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How Long Will It Take? Six Tips for Estimating Your Project Times

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Today, yesterday, and tomorrow words on blackboardWhen I first launched my business as a freelance web writer, I thought I could write an article in a few hours…

Was I wrong? Not completely. Sure, I could sit down and write 1,000 words in a few hours… but they wouldn’t necessarily be my best words.

To write a truly good article — and ensure I’m charging enough to earn a decent hourly wage, I also need to consider the time required for researching, brainstorming, outlining, and revising.

The same is true for any other kind of web writing — landing pages, emails, sales letters, and more. Even social media posts take more time than the actual five minutes you might spend writing the content.

So, how can you accurately estimate how long a project will take? Here’s how I do it:

1. Understand the Goal of the Project

Start by addressing these three questions:

  • How complex is the project?
  • Am I responsible for one page of copy… or 10?
  • What other pieces will be expected?

The answers will help you understand the goal and clearly define the scope of the project.

Don’t underestimate the importance of this first step… I can’t tell you how many times I stayed up late writing a last-minute order device or follow-up email to accompany a sales letter. But, if I had simply asked the correct questions up front, I could have blocked out a more accurate amount of time for the project.

Pro tip: Don’t be afraid to ask your client questions. I used to think asking questions was a sign of an amateur. Nothing could be further from the truth! Your client expects you to ask questions. Otherwise, how will you know what they’re looking for and how to make them happy with the final copy?

2. Break the Project


Member Update: Matching Your To-Do List to Your Day

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Two men connect two puzzle pieces. Sunset sky. Concept of busine

When you have a lot going on, it’s tempting to write down everything you feel like you need to get done on your to-do list and then just hope for the best.

I’m famous for doing this. Well, at least in my household.

I’ll look at every project I have and decide what I “should” get done during the day, and onto my list those items go. Which leads to these crazy-long lists, a paralyzing sense of overwhelm, and a less productive day than I could have had if I was just, you know, reasonable.

If you’re like me and feel like somehow adding things to your to-do list is kind of like accomplishing something, then I have a challenge for you that might keep the overwhelm monster at bay.

When you make your daily to-do list (or if you work from a weekly master list), put an estimated time involved next to each item.

On your list for the day, add up the time it would take to complete all the items.

Next, consider how much time you really have to dedicate to work. If the number from above is bigger than this number, it’s time to start trimming.

You can do this one of two ways. You can identify the least important and least urgent items on your list and nix them one-by-one until the time you have to work matches the total estimated time it will take to complete your to-do list.

Or — and this is the approach I take — you can start a new list, adding things to it one-by-one in order of importance until you’ve filled the time you have available to work.

If you want to really be a pro, only fill your time 80 percent of the way. Then you’ll be

Member Update: That First Hour

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The process of repair of mechanical watches

I have the privilege of interviewing Ben Settle once a month as part of his 10-Minute Workday program.

If you’re unfamiliar with Ben, he’s an email marketer with a knack for writing edgy copy and with an absolute handle on who he is, what he wants, his purpose, and his audience.

In other words, he’s pretty nailed down.

And in nearly every interview session, the question comes up about getting things done. How do you launch a new business when you have all the demands of your usual life to manage? How do you transition from client work to selling your own product when you’ve got deadlines to meet?

Ben’s advice is always the same.

Take the first hour of your workday for yourself. Dedicate that hour to your most important non-client project.

Do it when you’re fresh… when you haven’t already given a big chunk of your creative energy over to your clients or your boss… when you still have all the time in your day to tend to everything else.

And it works.

I’ve tried different approaches to tackling the projects that are for me — after I get my client work done, in the evening after dinner, on Friday afternoons, during a chunk of time on the weekends. And on and on.

For me, nothing works as well for making steady progress as using that first hour of every day to build whatever your dream is.

So pick a project. It could be a book you want to write… a business you want to launch… a skill you want to master… and give this strategy a try.

Put your first hour toward it every day. Even on weekends.

And just watch the progress you make. I promise it will be impressive.

New on the Site

You’ve heard

Reality Blog: How I Plan to Get My Act Together in One Month

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One more month!

I have just one more month of work!

At the J.O.B., that is.

One more month until I check off my first 2018 goal!

I wasn’t sure I was going to give my notice just yet (as badly as I wanted to), but I did. Here’s the abbreviated version of what happened…

I’ve been telling my boss since last summer that I was starting my own freelance business and would eventually be leaving. He was hoping I’d stick around for a few more years or keep working part-time; and no matter what I said, he heard what he wanted to hear.

So when he commented that I was giving him “mixed messages” (sounds like a bad relationship, doesn’t it?), I decided enough was enough.

After talking it over with my husband, I gave my boss a date — I told him I’d work through the end of March.

No more “mixed messages.” I’ve got an end date!

I’ll hold off on the victory dance until March 31… then I’m gonna party like it’s 1999!

That gives me one month to get my act together. Even though I talk about it all the time, I don’t manage my time well. What I mean is this:

This article is reserved content for Wealthy Web Writer Platinum members. To continue reading this article please log in or become a member today.

Member Update: Planning a Break

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One of the caveats of running your own business is that it can be hard to plan a break… especially if you work with clients on retainer.

But taking vacations once or twice a year (or more) is important to your creativity and your mental health.

When you have regular tasks to complete each day or every week for your clients, taking a vacation means working ahead. That can mean a little extra stress in the weeks leading up to your vacation. But if you plan for it, it’s not unmanageable.

And the vacation is definitely worth it.

Here are a few things I’ve learned over the years that make it easier to take a truly disconnected and relaxing bit of time off of work.

  • Let your clients know well in advance. I have a big trip coming up this summer and I’ve already started letting my clients know that I’ll be away for a couple of weeks in July. I’m also taking next week off — in that case, I let everyone know two weeks out… and that was only because it snuck up on me.

  • Make a list of everything you would do or turn in that week if you were working. Some things you’ll be able to get done early. Other things, you may need to delegate. Figure out which is which.

  • For the items you need to delegate, reach out for help at least two weeks in advance. A month is better.

  • For the items you need to do before you leave, spread them out across your calendar so you’re not cramming everything in the day or two before your time off starts.

By delegating what you can and doing everything else a little bit at a time as your vacation approaches, you can take time off, knowing you’re covered and without working yourself into exhaustion.

Pre-planning is the recipe for a vacation that’s actually relaxing and re-energizing.

I’d love to hear your own take on preparing for time off around the needs of your clients. Share your tips in the comments!

New on the Site

Don’t forget to check out the current Practice Assignment. You still have a week to put your thoughts and your imagination into coming up with a social media plan for a fictional business. All the details are here. Join in the fun… and get a little social media strategy practice in while you’re at it.

Online audiences are more responsive to a voice that feels honest and sincere. John Torre invites you to try the face-to-face test on your copy to see if it passes muster. When you do, you’ll enjoy three big benefits. See how to do it here

Sometimes, your skill at writing can lead you to unexpected places. In his latest Reality Blog, Andrew Murray shares a story of how his Money-Making Website put him on the front line of a major environmental issue happening in Australia… and what it’s been like to swap his content writing hat for an investigative journalist one.

Mark Your Calendar

March 28: Email is one of the highest return marketing methods there is. But for email marketing to work, you need a good list. Learning to build a list for yourself and for your clients will give your perceived value a big boost. Brian Edmondson is one of the top list-building experts in the industry, and he’s joining us to share some fun, effective methods to grow a list.

