Is your freelance writing career an organizational mess or a master class in structured working?

A few years ago when I first started writing on a freelance basis, I didn’t have any type of set schedule.

I only had one regular client and a few pieces that came in occasionally.

For the one regular client, I used to deliver the work within seven days and I would generally give the same time scale for any ad hoc work.

Working like this, it was easy – even as a new freelance writer – to realise that it would be best if I got the work done as quickly as possible, in case any additional work came in, but that if need be, I could simply divide up how much work I had on by seven and ensure that I completed at least that amount each day.

As my client base and order amount grew, I followed the same principle and although I would give clients between 14 and 28 days as a deadline (unless they requested otherwise), I applied the same logic of dividing how much work I had on by the number of days I had to complete it in and ensured that I finished the per day figure each day, if not a little extra.

This was working particularly well, up until this year.

It wasn’t straight away in January, but as many of you know, I’ve taken on different projects and types of work in recent months and it’s made me realise just how disorganized I was as a freelance writer.

I don’t think I was terribly disorganized previously, as the practices I had in place worked, but since my workload has varied – and I think it’s this that has proven to be the main reasoning for changing my organizational habits, rather than the volume – I’ve had to be more organized than I’ve ever had to be.

As fantastic as I initially thought being particularly organized is, I’ve realised that it does, somewhat surprisingly, have its down falls and the primary one is that I’m certain it’s the culprit behind my lack of creativity.

When I had a pretty open schedule, I essentially wrote when I wanted to, be it 6am in the morning or 11pm at night.  Whenever I felt like writing, I would.

Now I’m being more rigid with my time, saying that I have to work from 9pm to 10.30pm on certain writing projects, I’m finding that I sometimes don’t want to work then, but because I have to, it’s as if I’m forcing something that doesn’t want to come.

This could just be because things have changed a lot in the past few weeks and I’m still trying to get used to it all and on top of it all, but I’ve got a feeling it’s a negative by-product of being so organized and it’s one that I’m simply going to have to get used to.

Do you have a set freelance writing schedule that you stick to rigidly or are you a little less organized than you think you should be?

Image:  vnlain (Flickr)

Being busy can be good. But being too busy can be overwhelming. It happens with freelance writing.  You go from famine (a time with little work and lots of bidding and job hunting) to a sudden writing job feast and suddenly you’re stuffed to the brim with work.  Being busy is good but being overwhelmed can make it difficult to cope.  How do you handle it?  Here’s what I do:

Ask for Help

I have a list of writing friends and a small group of writers I regularly sub-contract to.  If I’m running short on time, I go to someone I feel would be a good match for a project and offer them some work. I keep a percentage for managing the order flow and ensure I check the work carefully so that my client is getting what they’re expecting.  I have writing friends that do the same for me so it can be very symbiotic.

Ask for an Extension

Some clients will be flexible if you need some extra time. Not every article has to be delivered by ambulance! If you’ve run into a tough spot, consider asking for an extension as soon as possible, so you don’t interfere with their schedule by asking at the last minute.  If you don’t do it too often, your client may be accommodating and forgiving but do ensure you don’t do this often unless absolutely necessary.

Just Say No

Many freelance writers can’t bring themselves to say, “No” to work offers — even when their plate is overflowing. As self-employed individuals, we worry about the famine we fear is down the road and sometimes say “Yes” to our own detriment.  Don’t be afraid to tell clients you’re booked with projects for the next week.  Chances are that they’ll be understanding and if you’re seen as “in demand”, clients learn that they’ve got a valuable writer working on their behalf. This might result in less “emergency” orders from regular clients who (too often) abuse vendors who always drop everything for them.

When you’re busy, clients may be willing to wait for you. If not, you can sometimes refer them to a writing friend. It’s much better to take good care of the clients you’ve already got on the roster than to do a poor job for everyone because you can’t say  “No” when you really should. Part of being a freelancer is being “free” to work as much as you want and part of being a professional is being able to portion your time wisely.   Being busy is good but if you get too overwhelmed too often, you’ll resent your work and get writer’s burnout.

Buckling Down to Get Things Done

So, when you’ve found you’re really busting at the seams and the only way out of it is to be ultra productive and get work done, how do you rev up your muse and really get going?

* Turn off social media tools. You don’t need to “tweet” about how insanely busy you are ten times a day. Once will do

* Only check email (and your favourite writing blogs) between tasks. Avoiding the urge to jump back and forth between tabs. Too much multitasking  can make every task you do take longer because you’re going to be continuously distracted.

* Take-out food with disposable plates, extra treats, and a DVD for the family to occupy themselves while you get work done can buy you a very productive afternoon and evening once in a blue moon!

Finally, don’t be afraid to ask your spouse, older kids, or a close friend to help by taking non-work responsibilities off your hands so you can make work a priority. The sooner you polish off that to-do list, the sooner you’ll reap the financial rewards of being busy and earn yourself a much needed (and deserved) break! After a crazy-busy period, do make sure you do try to take time to switch off and rejuvenate!

Got any tips for writers who’ve overbooked their time? Please share!