent job listing on her blog and for managing Freelance Writing Jobs. More than half of the people who contacted me said they saw the posting on Deb’s site and others may have too without mentioning it. She does an AMAZING job and could make lots of money off the list as a paid service if she wanted. She is a real asset to the freelance writing community.

I’ve just donated $20 to her via her “Donate” button, and if you have used her site to find freelancers or to find work, you should consider a donation too. By helping me find some quality people with very specific skills, she saved me a bunch of time and that’s well worth my small donation.

P.S. Thanks for everyone who replied to my ad for freelance writers and editors. I’m working with three new people and trying to get in touch with a fourth. I’m still sorting through projects, so I may be contacting others soon.