Practical Hyper-Productivity Tips for Professional Freelance Writers
A commitment to productive work habits makes all the difference in the world for any freelance writer, whether scratching out articles for extra income, running a business from a spare bedroom, or penning a path across the world.
Too many freelancers get online, planning to knock out some work, and spend the whole day jumping around from place to place rather than getting anything substantial done.
In this way, most work twelve unproductive hours a day when they could be working a mere four or five.
If serious about making money online, make hyper-productivity one of your biggest goals this year.
Start off your business on the right foot so you don't have to relearn a whole new set of habits later on.
You can start building the foundation of your hyper-productivity plan today with these 3 life-changing tips.
1.
Work in Focused Blocks Most writers think more hours in front of the computer equals more work done - not so.
At one time, I made the same mistake.
Every morning upon waking up, I jumped directly to my laptop, often staying there until the early hours of the morning and only leaving my work to eat.
And even with my insane hours, I accomplished very little.
Most people working online suffer from a lack of focus rather than time.
Go buy a timer - I used to think living on a timer would make me a slave to my obligations but instead it liberated me.
And it can liberate you as well.
A simple little travel timer or kitchen timer will do; don't use a cell phone alarm or incoming calls will interrupt you.
Then, decide which of your work tasks create (or will create) the most value.
My most valuable tasks, the ones that put money directly in my pocket, are bidding on new work and writing articles (whether for clients or my own sites).
Perhaps you'd rather pay someone to bid jobs for you while you put 100% of your attention into penning the content.
Or maybe you'll hire other writers and spend all your time marketing - it really depends on your business model and your personal strengths.
The goal here is to identify those value-adding tasks and then create blocks of time where you do nothing else but those.
Set your timer for 40 to 90 minutes, and put all your energy into that one thing until the time is up.
Then take a short break before getting back to work again.
After every two or three highly focused work blocks, take a longer break for coffee or a small bite to eat.
Sometimes, on my breaks, I play a little guitar, do some push-ups, or take a walk to unwind.
Of course, you decide the length of your blocks and how you use your breaks - just create an ultimate work drill for hyper-focus and put it into action.
2.
Batch Your Communication Work To achieve maximum productivity, you should also consider the process you use to deal with client communications.
Opening up your email inbox while working is one of the easiest ways to throw yourself off track - the same is true for Skype, IM, Facebook, and the telephone.
Communication interruptions scatter your focus, often setting off a domino effect from which you may not recover all day.
First, turn off all communication devices when working in your focused blocks.
The phone, Skype, Facebook - the works.
Set a specific time each day for checking your email, mailing off articles, and chatting with clients.
In fact, schedule admin work blocks halfway through your day, so they don't sidetrack you as soon as you get online.
Knock at least one of your focused work blocks out of the way before even touching your email accounts.
Also, unsubscribe from all unnecessary email newsletters, and ignore anything unrelated to work during admin time.
You may even want to set up a completely separate email account for work.
3.
Hire a Virtual Secretary Outsourcing offers a great strategy for handling systematic processes while you focus on your most value-added tasks.
Consider hiring a fluent English-speaking virtual assistant from the Philippines - entry-level virtual assistants work full-time for a mere $300 a month (and they appreciate raises, I might add).
So, what tasks should they handle? Well, that's really up to you.
My previous assistant managed all of my separate email accounts (I had quite a few of at the time).
She essentially filtered my emails and only forwarded the ones requiring my response or oversight.
In addition, I gave her templates for standard questions, etc, and permission to mail them on my behalf if my input was unnecessary.
Or how about having your assistant bid on jobs? Arm them with niche-specific bid templates and teach them to tailor each one for individual jobs.
Then write your heart out as your pipeline fills up with work.
Other tasks you can outsource include order fulfillment on upsells (like backlinking or directory submissions), doing keyword research, or building websites for your other projects.
What aspects of your business could you hand off to someone else? These are just 3 simple tips for moving your productivity into hyper-drive, but trust me when I say that these alone are enough to radically transform the landscape of your business and move you to the next level.
