Lesson #1: Don’t let distractions be your downfall.

I had a lot of personal and family stress in 2011, which ended up being a constant distraction that affected my work productivity. As a freelance writer working alone, it can be hard to detach from the day-to-day drama of life. If you’re not careful, the days can easily get filled with other people’s problems rather than your client’s projects.

Focus on one aspect of your life at a time: work or home. Freelance writing takes an enormous amount of self discipline. When your non-writing life becomes overwhelming, find a way to carve out a set number of hours each day to focus exclusively on work – and refuse to let your mind wander to non-work thoughts. When those hours are over, give yourself permission to put your work aside and focus on your home or personal life. In the long run, you’ll be a more productive freelance writer and a more attentive spouse/partner/parent/friend.

Lesson #2: Prioritize your projects and plan your day.

As your business grows, you’ll likely find that there aren’t enough hours in your day to complete everything on your to-do list, even if you limit distractions. That’s why it’s important to develop a system for prioritizing your work tasks and planning your day.

Although there aren’t any hard and fast rules for prioritizing your work tasks, you’ll generally want to focus on billable writing projects during your peak hours of productivity. For me, that’s usually 8am until noon. Using this four-hour time window as an example, I might schedule 1.5 hours for a longer project and break the remaining hours into shorter segments assigned to various writing assignments. I often use the use the early morning to answer email or finish up something quick and easy and later afternoon hours to tackle busy work, such as paying bills or invoicing clients. When possible, save personal tasks, like laundry and errands, for evenings or weekends.

In the middle of my crazy 2011 year, I bought a large white board and hung it in my office. I made a project list for every client and wrote the list on my white board, using a color-coded system to prioritize tasks and milestones by due date so I have an at-a-glance visual of my current workload. I also have a column for “Today’s To-Do” list and update it each morning. Currently, my white board has nearly 30 ongoing and one-off projects-in-progress spread across nearly a dozen clients. (In case you’re wondering, that’s a heavy work backlog, even for me!) Without my white board, I’m pretty sure that some of those projects would slip through the cracks.

Lesson #3: Pay attention to procrastination.

Procrastination was a regular visitor to my copywriting business in 2011. But the more it knocked on my door, the more I tried to hide from it. Until the threat of deadlines drove me to invite procrastination in for a heart-to-heart talk.

What I discovered is that, for every project I put off, there was an underlying reason why. To move beyond procrastination, I needed to identify why I was stuck. Some examples:

Inexperience – In 2011, I had several writing assignments that were completely new to me. Frankly, since I had never written these types of documents before, I didn’t know how or where to begin. Asking my clients for additional guidance was a tremendous help. Once I better understood their objectives, it was easier to begin these unique projects.

Repetition – When you’ve been in business for several years, it sometimes seems like you’ve written everything you can on a given topic. Trying to find a fresh way to present a repeating message isn’t always easy. To overcome this challenge, I took a step back from my client’s messaging and put myself in their prospect’s shoes. If I were looking to buy XYZ, I wouldn’t care if the message was fresh as long as it resonated with my needs.

Fatigue – Chronic stress and sleep deprivation wreck havoc on creativity. In a misguided attempt to get my work done despite feeling exhausted – emotionally and physically – I pushed myself to stay in my office even when I wasn’t getting much done. But getting up earlier and spending longer hours at my desk proved to be ineffective methods for overcoming procrastination. When I recognized this, and gave myself permission to catch up on some much-needed rest and take extra time off during the holidays, I was able to start the new year with a fresh perspective – and genuine enthusiasm for my work.

Did 2011 teach you any lessons about managing your copywriting business? If so, feel free to share them by adding your comment below.

Similar Posts:

• How to Write Faster
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Note: this is a guest post by John Forde. You can read more of John’s stuff at the Copywriter’s Roundtable.

How fast do you write? And is it fast enough?

If you’re a newbie writer, it’s rare you’ll write both “fast” AND “well” at the same time. Frankly, that might be the case for your whole writing career.

Some copywriters just need more time than others.

That said, hitting deadlines and hitting a lot of them in a year can give you a big edge over the competition.

So what’s the secret to writing quality copy in record time? I should also say up front, I’m constantly working toward the answer myself.

For instance, I’m faster now but still take longer than I’d like. In the beginning, that’s because I simply had to figure out the right steps to take. I was learning on the go.

Today, I’ve got the process down pat (I’d better, after nearly 20 years on the job). But when I take long, it’s almost always because I need the time to massage the message and make sure I get it right.

And of course, some projects just take longer than others because that’s how it is. So exactly how much time, in general, should your writing take?

These days, when I’m just writing in unrefined style, for notes or drafts or only my own review, I could probably squeeze 3 to 5 pages into two hours.

But I don’t write final copy nearly fast. Those five pages might get whittled down to a half page. Or even get cut entirely.

That said…

I could probably bank out a good sidebar or one-page lift letter in about 20-30 minutes.

The same goes for a good renewal letter or highly polished reply page, both in under 30 minutes.

