Two Powerful Tools Copywriters Can Use to Increase Their Productivity ? and Profits!
8365
Writing & Speaking > Copywriting
Mar 1, 2007
Chris Marlow
Two Powerful Tools Copywriters Can Use to Increase Their Productivity ? and Profits!
How disciplined are you?
If you?re like most freelancers, you love the ?time freedom? of your lifestyle. No more punching a time clock or being chained to a desk. No more ?hanging up quickly? when the boss walks by.
As a freelancer those days are gone forever...but one quickly learns that in order to make a great living as a copywriter, you?re now the ?boss? to whom you must be accountable!
It?s ironic, to be sure. And as you strive for higher and higher income and greater and greater success, you?ll realize that neither will come without strict time discipline on your part.
Setting Your ?Policy?
Now that you work from home (as most freelance writers do), people will know that you?re available for rides to the airport and other favors. Since part of the pleasure of freelancing is its time flexibility, you might want to be able to say ?yes? from time to time.
However there?s a big danger lurking called ?part time work,? and if you spend too much time not working, you wind up with ?part time pay.? If you have a family or small children, enormous amounts of time can also be siphoned away through small but endless interruptions.
The best way to deal with ?time thieves? is to institute a ?policy,? as most businesses do. When you say ?I?m sorry, my policy is to devote two hours per week to doing favors and this week I?ve already used them up,? you?ll probably find little resistance. That?s because policies are like printed signs: people rarely argue with them.
A Simple But Powerful Daily Schedule Document
As a freelancer, you?ll need to create your own work system and your own documents. Over the years I?ve refined my own system and documents to near perfection (I?m always changing and improving as ideas come to me).
One of my most powerful documents is my ?Daily Timesheet and Schedule.? It helps me prioritize my most important projects, lays out what I need to do in half hour increments, shames me into doing my daily exercise routine, and forces me to be accountable throughout the day. If someone needs a favor of me, it must go on the Daily Schedule where it ?bumps? a work item.
Here is the Formula for
Creating Your Own ?Task Master?
Since it?s so easy for us freelancers to procrastinate when we?re faced with a task we?d rather put off, I put right at the top of my Daily Schedule the question, ?How will I earn money today?? And then I must write it down in the top position for that day?s work.
This forces me to put aside the fun but less important jobs, to focus on the most lucrative.
My Daily Schedule also has two columns: the left hand column is for ?Task?; the right hand column is for ?Activity.? The Task column shows what I should be doing at any appointed time. The Activity column shows what I AM doing.
Having to write down what I?m actually doing under ?Activity? exposes those moments when I?m doing something I shouldn?t be doing...those time-wasters that detract from my income. You can imagine how powerful it is to acknowledge ? by physically writing it down ? that you?re not doing what you?re supposed to be doing!
If you adopt this system for keeping you on the straight-and-narrow, be sure to create your plan for the day the night before. That way you can gather the tools, papers, research and other items you need so you can truly stay on schedule throughout the day.
By working from such a schedule you can identify your personal work weaknesses, increase your billable time and effectiveness, and conquer your procrastination.
Try this system for yourself and see if you don?t get more done, earn more, and feel more successful ? because you are!
? 2005 Chris Marlow
If you?re like most freelancers, you love the ?time freedom? of your lifestyle. No more punching a time clock or being chained to a desk. No more ?hanging up quickly? when the boss walks by.
As a freelancer those days are gone forever...but one quickly learns that in order to make a great living as a copywriter, you?re now the ?boss? to whom you must be accountable!
It?s ironic, to be sure. And as you strive for higher and higher income and greater and greater success, you?ll realize that neither will come without strict time discipline on your part.
Setting Your ?Policy?
Now that you work from home (as most freelance writers do), people will know that you?re available for rides to the airport and other favors. Since part of the pleasure of freelancing is its time flexibility, you might want to be able to say ?yes? from time to time.
However there?s a big danger lurking called ?part time work,? and if you spend too much time not working, you wind up with ?part time pay.? If you have a family or small children, enormous amounts of time can also be siphoned away through small but endless interruptions.
The best way to deal with ?time thieves? is to institute a ?policy,? as most businesses do. When you say ?I?m sorry, my policy is to devote two hours per week to doing favors and this week I?ve already used them up,? you?ll probably find little resistance. That?s because policies are like printed signs: people rarely argue with them.
A Simple But Powerful Daily Schedule Document
As a freelancer, you?ll need to create your own work system and your own documents. Over the years I?ve refined my own system and documents to near perfection (I?m always changing and improving as ideas come to me).
One of my most powerful documents is my ?Daily Timesheet and Schedule.? It helps me prioritize my most important projects, lays out what I need to do in half hour increments, shames me into doing my daily exercise routine, and forces me to be accountable throughout the day. If someone needs a favor of me, it must go on the Daily Schedule where it ?bumps? a work item.
Here is the Formula for
Creating Your Own ?Task Master?
