WritingThoughts

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What will you do tomorrow? If you have no idea, you’re probably not a planner by nature.

Unfortunately, good planning is an important part of being productive. Fortunately, you can change your habits and use planning techniques even if you don’t normally plan.

In this post I share four critical tips that will help you to get more done.

You can use these tips for writing tasks, general tasks related to running your business, or just about anything you need to do. At the end of the post I also include some calendar tools that can help you plan your writing.

This is the second post in my series on productivity. The first post in the series is How to Get More Done and Earn More $$.

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Do you want to earn more money?

Of course you do. If you’re like many small business owners, there’s only one obstacle in your way–time.

We all have the same 24 hours in a day, but how we spend those hours has a direct bearing on how much money we earn.

Most freelance writers and other small business owners tackle the problem of not having enough time the wrong way–by trying to write faster.

As I’ve mentioned before, writing faster isn’t always a good idea. Writing faster is definitely not a good idea if it means skipping important steps like proofreading or cutting corners on research and other vital parts of the writing process.

Fortunately, you can get more done without compromising quality. In this post I give an overview of some basic productivity concepts that will ultimately help your small business.

And each concept can be applied to your writing and non-writing tasks.

In the coming weeks we’ll look at each productivity concept in more depth, so check back often.

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©Laura Spencer

Lately I’ve been walking on the trails in a nearby park. That’s where I met the little fellow to the left.

While it’s okay to meet a squirrel in the park, you don’t want to meet one on social media. Yet some social media connections seem downright squirrelly.

In this post I’ll provide four tips on how you can use social media to make the right type of connections.

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How easy is it for potential clients to find you online?

There are thousands of freelance writers out there. A strong online presence is crucial for attracting clients.

But if you’re like most new freelance writers, you may be rather hard to find online. Even if you have a website and/or blog, it may not rank high enough in the search engines for anyone to find it.

One way to build up your online presence is through writer profile sites. I first examined writer profile sites in this post, 4 Writer Profile Sites Reviewed, nearly three years ago.

Today, I take another look at writer profile sites. I’ll explain what a writer profile site is. I’ll re-examine the original four sites that I reviewed. And I’ll look at three new writer profile sites.

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People often ask me how they too can become a freelance writer.

How do I answer this question?

Usually, I give would-be freelance writers a skills-based answer–somewhat like what I share in this post, Can Anyone Be a Writer? 6 Basic Skills that Writers Need.

While that post gives a good answer, it overlooks the more important question of whether you will like freelance writing.

The longer I stay in this business, the more convinced I become that freelance writing success depends (at least partly) on job satisfaction. If you don’t like writing, you won’t stick with it.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Freelance writing is not for everyone.

Although you may perfect the skills you need to become a writer, you’ll eventually move on if freelance writing makes you unhappy.

In this post I discuss five traits that most satisfied freelance writers share.

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Should freelance writers get a certification?

Will having a certification help you to get more jobs or higher pay?

There’s no question that in some industries a certification is a definite advantage.

In accounting, for example, being a Certified Public Accountant often means earning more money. In the IT fields, having a certification can also help with your career. And there are plenty of IT certifications to choose from.

If two similar candidates apply for the same position, a certification could provide the competitive edge needed to get the job.

Does it work the same way for freelance writers?

I wanted to find out, so I identified 11 certifications for writers. I also contacted two certified writers to find out whether certification helped them.

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If you said “yes,” there’s a problem.

The problem is that if you’re a freelancer, you’re the boss.

And you’re messing that up or you wouldn’t be so unhappy.

Many writers start freelancing so they don’t have to work for a terrible boss. But they wind up hating freelancing because they don’t treat themselves well.

Some freelancers make bad bosses. They expect more from themselves than most managers would.

If you recently started freelance writing and you find it harder than traditional employment, it may be because you’re a terrible boss. Good news. You can learn to do better. This post is for you.

In this post I list four reasons why freelancers sometimes make terrible bosses. And I explain how you can do better.

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©Laura Spencer

Every year millions of blogs are started. And every year millions of blogs are abandoned.

Clearly blogging does not live up to expectations for a lot of people.

Something went wrong. It’s a shame, really.

Yet, if used properly, blogging can be a valuable tool. Unfortunately, many new bloggers do not know how to blog properly.

If you’re thinking about starting a blog, this post poses three questions you need to answer first.

If you liked this post, you’ll probably also like 6 Winning Blog Post Ideas for Your Small Business.

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Whether you maintain a blog for your business or as a freelancer, there’s always room for improvement.

You can have a better blog. And you can start taking steps to make your blog better today.

This is especially true if your blog has been around for a few years. Mature blogs tend to develop problems that new blogs don’t have to worry about (yet).

Of course, some bloggers just abandon their mature blogs and start over from scratch. Once in a while, that approach is justified. But more often, a mature blog can and should be fixed.

If your blog has an established readership, it’s probably worth it to take the time to fix your existing blog.

The good news is that by making just a handful of changes you can increase traffic and engagement. In this post, I’ll show you five easy fixes to make your existing blog better.

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Are you getting enough freelance writing work? Do you apply for gig after gig, but never receive an answer?

If you can relate, you could be alienating your prospective clients without realizing it. (Don’t worry. Most freelance writers face this problem sooner or later.)

The sad truth is that a prospect who passes you by generally won’t explain what turned them away. As a writer, you’re left scratching your head and trying to figure out what you’ve done wrong.

In this post, I address over seven reasons a prospective client might pass you by.

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