March 29: Social media marketing has become a necessity for companies that want to succeed online. And our most recent Practice Assignment is all about putting together a social media marketing plan. During this live session, I go over submissions from your fellow web writers to help you see how to write a strong, effective social media marketing plan.

April 5: Our next Monthly Member Update is just around the corner. During April’s meeting, I’ll talk about three things you can do to become a better writer and marketer. Plus, we’ll explore top content on Wealthy Web Writer, get a sneak peek at things to come, and get your most important freelance web-writing questions answered live.

Around the Web

When you produce content on a regular schedule, there’s a chance you’ll run into burnout. Here are some ideas to keep you inspired.

Change is a constant. And it can be stressful. But more than that, change is something to seek out, not avoid. Here are 12 reasons why that’s true.

If you’re writing a blog, you’re going to want some evergreen content in the mix. Try out these nine proven formulas.

Want to build a better social media following? Here are some ideas from Digital Marketer.

That’s all for now. Make it a great week!

Roving Report: How to Carve Out Time for Your Writing Business

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As a freelancer, time management can be “one of the biggest sticking points you’ll encounter,” announced Heather Robson.

Heather is the Managing Editor of Wealthy Web Writer, with nearly two decades of freelance writing experience herself. She’s had her own struggles with time management and learned how to improve, so she shared her strategies with members.

Heather pointed out that the two times when time management becomes the biggest problem are when you’re first launching your business, and once you’ve filled up your client pipeline for the first time.

She explained that, often when you’re getting your writing business off the ground, you’re also holding down a day job. You’re trying to figure out your dual roles — how to progress in a writing career while still being a good employee.

And then later, you’ll find yourself flush with projects only to face a scary empty calendar when they are all complete… because you’ve been busy writing and not marketing.

She addressed both in this webinar, which you can review HERE.

The Magic Formula

Heather believes that steady progress, over time, is the magic formula for success.

New freelancers are often in a big rush to succeed, but “your long-term sustainability depends on understanding that steady progress over time will move you forward consistently without burning out. Start making that mindset shift now,” Heather advised.

A mere three hours a week can be enough to grow and sustain your business. You can turn that three hours into something big, and then, once you’ve been able to leave your day job, three hours a week to focus on your business will keep you moving ahead.

Heather didn’t mince words. “It takes focus and it takes effort,” she announced. “It’s hard work.” She suggested embracing the hard work and noted that people generally feel more satisfaction from working hard and succeeding than in finding an easy solution.

Of course, in addition to working hard, you also need to work smart. Here are Heather’s top 10 strategies for smart time management to achieve a successful writing business (plus a bonus).

#1: Schedule the Time

“Sometimes the obvious solution is the obvious solution,” Heather explained. “You need to schedule the time.”

Heather puts what she calls her “hard landscape” on her calendar. That includes existing work commitments, as well as family obligations, time with friends, and other commitments.

Then she figures out a “practical, doable number of hours I can put in each week” on her business.

She looks for blocks of time that aren’t committed, and starts filling them in. That becomes part of her hard landscape. “If you had a client meeting set up, would you miss it for anything?” she asked. “I can’t imagine you wouldn’t show up for that, so show up for yourself, too.”

“As a writer, you are your most important client,” Heather added. “Look at these times on your calendar as a meeting with a make-or-break client. Show up for the meetings with yourself.”

This article is reserved content for Wealthy Web Writer Platinum members. To continue reading this article please log in or become a member today.

Time Management Tips for Achieving More Productivity

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“Have you ever noticed some people are able to stay organized while getting a massive quantity of work accomplished, while others appear to be busy but never actually produce results? Time management is the key to becoming a successful entrepreneur.” — Clay Clark

Each and every one of us gets the same allotted 24 hours in a day. But, why does it seem that some people are able to get so much more accomplished? How do they squeeze the most out of every minute of the day?

Well, although it may appear that these “time manipulators” have the power to slow down the clock, the reality is — of course — they don’t. They do, however, know how to properly manage their time, and it starts with the old adage, “Work smarter, not harder.” Simply put: the more efficiently you work, the better you will perform. And the better your performance, the less stressful your work environment will be.

You, too, can start managing your time more efficiently. And you can start tomorrow — right now, in fact — by applying the following powerful and proven time management strategies.

1) Start auditing your time — If you spend too much money, the first step to fix the problem is to figure out what you’re spending your money on. It’s the same with time management. The first step you need to take is finding out where your time actually goes. You may believe that you only spend 30 minutes on emails, but in reality, that task may be eating up an hour or more of your day.

The easiest way to keep track of your time is to download a time management app like RescueTime or Toggl. Use it to track everything you do for a week. Armed with this information, you can then make the appropriate adjustments.

This article is reserved content for Wealthy Web Writer Platinum members. To continue reading this article please log in or become a member today.

Member Update: Never Do This

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Never is a strong word. And, if I’m honest… I don’t really mean it when I say “never do this.” There will be times when you have to do what I’m about to recommend against. But when those times happen, it’s best if it’s because something was out of your control.

Okay, so what is this thing to never do?

Never finish a project on the day it’s due.

I’m sure you’ve heard this about managing deadlines before — that you should always finish with at least 24 hours to spare so you can give your work a fresh look before sending it in to your client.

That is an excellent reason to always finish early. But there’s another reason that’s just as important.

Things come up.

You get sick.

You get bad news from a friend.

Your kid gets sick.

A cousin you haven’t seen in years announces they’re passing through town.

You need a long-overdue mental health day.

If you’re in the regular habit of finishing your work at least 24 hours in advance of when it’s due (and preferably two or three days), then a beautiful thing happens.

You gain that control over your schedule that people always mention when they talk about the benefits of freelancing. Because on any given day when you get up and look at your to-do list, there’s nothing on there that’s urgent.

It’s all important. It’s all work to advance your business or to deliver a great result for your client. But there’s nothing that anyone is looking for today.

Which means, on any given day, if you need the day off, you can take it.

Sure, that might still mean that you have to work a little extra over the next day or two. It might even mean that tomorrow you have something that’s due right then and there.

But if you adhere to this rule of managing deadlines most of the time (like 95% of the time), then when you need to skip a day — to take care of yourself or a loved one or to visit with a surprise guest or to just play hooky — you can do it. And that is the freelancer’s life at its best.

New on the Site

Do you have an email list? If yes, do you have a Welcome Series you send to people who sign up for your list? In our latest Reality Blog, Andrew Murray explores the value of a well-written Welcome Series and shares what he’s putting into his own. Check it out.

Headlines are important. They don’t make the sale, but they do get the attention of your reader so you have a chance to make your sale. If your headline is not working well, you’re missing a lot of opportunities… and your results are almost certainly suffering. In John Torre’s latest post, you’ll find six tips for writing strong headlines.

There are a lot of good reasons for choosing a niche and a lot of ways to connect with people in your niche once you’ve decided what it is. This Roving Report walks you through the reasons for niching… and gives you lots of ideas for how you can start to grow relationships within your target market.

Mark Your Calendar

February 7: Join me for our live Monthly Member Update webinar. This month, I’ll be talking about the importance of self-care for writers, and some fun things you can do to make sure you stay mentally, physically, and creatively at your best.

February 13: Our next Practice Assignment is due. This time we’re doing something a little different — we’re practicing optimizing an existing web page for the search engines. You can find the details of the Practice Assignment right here, and the 13th is your deadline to submit it for the chance to be included in our live review, which will happen later in the month.

