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10 Easy Ways to Succeed at Freelancing: #6, Set Hours and Stick to Them

July 25, 2022 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

Have you ever pulled up to your favorite restaurant for dinner, walked to the door, and found it locked? I live in a small rural tourist town, and with the current economy’s labor shortages, I always check hours before I go anywhere because many businesses are closed 1-2 days a week; I don’t want to waste my time driving somewhere when I call ahead to make sure they’re open.

But what if I showed up when they were supposed to be open … and they weren’t?

With so many other options available to me, it’s unlikely I’ll risk going back.

With so many freelance editors and writers available to publishers and authors, if you aren’t available when you say you’ll be available, it’s unlikely they’ll risk working with you.

If you want to be a successful freelance writer or editor, you need to set hours and stick to them. Notice I didn’t say you need to be available all the time—because you don’t need to be and you shouldn’t be. Burnout is real, and it’s easy to do when you work from home for yourself.

Several years ago, I realized I was spending 12-14 hours a day, six days a week at my computer. I was exhausted, uninspired, and sick of working. I had to fight hard to turn in edits and blog posts that matched my previous quality of work.

I don’t overwork like that anymore.

These days, I set aside work hours. I don’t necessarily work Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Why would I? One of the reasons I LOVE freelance work is the ability to set my own hours! But I do make sure I put in the time needed each week. For me, that looks like 6-8 hours each day, five days a week. That might be four hours in the morning, the afternoon off for errands and meals, then two more hours after dinner. It might be all day in my chair, clocking out at 6 p.m. for the rest of the night. I always take one weekend day off, then one day during the week (for appointments and errands—who wants to grocery shop on a Saturday?). And if a client wants to meet or talk at a certain time? I can (almost) always be available; I’ll just take the time off somewhere else.

When you set (and stick to) hours, two things happen:

  1. You become someone your clients can depend on.
  2. You give yourself the rest you need to work optimally during business hours.

If you want to succeed at freelancing, be reliable—set your hours and stick to them.

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Filed Under: freelance Tagged With: 10 Easy Ways to Succeed at Freelancing, best practices, freelance editing, freelance editor, freelance tips, freelance work, freelance writer, freelance writing

10 Easy Ways to Succeed at Freelancing: #5, Get a Calendar

June 13, 2022 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

You may have noticed that last month’s tips for successful freelancing didn’t go up. That’s because I forgot about it. Why did I forget to share freelance tips? Because I didn’t write it down. And by “write,” I mean “write”—with a pen and paper.

Here’s your quick and easy tip for succeeding at freelancing this month: find a calendar that works for you and use it.

I’ve heard people argue about how outdated day planners are; they insist that “real” professionals do everything online. I disagree. Real professionals do whatever helps them meet deadlines and be professional.

I’m a pen and paper girl. My favorite time of the year is when the new Franklin Covey catalog comes out. I’ll have my 2023 planner by October 2022 because that’s the system that works best for me.

If you hate day planners, don’t use them. There are lots of online calendar programs and apps—you can use Google’s free calendar or pay for a more advanced system. There’s no right or wrong answer as long as you’re using whatever method helps you track and remember your deadlines.

That’s all for today. Now I’m going to mark my calendar so I remember to post another top ten freelancing tip in July. Don’t forget to leave yourself a note to check it. Until then, follow me on Facebook and signup for my newsletter for more writing, editing, and publishing tips throughout the month.

Filed Under: best practices Tagged With: 10 Easy Ways to Succeed at Freelancing, freelance, freelance editor, freelance life, freelance tips, freelance work, freelance writer

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ABOUT ME

Editor. Teacher. Novelist.
A passionate lover of fiction, Karin doesn't just write novels, she helps others write their best stories! A certified substantive editor with the Christian Editor Connection, her goal is to help authors to put her out of business by equipping them with the tools they need to become better writers.

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Karin understood my advertising and marketing writing needs and accomplished the project in record time. She asked all the right questions up front to equip herself with enough … [more]

Editing

Substantive Fiction Editing: A substantive edit looks at the big picture. Start here to tackle the big issues before moving on to the nit-picky details. Substantive edits not only point out … [more]

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Lover of all things fiction, I also love University of Michigan football, the Detroit Lions, Tigers, and Red Wings, kayaking, gluten-free cupcakes, and my husband.

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Fiction: Substantive Editing Classes Substantive Editing for Fiction 101 In Substantive Fiction Editing 101, we’ll look at the basics of a well-written novel and learn how to help our … [more]

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