Since it?s so easy for us freelancers to procrastinate when we?re faced with a task we?d rather put off, I put right at the top of my Daily Schedule the question, ?How will I earn money today?? And then I must write it down in the top position for that day?s work.
This forces me to put aside the fun but less important jobs, to focus on the most lucrative.
My Daily Schedule also has two columns: the left hand column is for ?Task?; the right hand column is for ?Activity.? The Task column shows what I should be doing at any appointed time. The Activity column shows what I AM doing.
Having to write down what I?m actually doing under ?Activity? exposes those moments when I?m doing something I shouldn?t be doing...those time-wasters that detract from my income. You can imagine how powerful it is to acknowledge ? by physically writing it down ? that you?re not doing what you?re supposed to be doing!
If you adopt this system for keeping you on the straight-and-narrow, be sure to create your plan for the day the night before. That way you can gather the tools, papers, research and other items you need so you can truly stay on schedule throughout the day.
By working from such a schedule you can identify your personal work weaknesses, increase your billable time and effectiveness, and conquer your procrastination.
Try this system for yourself and see if you don?t get more done, earn more, and feel more successful ? because you are!
? 2005 Chris Marlow
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com
About the Author: Master copywriter and copywriter's coach Chris Marlow publishes an ezine for freelancers who want to quickly build a profitable business. Visit: www.TheCopywritersCoach.com">
Write a Review
Add to My Favorite
Refer it to Friend
Report Article
Other links owned by this user
Where The Money Is: For freelancers who are primarily interested in earning a very high income, it?s smart to look to industries that mail very large quantities. Industries that mail very large quantities can do so only if they have a very
Category:
There's a lot of overtly self-servng marketng takng place n the "new copywrter's space" of the Internet, and I don't want to add to that. So permt me to gve you my very consdered perspectve on the queston "Can I transton
Category:
Freelancers who are trying to build their portfolios occasionally asked me, "What can I do with good work that was never used?" The good news is, you should use it in your portfolio, if it's work you're proud of. Marketing professionals
Category:
Over the years, I?ve had several copywriters ask me how important it is to have an "agency quality" website. My answer is always the same: it?s very important if you are prospecting other than locally. When you prospect locally, the
Category:
There are two financially ruinous negotiating tactics often made by beginning copywriters. An example of financially ruinous negotiating tactic #1 comes from a successful book author who is adding copywriting to his writing skill set.
Category:
How disciplined are you? If you?re like most cers, you love the ?time freedom? of your lifestyle. No more punching a time clock or being chained to a desk. No more ?hanging up quickly? when the boss walks by. As a
Category:
This is valuable content from my free online newsletter, the FREELANCER'S BUSINESS BULLETIN. In the April 2004 issue I shared with my subscribers the secret to getting at least 50% of your freelance fee up front, plus a whole host of other important
Category:
I want to share with you the solution to a marketing problem recently expressed by three of my coaching students...and that is how to create a powerful online newsletter (ezine) for cultivating quality clients. I realize this is not the
Category:
Many years ago when I first began freelancing, I struggled over what to name my copywriting business. The first name for my one-man shop was Chris Marlow and Associates. Although there were no associates, I imagined it made me look
Category:
Come down on price on this one and there'll be more work to come." This come-on is a favorite of potential new clients who either have no money, or are justifiably trying to keep costs down. Either way it doesn't matter to
Category:
Recently a named Chris asked me what she should do when a direct marketing campaign fails. ?How do you bounce back in your freelance business after a client royally screws up a DM campaign?" The short answer is that no
Category:
I want to share with you the two most porful marketing methods I've found for the copywriter. And they are (drum roll please)...direct mail and... networking! In my coaching program I have my students go through an intensive 24-session
Category:
I was recently approached by a copywriter who was confused about proper use of copyright. He explained that client had hired him for work, n canceled job part way through, paying him for work done to date. Perhaps because
Category:
A beginning copywriter recently asked the question, "How can my client quickly generate testimonials?" The answer is the same for her client as it is for us: You must develop them! I must confess that in my own copywriting
Category:
Other links at Writing & Speaking > Copywriting
The following article presents the very latest information on online copywriting. If you have a particular interest in copywriting, then I'd suggest you read word by word. So you want to be a better online copywriter, huh? You may be good
Category:
Because copywriting is subjective, most if not all copywriters go through a sometimes long phase of insecurity in their work. However, using certain pricing tools can ease the uncertainty and help the copywriter appear more professional as well.
Category:
We all have nightmares of high school English teachers. Improper grammar, bad spelling, and problems with writing a paragraph may just be a few of the problems you had in writing in school. However, writing for the business
Category:
Copywriting is one of the most overlooked yet most lucrative skills in the world. If you've ever heard any rags to riches stories, you'll no doubt come across people who in one form or another, have learned the art of copywriting as it relates to direct r
Category:
The crucial steps in negotating your copywriting fee, including the establishment of your baseline. Also offers negotiating tips.
Category:
Site Sponsor
Directory Statistics
Articles: 68252
Categories: 501
Yahoo Entertainment