Around the Web

Do you use a bullet journal? Here are some fun ideas to try

If one of your goals is to land higher-paying clients this year, then you’ll want to give this a read.

“Be lovable” and other tips for writing effective email marketing messages.

Have you ever wondered about the differences between lead generation and demand generation? You’ll find a thorough exploration of the two right here.

That’s all for now. Make it a great week!

 


Can You Be Productive and Still Have Margin?

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A year ago, I was spinning my wheels and going nowhere at 100 miles per hour!

I was trying so hard to be productive… and I was frustrated that I wasn’t getting the results I wanted.

The pace of my life is more relaxed now, but back then was another story.

A Single Word Changed Everything

By applying one simple word, I have come to live what I can only describe as a peaceful life. But what’s surprising is that my productivity has never been better.

A friend saw my hectic lifestyle and recommended I read Margin: How to Create the Emotional, Physical, Financial, & Time Reserves You Need, by Richard A. Swenson, M.D.

I knew something had to change to make me stop and take inventory of my life. At that time, I had no idea what “margin” was, but I thought it would be worth a look…

You may be in the same boat. Ready for a change. Ready to slow down, but still get things done.

According to Dr. Swenson, “Margin is the space between our load and our limits. It is the amount allowed beyond that which is needed.”

Margin is “something held in reserve for contingencies or unanticipated situations.” If you can’t find a place in your calendar to squeeze in a much-needed “time-out,” then you’re working without margin, and you might want to consider some of the changes I had to make…

I wanted to be successful, and that meant I needed to be productive. But I couldn’t see how I could be productive and still have time to spare.

Giving Yourself Time to Work and Time to Breathe Increases Productivity

The secret is in how time margin affects productivity.

As a writer, I realize it’s productivity that generates income. There are many excellent articles written on how to be productive…

For example, Li Vasquez-Noone’s article, “How to Schedule Your Way to Freelance Productivity,” refers to “Gene Schwartz’s famous trick” of using a timer to help keep moving forward.

But after giving several great suggestions on how to be more productive, she acknowledges that we are not designed to work nonstop, and recommends giving yourself “the gift of extra time.”

I wasn’t sure how to gain this “extra time” and still be as productive as I wanted to be.

I loved writing. And it held the promise of improving my lifestyle. I felt like I needed to be putting every minute I could toward that end. But it wasn’t working.

The key was learning how to handle my time more wisely.

Otherwise, I would hit a wall physically and mentally.

I knew I was heading towards burnout. And I knew that wasn’t good… I had read an article on the website www.stressdoc.com that said the consequences of burnout get increasingly more dire as you progress through its four stages:

  1. Physical, Mental, and Emotional Exhaustion — The lament, “I’m too tired to think about it right now” shouldn’t be an everyday occurrence.
  2. Shame and Doubt — Nobody wants to explain missing deadlines or important events because their calendar is so booked they just overlooked them.
  3. Cynicism and Callousness — Nothing can ruin relationships faster than an attitude that has become sour and uncaring.
  4. Failure, Helplessness, and Crisis — The lack of clear thinking makes it hard to get needed help.

As I became mentally fatigued, my productivity took a nosedive. The more I tried to plow through the fatigue, the longer my to-do lists became. And with muddled thinking, the quality of my work suffered.

My schedule was so overloaded that I was risking my professional reputation. I came close to missing deadlines because I couldn’t bring myself to turn down the work.

I had to make changes — and I’m so glad I did!

Time to Unload Your Overloaded Schedule

If you find yourself heading down that same path, you might want to do the same…

Start with a few small steps and go from there:

  1. First, decide what your most important priorities are. My priorities may not be the same as yours, so you have to decide what you want your calendar to look like.
  2. Then, set boundaries. Be willing to say “No” if a new project will take you away from your ultimate priorities or if you simply don’t have the time in your schedule to commit to it.
  3. Finally, create a to-do list for each day at least the night before (I now also plan my week during the prior weekend). This creates a plan of action to get you moving in the right direction when you get up in the morning.

I try to keep the to-do list to not more than five tasks. Otherwise, I end up carrying over items that invariably bump back the next day’s items. That just leads to more stress.

Michael Hyatt, in his article, “How to Create More Margin in Your Life,” refers to Parkinson’s Law: “Work expands to the time allotted for it.”

By setting a specific work schedule — and limiting the time each day dedicated to work — I became more productive.

I learned to identify the activities in my day that don’t match my priorities. I cut those out or drastically reduced the time I allotted to them. That automatically freed up time and created margin.

As part of this step, I set a schedule for checking emails and social media. Keeping that schedule saved me hours every week.

I now use that “found” time to give me extra time before and after meetings. I arrive prepared and on time and I have time after meetings to review my notes and plan any actions I need to take.

Adding additional time into my morning routine has reduced my stress and allowed me to enter the day feeling refreshed instead of rushed. It also gives me space to tend to my physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being before trying to meet the daily demands on my time.

And, freeing up time at night lets me nurture my most important relationships, review the day, and unwind. Side benefit — I sleep better now, too, which means I start each day more rested and focused.

If you feel rushed and stressed all the time, start taking steps to escape the trap of filling up every minute of the day. You’ll be able to focus your most important priorities. And you’ll find yourself getting more of the meaningful things done.

That’s productivity.

Remember, as Michael Hyatt so rightly pointed out, “Margin is not something that just happens. You have to fight for it.”

The life I live now is proof positive that it’s worth the fight.

Member Update: One of Two Things

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I’ll admit, sometimes focus is a struggle for me.

There are days when my focus is sharp. I know what I need to do, and I don’t waste any time getting to it.

But other days, I know what I need to do, and I find every reason in the world to avoid it.

There’s one more article to read…

I need to catch up on my email…

I forgot to add an appointment to my calendar…

I need to take the dog for a walk… text a friend… visit Facebook…

And the kitchen’s a mess…

Oh well… one more game of online Boggle won’t hurt…

Before I know it, an hour has gone by and I still haven’t done the task in front of me, a task that I probably could have completed in a half hour or less.

On those days — and on the good days, too — I have a little trick that works wonders.

I make an agreement with myself that for a set amount of time, I can do one of two things. I can do the next task on my to-do list… or I can do nothing at all.

My options are to get something done or stare at the wall.

Once I make that agreement with myself, it gets much easier to do what I need to, whether I feel like it or not. And honestly, sometimes, I do stare at the wall. But, I come back to the task that I’ve set myself much faster doing that, than if I’m bouncing my attention from one avoidance strategy to the next.

Another thing to try with this strategy is giving yourself a little reward when you’ve crossed the task in question off your list. Go ahead and spend 15 minutes playing your favorite online game… or text that friend… or clean the kitchen if that’s what will make you happy.

Limiting your options between doing a specific task or doing nothing at all can do wonders for your productivity… and ultimately can add more free time to your day as you blast through that to-do list a little faster.

Give it a try!

New on the Site

In these interesting and difficult times, some businesses are seeing explosive growth, some are losing ground, and some are holding steady. The travel industry is struggling, understandably. But Andrew Murray’s Money-Making Website, which falls right into that industry, is holding steady. So what’s making the difference? Click through to find out and see why this information can help your web-writing business too.

Picture a winter landscape. Blue skies with puffy white clouds. Dark-green fir boughs peeking through a sparkling blanket of snow. Lovely, right? One of the things that is so grabbing about such an image is the contrast. And contrast can make your writing more grabbing, too. Thomas Coalson teaches you how to use contrast in a variety of projects. See how this tool can help you better convey ideas and help your reader identify with your point of view.