To write copy for an introductory web page, I might take an afternoon.

A 5 page sales letter would take me a week at most, where a 16-page or 24-page promo would take a month.

Longer promos — I’ve written up to 50+ pages — take about the same, only because it’s easier to write long.

If any of these is a launch promo for a product that’s never been sold before, it takes about 10% longer.

Unless, of course, you’re talking about a product that’s just a mess. That’s always a quagmire.

Which is yet another good reason to only say yes to products you like and respect. Because those promos can practically write themselves… right?

And what a great way to segue into a list of tips that might help you’re writing speed along, as follows…

Tip #1 – Cherry-pick Your Projects

This is important. The better you get, the more clients will want access to your time. In the beginning, take projects that challenge you.

Later, when you’re more skilled, still keep your plate a little more than full. But be careful to avoid projects that will bog you down without offering a proportionate return.

Which are these?

As an example, be wary of the poorly baked project idea with no real benefit for the audience. If the client can’t sell you on it, you can’t sell his prospects on it either.

Be wary of projects without a champion on the client side too. Or projects that don’t yet have at least 85% of the pieces in place before you get started.

Tip #2 – Know Your Load

Four solid hours of writing, day in and day out, is a pretty solid pace. One can often go longer. But writing can be physically draining, if you’re doing it right.

And four solid hours of focus on producing new copy should get most writers to that point. The rest of the day, they might spend researching, reading, or editing draft copy from the prior day.

That said, Bob Bly is one of the most prolific writers I know. He told me once that he stays fresh by working on one project for about four hours in the morning…than switches to another for four in the afternoon.

Me, I can’t help thinking about a new project once I know the details. For that reason, I don’t like to know one iota of new info on a new project until I’ve finished or I’m close to finishing the last one.

Otherwise I’ll get distracted.

Tip #3 – Gather Your Resources, Part I

One of the best ways to accelerate the pace on any writing project is to feed yourself mind-nourishing, creativity-nurturing information.

Read up, interview, discuss. Do anything you can to get loads of information piled up on your mental workbench.

Call the most central figure for the product that the client can offer and do a phone interview. Record it and start typing as you play it back.

Added bonus: Not only will you speed up your whole creative process, you’ll find this the most perfect antidote to the so-called “writer’s block,” (an affliction most research-heavy writers will tell you doesn’t really exist).

Tip #4 – Build Your Framework

Once you’ve got a grasp on the general direction you’ll need to take in the promo, you’ll want — no, need — to make an outline.

Too many early writers skip this step.

The benefit of an outline is that you know where you need to go. But you also know, as you pile up research and ideas, where you DON’T need to go.

And that’s equally important.

Tip #5 – Gather Your Resources, Part II

Once you’ve pulled together a rough outline of where you’re headed and you’ve started pouring them into the organizing template I just mentioned, you’ll immediately realize… you need more.

So you’ll go out again and start hunting to fill the holes. Pile up more web links, magazine clippings, and notes from studying the product and the customer base.

Yes, it’s possible to overdo research. You’ll know that’s happening when you find yourself proving most things for the second or third time.

But be aware, the research part of your copywriting process should almost always take AT LEAST as much time as you’ll spend on writing. Possibly double that.

Tip #6 – Try Writing in 3D

You would think that writing the beginning first, the middle second, and the end last would be the best way to go. And for many writers, that’s precisely the path the follow.

However, I’d personally recommend creating a writing system that’s a little more non-linear. What do I mean by that?

Research, ideas, phrases… tend to arrive in a disorderly fashion, just like a conversation that leaps from one topic to another entirely.

So what I do is write in sections. I actually create separate, labeled parts of my file in Word. These sections match my outline or “mind-map” of the message I’d like to deliver.

Then, as I research and revise, I jump back and forth between sections, adding to one, tightening another, and copying and moving pieces of ideas.

Each area fleshes out at roughly the same time, then I reorganize them to fit the more logical, linear outline that will underlie the final piece.

Tip #7 – When in Doubt, Write Your Close First

Here’s an interesting idea — start at the end. And I can give you at least two solid reasons to do this.

First, because the offer you write will, word for word, have more impact on the prospect than any other section of the promo — save for the headline and lead. If the offer stinks, you haven’t got a chance no matter how brilliant your copywriting.

Second, because knowing specifically how you’ll close the sale gives you a target to shoot for. This, too, is a great defense against the tangents that can knock you off the trail of your sales message all too easily.

Tip #8 – Give Your Lead Time to Ripen

New writers kill themselves looking for the perfect words, right out of the gate. Don’t. Just get it on the page and know you’ll come back to rework it later.

Trust me, it’s easier.

If you have to, put the headline and lead copy in a separate document or on one side of split writing screen. You can go back to it over and over again as you write to make it stronger.

I always to this, changing the lead 10… 20… or even more times before I’m through. Sometimes I even open a blank document and pound out new “test” lead ideas, knowing I’ll throw most of them away.

The less time you spend polishing words the moment they come to you, the happier you’ll be. You’re more likely to end up with better quality, too.

