Freelancing as a writer can become a rewarding venture, though not everyone gets cut out for the trade. So do you consider going into the freelance writing business soon? Do you wonder what life and everything look like in this niche? If so, then you should consider these aspects that characterize a typical freelance writer’s day.
A Freelance Writer’s Day in Perspective
Writing proves lucrative, and you can earn as much as $120000 in your first year in the trade. Additionally, you can also balance your work and life more efficiently. So how can your day look like in a week?
- Getting up at 7:30 every morning. It becomes essential to start your day early, and set your alarm at 7:30 a.m. can prove an excellent tart, especially when not a morning type. However, this time can prove flexible between 7:30 to about 9 o’clock. You can then tidy up (brushing teeth and showering) before preparing breakfast. Follow up this with a ten-minute meditation before a mug of coffee or tea.
- Get dressed before head off to the office after breakfast. It mainly depends on where you have set up your freelance working space. It can prove a room in your home or a co-working space such as a coffee shop. Based on which working space you will use, head over to your space and start your day’s job.
- Work within your set timelines and in about three days every week. The kind of work you do will depend on your freelance niche. But ensure that you work in your set office from 9:30 a.m. to about 2 p.m. before working on other things. Additionally, you can engage in other in-person activities such as interviews on the days you do not go to the office. It will all help you set a healthy work-life balance in your career.
- Work in short but aggressive time spurts while at the office. It becomes crucial to prioritize your tasks every day, and here, you can use your email in creating the daily to-do list. Work can include sifting through your emails, doing interviews, correspondence work, writing, transcribing, etc. Set timelines for each activity and get healthy breaks to ensure you stay focused and energized.
- Sort out your payments. One critical part of your freelance work entails sorting your payments. You can always use Quickbooks for this function to ensure everything checks out. Ensure that your clients pay in time and whenever a client gets late, their records get updated and reminders sent to them. You can then work on your tax issues and process any relevant payments.
- Engage in administrative work, such as deleting pitches that do not prove useful. You can then embark on your writing after this task gets completed.
- Head home (in case you work in a co-shared space) after work to run other errands. It can include errands such as shopping for groceries, picking your spouse from the airport, etc. It can also include activities like walking your dog. After accomplishing all these, you can then recheck and edit some of your work before setting your to-do list for the next day.
- Prioritize working on less mentally engaging activities past 4:30 p.m. In most instances where you have started work early in the morning, by 4:30 p.m., you will have switched off.
Conclusion
Working as a freelancer encourages flexibility but also requires plenty of dedication and organization. So consider the guidelines for a typical freelance writer’s day before venturing into this trade.