If you’ve been pushed into working from home due to COVID-19, you’ve been at it for a month or more. You’ve got the basics down. The next step is to work out the kinks. If you’re still honing your work-at-home routine, these nine tips from John Torre can help you streamline your workday.

Did You Miss This?

We had two great events last week, and the recordings are now available.

In the first, Pam Foster and Rebecca Matter joined me to walk you through some of the initial important steps you can take to launch your writing business. If you’re ready to build some momentum, this is the event for you.

Then, later in the week, I hosted User Experience (UX) Copywriting training. During this event, you get to see what UX copywriting is all about… what key mindset shifts you can make to begin thinking like a UX copywriter… and four simple steps you can take to improve the UX of any copy you write. Check it out!

Mark Your Calendar

May 6: Each month, Wealthy Web Writer Platinum members get together for a live meeting. There’s a bit of inspiration and some tips to help you get the most out of your membership. During this month’s meeting, I’ll discuss shelter-in-place lessons you can use to have a healthier business going forward. Plus, we’ll explore top content on Wealthy Web Writer, take a sneak peek at things to come, and get your most important freelance web-writing questions answered live. Join us!

Around the Web

When it comes to resolving serious business challenges, it can help to get a little bit silly

“Your role as a marketer is to try to decrease that anxiety for customers so they can make the best decision — and you can optimize conversion.” That’s a quote from Marketing Sherpa. Read up on how to reduce anxiety in these four quick case studies.

Google Alerts offers a valuable service, but it can be a little cumbersome to use. Here are free and paid alternatives you might like better.

Certain attributes will help you succeed in building your own business. Find out what they are and which ones you can cultivate.

That’s all for now. Make it a great week!

 

Member Update: Too Many Options

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I love living in the information age. Love being able to pop onto my phone to look up this detail or that factoid… to find a quick answer to whatever question is rolling around in my head at the moment.

And I love the accessibility. I enjoy being able to have lunch with a friend who lives a thousand miles away over video chat. It’s not quite the real thing, but it’s close.

Living in the age of so much connectivity and accessibility means that we have more options in front of us than ever before.

More ways to specialize. More skills to learn. More ways to market ourselves. More ways to structure our business.

But there’s a problem.

Instead of choosing between two or three things, like you might have had to do a couple of decades ago, you have to choose between dozens of options.

And that gets stressful.

With so many options, it’s easy to agonize over making the wrong choice. It’s easy to get paralyzed and choose to do nothing instead of something. And, perhaps easiest of all, is to try to do too many things.

It’s like going into a Baskin Robbins, and instead of getting two scoops and enjoying two flavors, you walk out of there with a six-scoop ice cream cone that’s unbalanced and unmanageable.

You either end up with a stomachache or with your ice cream all over the ground.

When you try to do too many things at once with your business, it can feel like your progress is impossibly slow. Or, it can leave you feeling like you’re always in a rush and always have too much to do.

Even worse, that can leave you feeling like you’re not doing your best work on anything.

When it comes to building your business, learning a new skill, or tackling a personal project, it really does pay to limit what you are trying to do at any one time… and then to give yourself time to do each project on your plate to the best of your ability.

If you find yourself feeling rushed all the time or you feel like you’re just not making progress, do an assessment of all the things you’re trying to accomplish. Have you overloaded yourself? If that’s the case, pick a manageable number of things — and be honest with yourself about what that is — and get those done first. Then move on to the next projects.

You’ll do better work. You’ll finish more things. And you’ll enjoy the process more to boot.

New on the Site

What are you willing to sacrifice for your business? It’s an important question to ask early in your pursuit of success. Otherwise, you could end up working hard for all the wrong reasons… Andrew Murray shares a cautionary tale in his latest Reality Blog.

Your clients look for a lot of things in a writer, but one thing will always be important. The results you are able to deliver. John Torre shares seven ideas you can use to improve the conversion rates of your copy. Do that, and you’ll keep your clients coming back!

It won’t be long before WordPress makes its Gutenberg Editor the norm. This step-by-step guide to using the Gutenberg Block Editor in WordPress will set you on your way to creating beautiful pages and posts without any fuss.

Mark Your Calendar

July 7: Good news! Because of an unexpected and unavoidable conflict, our review of lead generation emails had to shift to next week. That means you have extra time to complete a lead generation email to submit… and when you do, it might be selected to be part of the live review. See the details of the Practice Assignment here. And learn more about this live event here.

July 8: Our next Monthly Member Update is just around the corner. If you’re looking for low-pressure ways to keep your marketing up and running and your client pipeline full, you won’t want to miss this. I’m going to share five low-stress methods to strike up a conversation with a potential client. Plus, we’ll look at great new content, what’s coming up, and more! Join us.

Around the Web

Creating a reference guide for your site or for a client’s is a great way to attract lots of traffic and shares. Here are five examples to show you how it’s done.

Curious about how AI is changing marketing? You can find insights into the most important shifts here.

Guest posting can still be a great marketing tool for web writers. Check out this proven approach.

On-page SEO is super important to getting ranked in the search engines. But so is off-site SEO

That’s all for now. Make it a great week!

Feeling Disorganized? 5 Tools to Get You Back on Track

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Let me start off with a confession…

I’m not the most organized of writers.

I’m the kind of writer whose desk is perpetually messy… who makes to-do lists in five different places at the same time… and, who often has to scramble through files looking for notes.

Because of this, I’m always on the lookout for simple time management tools for writers that can help me better manage my creative life. For me to actually use these tools, they have to be simple to set up, easy to maintain, and, ideally, fun to play with.

On a mission to discover such tools, I polled and talked to many writers I know, asking them for recommendations on the most helpful organizational tools.

Now, after giving them all a try myself, I have compiled for you the five most recommended organizational and  time management tools for writers, with practical tips to help you get the most out of each one.

1. Best for Organizing Notes and Research: Evernote

No matter what kind of writing you do, you probably have plenty of notes and research for your projects. Evernote offers a solution for managing all this in one intuitive platform.

In Evernote, you can create notes to jot down thoughts, outline an article, or even write a whole piece. You can group notes and research into particular notebooks, and you can label your notes with keywords, so you can find related topics easily. Evernote also has a library of templates, which you can use to get a jump start on your file organization.

Another handy feature is the Evernote Web Clipper app that allows you to save web pages and articles while you’re doing research. This way, you can save the article for later, without actually having to open the Evernote app.

While you can do a lot with the free version of Evernote, there are a few reasons why you might want to upgrade to a paid version. If you’d like access to your notes offline, to sync your notes across more than two devices, or to use Evernote for more than just your writing life, upgrading to premium might be worth it for you.

Power Tip:  Melissa Gouty, who writes three to five articles every week on Medium, uses Evernote to organize the large amount of reading and research she does. One of her tips for getting the most out of Evernote is to pair the app with a highlighter browser extension to mark key passages in online documents she reads, before saving the article in Evernote. Then, when she comes back to that article later on, the article will still be highlighted. This tip saves her time, whenever she’s conducting research.

Alternatives to Evernote:  Google Keep, Google Docs

2. Best for Organizing a High Volume of Projects: Trello

If you find basic to-do lists aren’t cutting it for you, it may be time to upgrade your project management system. This is especially valuable if you frequently collaborate with other writers, or even if you just have many projects going on at once. Among my writer friends, Trello was frequently mentioned as a flexible but sophisticated list-making application to help with these kinds of tasks.

