The Confident Copywriter

Posts Tagged ‘freelance’

I recently reviewed the new and very popular book, The Wealthy Freelancer: 12 Secrets to a Great Income and an Enviable Lifestyle, and was particularly struck by something my friend Pete Savage mentioned in Secret 1: Master the Mental Game. After discussing the many hats a freelance business owner must wear, Pete hones in on the concept of Production…you know, the typical process experienced by a freelance writer juggling lots of different projects at once.

Pete makes a rather revolutionary suggestion: view the production process like the floor of a factory.

Put aside your high falutin’ notions about the ‘creative process’ for a sec and think about it from Pete’s point of view: “Even the most beautifully crafted…Rolls Royce cars…leverage production efficiencies. Improving your productivity lets you create in a more efficient and stress-free environment, which actually increases the quality of your output and the enjoyment you derive from practicing your craft.”

I’ve been doing this for years, and have been criticized for destroying creativity in the process. Au contraire. I now have Pete to back me up when I preach that organization, efficiency, scheduling, forms, tracking tools, task lists (and, might I add, accountability) actually increase production.

Thanks, Pete. I feel vindicated.

It reminds me of the Lean Six Sigma training I almost participated in about 5 years back. Lean Six Sigma, for those of you living under the proverbial rock, is a strategy for business management that attempts to improve processes by identifying and removing flaws in the system, improving production and profits based on a definitive set of steps and specific target goals. People actually get certified in this stuff! Enjoying Project Management as I do, it’s right up my alley but, alas, the training never came to be.

Anyway, I see a direct correlation between the freelancer’s production schedule and the principles of Lean Six Sigma. Think of your typical day: customers are emailing and calling to ask for help with various projects. There are vendor issues to manage. If you work with other writers, you’ve got people issues that need attention. Some projects have long deadlines. Some are short and must be attended to now. There is always that rush project you don’t want to say no to. Some clients are flexible; others, not so much. Then there is marketing, including social media marketing; no small feat for any online business today. And bookkeeping. And I’m pretty sure somewhere in there you’ve also got a personal life to live.

In the middle of it all sits you, trying to juggle all of these tasks, make a living, keep everyone happy, and meet every demand placed on you with grace and efficiency.

Whew.

Perhaps the issue is scheduling. If you’re like the typical freelance writer, your day happens to you, instead of you having control over your day. You’ve got great intentions, but you never seem to get to everything on your list. That means someone, somewhere, is not happy. It might be a child, a spouse, a prospect, a client… in any event, not a good thing.

“But there just aren’t enough hours in the day!” Yes there is. We all get the same 24 hours. It’s not what you’ve got. It’s how you use it.

“But she’s just so much better at multi-tasking than I am!” There is a lot more to this than simply being a good multi-tasker. Efficient multi-taskers aren’t born that way. They learn how to manage multiple objectives and goals, using scheduling and excellent time management. (My good buddy Jason Womack knows all about that. Watch for the announcement about our webinar taking place on April 23th.)

“But my clients just don’t understand!” They will if you make them. This is your business. You make the rules. You don’t work for a boss anymore. It’s a mindset shift you’ve got to make immediately if you want to survive.

Let me ask you:

• Are you overbooking projects?
• Are you underestimating your time?
• Do you frequently miss deadlines?
• Are you losing clients?
• Are you perpetually short on resources or having trouble keeping up with ever-changing developments?
• Have colleagues stopped being willing to help?
• Are you consistently stressed and on-edge?
• Is email running your life?

These are all warning signs something is amiss.

Do you find scheduling to be a problem? Would you like to conquer time issues and run your business more like a ‘freelance factory’? Tell me about the challenges you’re facing.