If you're new, hit the ground running and you will leave your competition in the dust as you build a solid business that lasts for years to come.
Too many freelancers get online, planning to knock out some work, and spend the whole day jumping around from place to place rather than getting anything substantial done.
In this way, most work twelve unproductive hours a day when they could be working a mere four or five.
If serious about making money online, make hyper-productivity one of your biggest goals this year.
Start off your business on the right foot so you don't have to relearn a whole new set of habits later on.
You can start building the foundation of your hyper-productivity plan today with these 3 life-changing tips.
1.
Work in Focused Blocks Most writers think more hours in front of the computer equals more work done - not so.
At one time, I made the same mistake.
Every morning upon waking up, I jumped directly to my laptop, often staying there until the early hours of the morning and only leaving my work to eat.
And even with my insane hours, I accomplished very little.
Most people working online suffer from a lack of focus rather than time.
Go buy a timer - I used to think living on a timer would make me a slave to my obligations but instead it liberated me.
And it can liberate you as well.
A simple little travel timer or kitchen timer will do; don't use a cell phone alarm or incoming calls will interrupt you.
Then, decide which of your work tasks create (or will create) the most value.
My most valuable tasks, the ones that put money directly in my pocket, are bidding on new work and writing articles (whether for clients or my own sites).
Perhaps you'd rather pay someone to bid jobs for you while you put 100% of your attention into penning the content.
Or maybe you'll hire other writers and spend all your time marketing - it really depends on your business model and your personal strengths.
The goal here is to identify those value-adding tasks and then create blocks of time where you do nothing else but those.
Set your timer for 40 to 90 minutes, and put all your energy into that one thing until the time is up.
Then take a short break before getting back to work again.
After every two or three highly focused work blocks, take a longer break for coffee or a small bite to eat.
Sometimes, on my breaks, I play a little guitar, do some push-ups, or take a walk to unwind.
Of course, you decide the length of your blocks and how you use your breaks - just create an ultimate work drill for hyper-focus and put it into action.
2.
Batch Your Communication Work To achieve maximum productivity, you should also consider the process you use to deal with client communications.
Opening up your email inbox while working is one of the easiest ways to throw yourself off track - the same is true for Skype, IM, Facebook, and the telephone.
Communication interruptions scatter your focus, often setting off a domino effect from which you may not recover all day.
First, turn off all communication devices when working in your focused blocks.
The phone, Skype, Facebook - the works.
Set a specific time each day for checking your email, mailing off articles, and chatting with clients.
In fact, schedule admin work blocks halfway through your day, so they don't sidetrack you as soon as you get online.
Knock at least one of your focused work blocks out of the way before even touching your email accounts.
Also, unsubscribe from all unnecessary email newsletters, and ignore anything unrelated to work during admin time.
You may even want to set up a completely separate email account for work.
3.
Hire a Virtual Secretary Outsourcing offers a great strategy for handling systematic processes while you focus on your most value-added tasks.
Consider hiring a fluent English-speaking virtual assistant from the Philippines - entry-level virtual assistants work full-time for a mere $300 a month (and they appreciate raises, I might add).
So, what tasks should they handle? Well, that's really up to you.
My previous assistant managed all of my separate email accounts (I had quite a few of at the time).
She essentially filtered my emails and only forwarded the ones requiring my response or oversight.
In addition, I gave her templates for standard questions, etc, and permission to mail them on my behalf if my input was unnecessary.
Or how about having your assistant bid on jobs? Arm them with niche-specific bid templates and teach them to tailor each one for individual jobs.
Then write your heart out as your pipeline fills up with work.
Other tasks you can outsource include order fulfillment on upsells (like backlinking or directory submissions), doing keyword research, or building websites for your other projects.
What aspects of your business could you hand off to someone else? These are just 3 simple tips for moving your productivity into hyper-drive, but trust me when I say that these alone are enough to radically transform the landscape of your business and move you to the next level.
If you're new, hit the ground running and you will leave your competition in the dust as you build a solid business that lasts for years to come.
Source...