To use Trello, you create tasks and move them between columns to get a visual on the status of various project aspects. For example, you could have different columns indicating a task is “to do,” “in progress,” or “complete.” Keep your tasks in one place if you like, or spread them out over a variety of different boards – it’s up to you.

If you use Trello mainly for a solo writing business, the free version will probably be fine for you. However, you’ll probably need to pay for it, if you plan to use it across a team.

Power Tip:  Virginia Gause is a copywriter and web designer who uses the free version of Trello to keep track of all her projects. One of her hacks has been to create a client onboarding process list with project files attached, so she can make sure to cover all the key points when she’s bringing in new clients. She also creates a board for each client and invites them to the board, so she can keep them updated on her progress in real time. This helps keep the communication flowing between Virginia and her clients with minimal hassle.

Alternatives to Trello:  Monday, Asana

3. Best for Tracking Time: Toggl

A question all freelancers ask sooner or later is, “How much should I charge for my services?” But, whether you charge by the hour or by project, you can’t know the answer to this question without having a way to track your time. To help with this task, Toggl was the clear winner among the writers I spoke with.

Toggl is extremely easy to set up. Literally, all you have to do to begin tracking your time on a specific project is name the project and press the “play” button. You can also name tasks and track those specifically and categorize your projects under different clients. It all adds up to a clear breakdown of how long each task is taking you.

What makes Toggl especially practical for writers who struggle to remember to use tools consistently is the “reminders” feature. I’ve set mine up to send me a reminder every morning at 9:15 a.m., so I can remember to start tracking my work.

Like the other tools, you may well find the free version is perfect for your basic needs. However, to use billable rates and many of the other more sophisticated features, you may need to upgrade.

Power Tip:  Jen Adams, direct-response copywriter and managing editor at the Professional Writers Alliance, uses Toggl to help her manage her all-too-precious time. Jen says she is careful to label projects and assign them to the right client, so she can get an accurate overview of her workweek, available in the project reports. After all, knowing whether a project took her 10 or 25 hours is crucial information to help determine whether she wants more work with specific clients.

Alternative to Toggl:  Clockify

4. Best for Billing Clients: Wave Accounting

When it comes time to send invoices to clients for your work, keeping this financial information organized couldn’t be more important. Wave Accounting offers an impressive free platform for small businesses. It allows freelancers to create professional invoices, organize expenses, and easily track outstanding invoices all in one place.

It truly is free, with fees only coming into play when you use Wave to accept credit card payments. With an account, you can create elegant invoices with your company’s logo and brand colors, which helps you present yourself as a true professional. With Wave’s free mobile app, you can also take pictures of receipts to keep track of expenses, which is, of course, useful for tax purposes.

Unless you already have an invoice system you love and use, it probably makes sense to give Wave a try, since it’s free and made with small-business owners in mind.

Power Tip:  Joyce Hollman, who does content strategy and online marketing for health and wellness businesses, swears by Wave. She says it’s so convenient, it has even convinced some of her clients to pay her electronically. According to Joyce, one thing about Wave that may not be obvious to new users is the “Reports” link on the left-hand side of the dashboard, which includes several options to dig deeper into your finances. All these reports, she says, can be helpful during tax time, or just to get a better handle on your business finances.

Alternatives to Wave:  Freshbooks, Quickbooks

5. Best for Collaborating with Others on Writing: Google Docs

Depending on what kind of writing you do, you may need to collaborate frequently with others. If so, Google Docs can be a big help.

Google Docs is quite well-known. But, if you haven’t used it, you should definitely give it a try. Totally free, it allows you to share documents as links and give or receive feedback in real time. You can, for instance, share a document and ask a client to use the comments feature (or suggested edits) to solicit feedback. Compared to sending Word documents back and forth, Google Docs is a much quicker process, once you get the hang of it.

Another huge advantage of Google Docs is that you can never lose your work – everything is saved automatically. If you’ve ever lost a document after hours or even weeks of work on it, then you know how important that is!

All in all, Google Docs is a great and easy-to-set-up platform that can be very helpful for documents and projects where a lot of collaboration happens.

Power Tip:  I work as a content strategist, and I’m constantly sharing documents with writers using Google Docs. The “version history” feature in Google Docs is particularly handy, if I’m trying to track down something that got deleted. To restore a deleted passage, I can simply check the history of the document, see all previous versions of that document, and copy and paste the passage I’m looking for into my newer version, so that nothing gets lost.

Alternatives to Google Docs:  DropBox, Microsoft Word

Your Organizational Challenge:  Try Out One New Tool

There’s no shortage of online applications and tools to help you organize your writing life. At times, it can even get a little overwhelming! That’s the great thing about these five tools – they’ve already been tested and approved by writers, saving you some of the trial and error.

While you certainly don’t need to start using all of these tools right away, incorporating just one of these tools into your writing routine can make a huge difference in your productivity and efficiency later on.

So, here’s my challenge to you – and to myself, as well. Think about the biggest organizational weaknesses in your writing business at the moment and explore some of the tools on this list. Once you’ve found something you’d like to try out, commit to using it for at least one month.

At the end of the month, take stock to see how much you benefitted from it.

Ready to start? If so, leave a comment down below about which of these time management tools for writers you might want to try over the next month.

When You’re a Freelance Writer, You’re in Charge of Your Time – Manage It Like a Boss

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You’re here. So, you either work as a freelance writer or you want to work as a freelance writer.

That means I know a few things about you.

You have an adventurous streak.

Freelancing by nature has more uncertainty than a regular job. Really, I should say, the uncertainty is easier to perceive. Either way, I find most people interested in freelancing have a thirst for experience. They want to do things, to try things… to know what it’s like to be in the thick of things.

You desire meaning in your work.

You can find a lot of meaning in a traditional job, no doubt. But, that isn’t always the case. And, even when you’re doing meaningful work you believe is making a difference, you’re doing that work for someone else. The surest way to pursue meaningful work — work infused with purpose — is to be your own boss… to choose your own path.

You value your time.

Becoming a freelance writer doesn’t mean you’ll work less than your traditionally employed counterparts. You might. Sometimes, though, you might work more. But, working as a freelancer means you get to dictate how you spend your time. You determine when you work and what you work on. And, that’s huge.

It’s this last trait I want to talk about today.

Because, by taking on this wonderful adventure of freelance writing, you’re taking on more than just crafting content and sales copy for clients.

You’re taking on marketing yourself.

You’re taking on learning new skills.

You’re taking on becoming an expert in a niche or specialty.

You’re taking on organizing and managing your business.

In other words, you’re taking on a lot.

And, it’s totally worth it. I look at the past (almost) 20 years I’ve spent as a full-time freelancer, and it’s been amazing. Working from home. Working from the road. All the time I’ve gotten to spend with my family. The clients I’ve landed and friends I’ve made. I wouldn’t trade it.

So today, I want to give you some tools for making the most of your time, so you’re able to give all the things you’re taking on the attention they need for your business to grow and flourish.

First Things First… Figure Out the Time You Want to Spend on This.

Before you can even begin thinking about making the most of your time, you need to pause and think about the amount of time you actually have.

This is step one. Decide how much time you want to dedicate to your freelance-writing business.

If you’re holding down a regular job, this might be a small number like 10 or 15 hours a week. On the other hand, if you don’t have a day job, you might be able to dedicate much more.

This is a number you’ll want to review every three to six months, because it will fluctuate. Your writing business might grow to the point where you leave your day job. At that point, your 15-hour commitment might jump to 30. Or, you might have been working 40 hours a week on your writing business to get things off the ground… but once you have a few clients and some steady income from it, you may choose to scale back your work hours to 25.

