If you are like most freelance writers, you are probably constantly looking for ways to boost your income. For some freelance writers who are still building up a client base, this may simply be a matter finding more jobs to fill up your hours. For other freelance writers who are spinning their wheels every day, it can seem like you cannot possibly make any more money unless you cut back on free time with your friends and family or spend some of your sleep time working more hours. If you fall into the latter group, take heart because there are a few things you can do that will help you to increase your income as a freelance writer.
1) Manage Your Time Better. If you read this paragraph heading and thought, “That’s for sure,” then you have taken the first step in solving your problem. But if you haven’t yet realized that you have a problem with time management, read on. There are very few freelance writers who hole themselves up in a locked room and work uninterrupted for hours. Whether you are your own worst enemy and let social networking sites and checking your email get the better of you, or if you work on the kitchen table with the interruptions of your cell phone, kids, TV, and more distracting you, there are steps you can take to manage your time better. Spend a day or two paying attention to how many times your eyes drift away from your computer when you should be working, or how many times you click on windows or programs that aren’t related to the project you are working on. You will be surprised how many minutes (which can add up to hours) you waste every day. By simply limiting your distractions and managing your time better, you can free up more time to work on projects.
2) Analyze Your Jobs. As a freelance writer, you should pay attention to how much money you are making on an hourly basis. Since writing projects aren’t usually paid on an hourly basis, this may take some work on your part to analyze. Different projects you work on will offer different pay rates based on how quickly you can churn out quality product. With an analysis of your jobs, you will find that some jobs are much more cost-effective than others, and so are more worth your while. It does usually take several solid clients for a full-time freelance writer to fill up a week’s worth of work hours, so don’t just write off your lower dollar per hour assignments. However, if you have a steady assignment or two that pays considerably less than your other projects do on a per hour basis, you may want to look at other higher-paying projects to replace your lower-paying assignments. By doing this, you will find that you can continue to work roughly the same hours, but make more money for your efforts.
3) Find Steady Jobs. Some freelance writers make a living by picking up tons of small or non-recurrent projects. This is certainly one way to go. However, consider how much you spend on a daily or weekly basis looking for new assignments and bidding on them. This is time that you aren’t being paid for, and instead you could spend this time working and earning more. Most profitable freelance writers spend a large portion of their day working on regular projects. As you look through job postings online, pay special attention to jobs that offer the possibility of long-term work, and make an effort to do your best work on these projects to ensure you have the best likelihood of being awarded these long-term projects.
4) Give Yourself Downtime. As you start to work on more and more assignments, you may be inclined to fully maximize your income. In fact, some freelance writers have been known to work seven days a week from first thing in the morning while the coffee is brewing to long after the sun sets. This may seem like the perfect way to make the most money possible – provided your fingers can take the constant tap-tapping on the keyboard. However, even the most determined freelance writer will run into a problem of brain drain. If you’ve ever gotten up from working for several hours to find your brain feeling as numb as your fingers, you know what I mean. Writing is a very mentally draining job, so even if (or perhaps especially if) you will be working a long day, give yourself several planned breaks. Work a few hours and then head to the gym. Then work a few more and bake a cake, or do any number of other non-work-related things that take you away from your computer. For many people, this may involve some real determination to bring you back to the computer after a break to finish the job. For other people, it may take determination to break you away from the computer to take a break. Whichever category you fall into, know that you are will being yourself a favor in the long run by giving your brain a little break from time to time on busy work days. You will find that you are more efficient and productive after a short break.
Most freelance writers can benefit from some, if not all, of these tips. Try out a few of these and see if they are helpful in boosting your income.
