Hey freelancers, why do your writing projects take you all the way up to the deadline to complete, and why do you sometimes miss deadlines, even when you had plenty of time to do the project? It’s because you’re making a key time management mistake: you’re letting yourself fall victim to Parkinson’s Law. Parkinson’s Law? […]
Learn to Say NO!
Learning to say NO is a key principle of time management. Every day we are bombarded with requests large and small: from loved ones; from friends and neighbors; from potential clients, from co-workers, bosses, and employees; and from people we hardly know or don’t know at all. Frequently you should say Yes. But you must […]
8 Time Management Techniques for Successful Writers
Time management is absolutely critical to achieving success in freelance writing and in the rest of your life. Time is the great equalizer: we all have 24 hours in a day. Managing Your Time as a Freelance Writer The big question—what do we do with our time? How you spend your time — what you […]
Better Time Management through NOT Watching TV
Want to improve your time management? You watch much TV? Does it make you happier? Richer? Healthier? According to data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans on average watch 2.7 hours of television a day. (And here’s data on TV and kids. More here.) Me? I watch about 1-3 hours of television a week, […]
Why Multitasking Makes You a Less Productive Writer
Writers are often tempted to multitask because they think it’s a good time management technique, but usually it decreases productivity. But not always… What is Multitasking? It’s doing 2 or more things, supposedly at the same time. Sometimes you can do it, it’s appropriate, and it increases your productivity. However, most of the time it’s […]
How Smart Phones Can Make Us Less Connected to What Really Matters
The Boston Marathon bombings shocked and saddened me, as they did many other people in the United States and abroad. At first I wasn’t going to post this week. But as I reflected on how life can so easily and suddenly be snuffed out, I thought about how important it is for us to be […]
How Being Late Hurts Your Freelance Writing Career and Your Life
Why is punctuality such an important time management skill for freelance writers? Simple — punctuality is a sign of someone who is organized and trustworthy. If you want editors to give you freelance writing projects, or get people you care about to spend time with you, you must be on time. If you cannot keep […]
Freelancers, Would You Use This E-Mail Auto-Response?
When and how should a freelance writer use an e-mail auto-response to potential clients? What are the possible payoffs and potential pitfalls? Freelance E-Mail Auto-Response: A Real-Life Example A few months ago I exchanged a couple of e-mails with another freelance writer. Immediately after I sent her the initial e-mail, I got an auto-response back […]
Simplicity and the Successful Freelancer
Freelance writers’ lives are usually quite busy. But busy with what? Often we are busy doing things that don’t matter, or actually detract from our lives. And that’s why we should practice simplicity. To me, simplicity means simplifying life as much as practical so I have more time for my truly important goals, from business […]
How This One Simple Technique Boosts My Morning Productivity
I’ll get right to the technique: no Internet before breakfast. Let me explain. I’m an early riser. I’m in bed by 10 and I’m up around 5. I use these early hours to get a power start to the day by getting a substantial chunk of a freelance writing project done before I eat breakfast […]
Top Speed Reading Techniques to Boost Your Productivity
Speed reading is a key time-management skill that boosts your productivity. When you read faster with a high level of comprehension, you have more time for making money in your business or profession, or for doing anything else you want to do. If you are like most people, you read 250-300 words a minute. By […]