Remember, you’re in control!

Once you figure out how many hours you want to put toward working on your business, block them out on a calendar, so you know that’s work time.

And then, set some boundaries. Let friends and family know those are your work hours and to disturb you only if it’s absolutely necessary. (Be clear on what “absolutely necessary” means.)

Set some boundaries for yourself, too. When you can work from anywhere, it’s easy to let your work bleed over into your free time. But, if you set a boundary early on regarding the circumstances under which you’ll “work late,” you’ll set yourself up to enjoy your work when it’s work time and then to relax guilt-free when it’s not.

Second Things Second:  What Are You Balancing Exactly?

This isn’t an article about work-life balance. It’s an article about balancing the different work hats you’ll wear as a freelance writer. So, you need to know what those hats are…

The Administrator:  Sometimes, you’ll step into the role of administrator. This is the person who makes sure the bills get paid, the invoices get sent, and the books get balanced. This person organizes receipts for tax time. And, they make decisions about things like what company to use for website hosting. This is a critical role in your business, one that must be attended to. So, either you need to wear this hat from time to time… or you need to outsource it to someone you trust.

The Business Builder:  When you put on your Business Builder hat, you’re going to put time into marketing your business, growing your network, and connecting with your network… all those things that bring clients in the door.

As the business builder, you’ll also spend some time experimenting with new marketing methods. You’ll touch base with existing clients to suggest new projects. You’ll also work on developing new assets for your business. You might write a new blog post for your website, for example. Or, you might update your LinkedIn profile.

To succeed, you need clients… and it’s the business builder’s job to land them.

The Student:  Ask any successful freelance writer, and they’ll tell you one key to success is continuous learning. Study marketing. Read about your industry and your craft. Learn new skills. Practice your skills — both the new and the well-established. Keep up with what’s changing in marketing and in the industries you serve most often.

The Artist:  Just about every writer I know can list off a dozen or most creative projects they’d like to tackle. Some might be geared toward earning money. But, some just align with a passion they have.

It doesn’t matter. Identify your own creative projects and set aside time to work on them. This will keep you energized and fulfilled. And, that means you’ll do better work on everything.

The Paid Writer:  Hopefully, it goes without saying that, when you land a project, you need to take the time to do good work and to deliver it by the agreed-upon deadline.

These are the five main hats you’ll need to wear in your business. You’ll come across others. But, this is a good starting point.

So… how do you know which hat to wear when, and for how long?

The answer is… it depends on where you’re at in your business. Let’s take a look…   

When You’re Starting Out – Before You Land Clients

In the B.C. stage of your writing career — that’s Before Clients — things are pretty straightforward.

You’re going to dedicate most of your time to building your business. But, you don’t want to ignore those other hats.

Administrative tasks demand attention on a regular basis. But fortunately, they don’t require much time — usually just an hour or two a week. And then, you might dedicate a day once a month or once a quarter to do some review, explore new tools, archive existing records, and catch up on anything you didn’t get to in your regularly scheduled time.

Dedicating time to creative projects also tends to work best on a fixed-hour basis. Somewhere between two and four hours a week is usually enough to keep your creative need well-filled. And then, sometimes, you’ll find yourself pining to work on one of these projects in your off hours. If that’s the case, go for it! Capitalize on that momentum, when it’s running high.

Take whatever is left over of the time you decided to put toward your business, and dedicate 75 percent of it to building your business, with a heavy focus on landing clients.

Spend the remaining 25% on wearing your Student hat and honing your skills.

Feast or Famine – Finding a Rhythm and Breaking Free

Once you start landing clients, sooner or later you’ll hit a tipping point.

When that happens, most writers find themselves in a feast-or-famine cycle.

During feasts, you have so much work on your plate, it feels impossible to wear any hat other than your Paid Writer hat. It can also feel impossible to respect the boundaries you set regarding when you’ll work and when you won’t.

During a feast, schedule yourself first each week. Block that hour to tend to administrative tasks. Block two hours to touch base with your creative projects. And then, set aside 10 to 20 percent of your remaining time for business building and skill building.

Everything else gets dedicated to paid client work. By adopting this discipline of scheduling yourself first, you’ll set yourself up to break out of the feast-or-famine cycle.

During famines, give a little extra time to administrative work. Review the time it took you to complete projects and how much you billed for them. How did it break down into an hourly rate? Use what you learn to adjust how you schedule projects going forward, so you don’t get overwhelmed, and so you still have time to market your business — another key to breaking out of the cycle.

During a famine, add a little time for your creative projects.

Continue to put about 10% of your remaining time toward skill building. And, put the balance toward landing new clients… but with more attention to scheduling the work, so you’re not swamped.

Striking the Balance – Hitting Your “Steady Work” Stride

Getting to the point in your business where you have steady work — you’re not swamped and you’re not panicked over where the next project is coming from — does require discipline and balance… and some trial and error, so be patient with yourself.

It means not overscheduling yourself with client projects. It means getting a good handle on how long different projects will take you, so you can set deadlines that make sense. It may also mean adding a retainer client or two to your roster, so you have certain projects (and paychecks) you can plan for well into the future.

All this boils down to one key thing… knowing when your next calendar opening is. I call this my next start date. When you know your next start date, you can continue to market yourself… and, when a client contacts you about a project, you’ll be able to collect a deposit and schedule them in for your next availability. With a little practice, you’ll be able to estimate with pretty good accuracy how long you’ll need for that project.

And then, you determine your new start date for the next client who comes in… lather, rinse, repeat.

You can see how this changes things. When you’re scheduling projects into the future, there’s no feast or famine. Just steady work.

So, how does that break down in terms of how much time you should wear each hat?

You’ll still wear your Administrator hat for an hour or two each week, with a day every month or quarter for review, catch up, and to learn new systems you’re thinking about adopting.

You’ll still wear your Artist hat for three or four hours a week — more if you want to wear that hat in your non-work time.

And then, for most writers it works best if they wear the Paid Writer hat for about 70% of the remaining time, the Business Builder hat for about 20%, and the Student hat for about 10%.

This is just a starting point recommendation, though. Every writer is different. With a little experimentation, you’ll find the balance that’s right for you. And when you do, you’ll be able to manage and grow your business, improve your skills, stay organized, and deliver great client work.

All of that adds up to a low-stress writing career you’ll enjoy… and will pay your bills and then some.

How Waiting Until the Last Minute Can Be a Smart Time Management Trick

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I’ve lost count of how many times I said it would be the “last time”… but then always found myself right back in the same spot…

That spot where, once again, I found myself waiting until the last minute to get started on a project.

But these days, when that happens, I don’t worry so much about it.

I used to think my form of procrastinating was a bad habit.

But, I’ve come to realize waiting until the last minute actually helps me complete my projects on time… without the quality of my work suffering.

In fact, some of those “last-minute” projects have turned out to be my best pieces of writing.

That was certainly the case for my first published book, Barbarians of Wealth.

Talk about pressure to get it done.

I had only 12 weeks to write what turned out to be a 600-page manuscript. And sure enough, I waited way longer than I intended to get started.

But, I finished on time… with a week to spare, actually.

What’s Going on Here?

Well, turns out there’s a psychological principle at work. It’s called the Yerkes-Dodson Law. Psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dillingham Dodson discovered this phenomenon 112 years ago.

They were experimenting on lab rats, using mild electrical shocks. They found that slightly elevated shocks motivated the rats to go through a maze at a much faster speed than normal.

They also found that, if the shock given was too strong, the rats scurried in random directions, becoming ineffective at navigating the maze. And, if the shock was too light, the rats barely budged.

The two psychologists developed the working theory that some forms of stimulation, such as nervous energy or anxiety, can actually improve your performance.

Sure enough, this proves true with athletes and students.

Think back to when you were a student taking an exam. What you didn’t know at the time was that bit of stress you felt helped you remember the information you’d studied.

But, like the old Chinese proverb, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Too much anxiety can impair your ability to concentrate and make it more difficult to remember the correct answers.

The Yerkes-Dodson Law holds true when working on client projects. A certain amount of nervous anxiety or adrenaline helps you get projects completed and turned in on time.

And, one way to generate that “just right” amount of adrenaline and anxiety is waiting until the last minute to get started.

But, the trick is figuring out when that last minute is.

Wait too long and you’ll be overwhelmed by stress, leaving you frantic and barely able to get anything done. Start too soon, and you won’t feel motivated or at your most creative.

Learning to Predict Your Best “Last Minute”

You need to do a little pre-planning and map things out, whether that’s on paper or in your head.

To do this effectively, you need to know the full scope of the entire project.

You’ll want to ask yourself:

  • How familiar am I with the subject matter?
  • Am I able to draw from personal experiences in order to find relatable stories I can use for this project?
  • How much research is involved?
  • Do I have all the right resources needed?
  • How much time do I need to set aside for research?
  • Does the project involve multiple pieces of writing, or is it one big project?

The answers to these questions will give you an idea of how much time you need to do for research, writing, and revisions.

If you’re unfamiliar with a topic, each step will take more time. If the project is similar to a dozen others you’ve already successfully written, then you’ll need less time.

When you’re taking on a big project, to make the best use of the Yerkes-Dodson Law, give yourself three deadlines. One for research. One for writing. And, one for revisions.

Deadlines almost always work better when it’s someone other than you holding your feet to the fire. So, work with a writing partner or set these deadlines up with your client, explaining what they can expect at each one.

Deadline 1 – Research and Big Idea:  By this deadline, you must have your project well-researched and be well-versed in the nuances of your audience and your topic. At this deadline, you’ll share your big idea, your outline, and a summary of key points with your client or your writing partner.

Deadline 2 – Writing the First Draft:  When you reach this deadline, you’ll have a fully fleshed-out, but still rough, draft of your project to work with.

Deadline 3 – Completing Revisions and Polishing Your Final Draft:  This is your final deadline. The one you originally set up with your client. By this deadline, you want a polished, well-constructed piece to hand in.

By dividing your work into these three phases, you can leave things to the last minute multiple times, getting the advantage of that adrenaline rush. But, you also build in a safety net, in case you misjudge the time you need.

If you blow your research deadline, for example, that won’t affect your ability to write a high-quality draft by the final deadline.

(The other advantage of using these three deadlines with a client is you get buy-in each step of the way… or a chance to course correct early, if the client doesn’t like the direction you’re heading.)

Trust What You Know

The truth is every writer writes at a certain pace.

For example, since I’ve been writing for almost 30 years, I know I can complete about an 800- to 1,000-word article in two hours. A 40-page long-form sales letter takes me much longer, anywhere from two to six weeks.

When you know your actual writing rate, you can formulate an instinctual idea of how long it will take you to do a project. And, from there you’ll know how to pick the best “last minute” for the project… or, if you even want to use your “last-minute” strategy.

If the project is big enough or on an unfamiliar topic, starting sooner may be the better approach.

But, here’s the thing to keep in mind. If you have a hard time staying motivated or focused, that nervous energy you feel from waiting until the last minute can be key.

So, learn to tap into that when you need it. You’ll get more done, faster… and you’ll write better, too.

Using Door-to-Door Salesman Repellent to Manage Time Better

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Imagine you’re the average German citizen in the 60s. You’re in a hurry — always — and you don’t speak much English. But suddenly a nice young man in a smart black suit and an almost military haircut is at your door offering you a free demonstration of some product or another.

He’s polite. And persistent. You don’t really want to hurt his feelings by slamming the door in his face. But you also know if you give him any encouragement, you’ll be there at least an hour.

  • Do you stop and speak to him?
  • Do you rudely push him away and tell him to get lost?
  • Do you set fire to the nearest building and get away in the confusion?

According to one of my library acquaintances — an older gentlemen who likes to tell me stories whenever we bump into each other — the average German citizen of the 60s learned one line in English specifically to get rid of door-to-door sorts like these…

“Time is Money, and I Have No Money!”

That story sticks in my head, not because I generally have a line of door-to-door salesman vying for my attention, but because I do meet so many “harmless” little distractions in the course of a normal day.

Distractions that waste a little bit of time here, and a little bit more time there. Time is money, and suddenly I have no money.

How to Waste Money by Misinterpreting Gene Schwartz’s Time Rule

When I first started doing 21-day challenges, I borrowed the kitchen timer and set it for the Gene Schwartz approved 33 minutes. But I kept misplacing it, which annoyed everyone, so I downloaded a timer app.

Coincidentally, that app also had a stopwatch feature and for some reason (maybe instinct), I started turning it on while the 33-minute timer was running. Every time I’d “step away” during my 33 minutes, I’d pause the stopwatch and start it again when I came back to the task at hand.

When my 33 minutes was up, I’d write down the difference.

To my absolute shock and horror, during an eight-hour day, I was actually being productive for about four… on the worst days, my active work time could drop as low as two and a half hours.

Yikes!

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Reality Blog: It’s Gotta Be Quittin’ Time Sometime

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There’s nothing quite like the pure darkness of an early country morning. There’s a tangible quiet to those almost-witching hours when nothing’s moving and even the coyotes have gone silent.

It’s the best time and place in the world for deep sleep.

Unfortunately for my 11-year-old self, back on the ranch in Arizona, it was not the easiest place to wake up early.

At the time, I’d figured out that if I got up at 4:00 a.m. (the earliest time a preteen was allowed out of bed), I could finish my schoolwork by nine or ten. Which meant I could spend the rest of the morning writing my second novel on Mama’s old typewriter.

Yay for homeschooling!

The trouble was that in an effort to make sure I was getting up by four, I was waking up by three and even two in the morning. Plus, I didn’t have an alarm clock, so to pull that off, I just couldn’t allow myself to sleep all that hard.

In other words, I wasn’t sleeping enough… and it started to take a toll.

That was when my parents gave me one of the best birthday presents I’ve ever received.

Roving Report: The Power of Process

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You know Heather Robson as Wealthy Web Writer’s managing editor, but did you know she’s also a successful freelance web writer with over 15 years’ experience?

She attributes her success in part to her willingness to create — and use — systems and processes in her work. She recently spoke with a group of Wealthy Web Writer members about processes and how using them can help you improve your business.

The entire webinar is available HERE.

System vs. Process

Heather noted the difference between a system and a process.

  • A system is complex, whereas a process is designed to fulfill a single purpose.
  • Systems are supported by processes linked together.
  • A system deals with problems of strategy, whereas a process is tactical.
  • Systems are perpetuated, but a process has a definite beginning and end.
  • Systems help you achieve long-term goals, whereas processes provide next steps.

A Process Helps You Leverage Your Time

Heather walked us through two different scenarios. In each, the trigger is a request from a potential client for a discovery call in 18 hours.

In the first scenario, you’re not sure what to do.

What questions do you ask? What’s your goal for the call?

How much time will you need to prepare?

You don’t know…

In the second scenario, you have the same 18 hours to prepare for the call.

But this time you have a process in place. It’s a five-part research process, with established questions you’ll need to have the client answer, and where you know the goal.

You also know you’ll need one to two hours to prepare for the discovery call.

In this scenario, “you’re much calmer,” Heather noted. “You know you need to do some research, you know the questions you need to ask, and you know what your goal is.

“That’s the great thing about processes,” she added. “They help you leverage your time.”

They also provide a clear path, which lowers your stress levels. With a process, you’ll be prepared, confident, and relaxed going into that discovery call.

Your clients will know —  and appreciate — the difference!

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How to Manage Your Time and Get It All Done While Still Having a Life

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The game within the game of American football is time management. There are 60 minutes of playing time in the game. The more time your offense is on the field with the ball, the more opportunity you have to score… and the fewer opportunities the other team has.

When you have more points than your opponent, the game clock strategy on offense is to run plays that take up the most amount of time and keep the clock running, while moving you down the field to score even more points to solidify your lead. This strategy also means there’s less time for the other team when they get the ball back.

When you’re behind, you want to run plays as quickly as possible and stop the clock as often as you can to preserve time as you’re moving down the field to score.

Coaches try to strategically manage the things that stop the clock — timeouts, incomplete passes, stepping off the field of play with the ball, changes of possession, and the two-minute warning… among others — to their advantage.

And, while the basic idea of keeping your offense on the field for as much time as you can seems simple, the other team is trying to do that, too. So, successfully managing the clock is notoriously difficult for even professional NFL coaches.

Successfully managing the clock is something other professionals often find difficult, too.

Like football coaches, we writers and freelance professionals want to maximize our offensive time in the game — when we’re doing proactive, income-producing tasks. And, we want to keep our defense — our reactive tasks — to a minimum.

Because, let’s face it, it’s a lot more satisfying and fun to end the day with a win than a loss.

So, how do we win the day? How do we manage our time, get everything done, and still have a life?

Here are some time-management strategies I’ve found work for me and others. They can work for you, too.

Time Blocking

Time blocking is the strategy of breaking your day into chunks of time and then scheduling tasks into those blocks of time.

Many people find this gives their day structure and keeps them focused on the things they need to get done rather than facing a completely open schedule that makes it tempting to meander through the day, jumping from one task to the next.

Going back to our football analogy, you could consider your time blocks the quarters of the game.

For example, your day may look something like this, if you need six hours of productive working time per day:

  • 8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. — Startup Routine (your pre-game warmup)
  • 8:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. — Task Block 1
  • 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. — Task Block 2
  • 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. — Lunch (half time)
  • 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. — Task Block 3
  • 2:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. — Task Block 4
  • 4:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. — Shutdown Routine (your post-game wrap-up)

Notice the 15-minute time breaks between each of the working time blocks? Those breaks are important to “reset” your mind and body, keeping you fresh throughout the day. I suggest getting away from the computer, stretching, perhaps even going outside to get some fresh air during those breaks.

Each of those 90-minute task blocks can be further broken down, if what you have planned for those times won’t take that long. For example, Task Block 3 may include reading and responding to email, social media, and bookkeeping tasks like invoicing, depositing payments, and paying bills.

You may also find it helpful to break these blocks of time into smaller productivity chunks. The Pomodoro Technique suggests setting a timer for 25 minutes of uninterrupted work, followed by a five-minute break.

And, of course, you can stretch those blocks into two hours and adjust the times accordingly, if you have more to do each day.

Routines to Start and End Your Workday

Startup and shutdown routines have been shown to boost your workday productivity and give you a better sense of work-life balance.

My startup routine is to get a full cup of coffee, turn on my laptop, write my main goal (as well as, something I’m grateful for) in my planner, review my calendar and tasks for the day, do a quick couple of stretches, and then get to work.

My shutdown routine is to write out the tasks I plan to tackle the following day, recognize at least one “daily win” of the day, turn off my laptop, do some stretching, and then physically leave my home office and turn off the lights in that room.

These routines really are mostly about mindset. They get you “in the zone” to work and then let you leave work behind at the end of the day.

Your startup and shutdown routines may not look just like mine. They don’t have to! You can design them to be whatever you need them to be to get you into a productive — and then non-working — state of mind.

It may take a few tries and tweaks to get a routine that’s most effective for you. It’s worth the effort! And then, once you find something that feels right, the key is to be consistent.

With time and practice, you’ll find going through your routine is like flipping an on/off switch in your brain. You’ll be able to get more done and still have a life outside of work.

Schedule Flexibility and Downtime

The potential downside of time blocking your day and scheduling every last minute is that you don’t have any wiggle room for unexpected things that come up. That’s why I suggest intentionally scheduling some cushion time each day, as well as some downtime each week.

For example, my time blocks add up to six hours of work time each day, with the day ending at 4:30 p.m. If something unexpected comes up, I can easily add extra time (an overtime quarter to the game) to accommodate it.

Or, I can expand my break times, if something personal comes up.

I also keep at least two to four time blocks unscheduled each week. If something comes up, I have them available and can plug in the extra tasks. If nothing comes up, I have an extra half-day to a full day of time off.

Time Management for the Win

Jim Rohn said, “Either you run the day, or the day runs you.”

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like the feeling of giving up my power to anyone or anything else. I much prefer to run the day than the other way around.

I’d much rather be proactive and set myself up for the win than to rely on defensive reactions to get through the day.

Effective time management lets you feel good about your workday and your non-work life. It sets you up for the win each and every day.

Practice it, master it, and get your touchdown victory dance polished up. With solid time-management skills in your playbook, you’re sure to be celebrating many wins along the way.

Reality Blog: Control Social Media… with Your Smartphone?

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Trying to hold a conversation with someone who’s scrolling on their smartphone… Isn’t that just the worst?

It’s a modern phenomenon I’ve never quite gotten used to. I came to digital work late in life, not having routine access to smartphones and the internet until I was in my late teens. That might make my choice to become an online copywriter seem a little strange…

… Except that I love all the benefits of having instant access to information and to people!

On the other hand, I’ll never forget a family reunion where several of my cousins couldn’t be bothered to even look me in the eye… because they were looking at their phones.

That experience, and others like it, have made me leery of fully embracing smartphones and social media.

The problem is, I need to spend time on social media to effectively market myself.

Accepting the Good/Bad Paradox

We need fire and water, yet both of those things can turn deadly if you are careless with them.

In much the same way, social media is a valuable marketing tool for freelancers, yet social media left uncontrolled can destroy your focus, self-control, emotional stability, and forward momentum.

Create Deliberate Focus

The biggest problem with social media is its power to distract us:

  • News feeds
  • Updates
  • Notifications
  • Never-ending emails

All of these things can pull us away from the things we want to focus on. And even a minute of broken concentration can cost hours of productivity.

On the other hand, if you can figure out your own way to focus through the distractions, you’ll be a much stronger person, and a much better copywriter in the long run. Life is always full of distractions — tuning out anything short of a fire or an earthquake is a great skill.

A focus technique that I’m finding amazingly freeing is checking social media only on my smartphone.

It seems counterintuitive to put all your distractions together in one place, but I find that the size of the screen helps me tune out advertising, irrelevant posts, and the notifications tab. I also find relevant chats in groups easier to follow.

Plus, the next tip really helps remove the two distractions from daily life altogether.

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