Tip #9 – “Copyify” Your Notes

Not everybody can do this, but it’s a powerful tool if you can. All this means is simply getting used to taking your notes as “copy-speak,” the moment you write them down.

For instance, let’s say you’re writing for an investment product and you’re interviewing one of the experts.

When he says he has a great track record in picking resource stocks, you don’t write down “Be sure to mention last year’s booming commodity market to support resource buying op”… but instead, you go ahead and improvise a piece of copy: e.g. “Last year’s booming commodities market is the perfect example. Had you subscribed to my ‘Dirt, Rocks, and Other Investments’ advisory service then, you’d already be up XXX% on Mud Futures alone by now.”

If you can record your ideas in a way that’s at least a little closer to the copy language you’ll use, you’ll get better and better at writing copy on the fly. This really cuts back on time when you’re actually ready to sit down and write the full draft.

Tip #10 – Use Markers and Shortcuts

This last one is a small thing.

Let’s say you’re writing and you need to cite a stat or some other number or fact in your copy, DON’T stop to look it up. Rather, just use an “XX” or something similar to mark where you’ll drop it in later.

Why?

Because as much as good copy needs a lot of rewriting, each draft benefits from momentum. Somehow, it comes across in the reading later.

It’s like smiling while you talk on the phone.

Listeners — or in this case, readers — can “hear” the excitement and speed.

Are there other ways that help you write faster? I’m sure there are. If you have your own favorite tricks, just write in to let me know!

Copywriter Confession: I’ve been a subscriber of John Forde’s newsletter for a long time – his content is fantastic. When you subscribe to John’s newsletter at the Copywriter’s Roundtable, you’ll get $78 in free gifts.Similar Posts:

• Overcome Writer’s Block with these 3 Creative Exercises
• Lessons from 2011: My Top 3 Copywriter Confessions
• 6 Ways to Take Your Writing from Good to Great

I envy writers who say they never get writer’s block. Are they lying, or are there really people out there who are never at a loss for words? Sadly, I can’t put myself in this category. I have a crazy life filled with work, family, animals and a thousand commitments. Sometimes I get overwhelmed by all the little things in life and get stuck on a project (or three).

Once, I Googled “help for writer’s block” and read a handful of the search results. The most common piece of advice was, “just do it,” followed by things like “take a break” and “go for a walk.” While these aren’t bad suggestions, my experience is that, after taking a walk (or a break), my brain is usually still stuck.

When I get writer’s block, I need a creative solution to my creativity problem. If that sounds like you, here are three creative exercises to try.

1. The Review and Nap Tactic

When the overwhelming fatigue associated with failing to find the right words sets in, I’ll often take a short, 20-minute nap. While I’m laying on the couch, or lounging in a recliner, I’ll review the notes of the writing assignment that I’m stuck on. Then, I set the time on my phone and allow myself to doze off. Chances are, when I wake up, I’ll have the clarity I need to get the project done.

Reviewing project notes and then immediately allowing your conscious mind to rest gives your creative subconscious a chance to work out the problem without logic getting in the way.

2. The Shattered Glasses Exercise

I write a lot of content for the construction industry and it can be hard to find something fresh to say about a topic. When I need a new angle, I close my eyes and imagine that I’m wearing glasses with shattered lenses. With that image firmly in my mind, I open my eyes and spend five minutes brainstorming ways to see the issue in a new way.

Shattered glasses change your perception, shine light on hidden ideas and give you the opportunity to look at the situation in new and exciting ways.

3. The 3 Doors Visualization

This is an exercise I use when I have a few different ideas for a project, but can’t figure out which one to use. It’s based on a prize give-away concept from the old “Price is Right” TV game show. On the Price is Right, each door had a prize. But behind one door was a grand prize – and that’s the one the contestant wanted to pick!

To use this concept to pick your grand prize project idea, draw an image of three doors (or two or four – however many ideas you have) on a piece of paper. On each door, write the basics of one of your ideas. Take a few deep breaths and close your eyes. Then, visualize opening the doors one at a time to see which one contains the grand prize idea for your project.

Copywriter Confession: I didn’t comment earlier about the “just do it” cure for writer’s block, because I think it’s lame compared to the more creative ways of getting unstuck. Plus, I don’t wear shoes with swooshes.

Have a creative solution for overcoming writer’s block? Feel free to share it by leaving a comment below!Similar Posts:

• How to Write Faster
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There’s a blog post by Johnny B. Truant over at IttyBiz that touches on want vs. need as they relate to motivation and business success. The conversation has been pretty interesting to follow, especially since Johnny’s post really resonated with me. 

Most of the time, want is not enough to motivate me to take life-changing action. Need, on the other hand, sparks me to life. And the stronger my need, the more likely I am to get results quickly. 

Some people equate need with desperation, which probably isn’t the best state-of-mind when moving toward a goal. But that’s not how need works for me. Need drives me to focus my energy on a very defined goal.  

(Sidenote: Don’t confuse need with needy. Neediness is clingy, stifling and controlling – and closely resembles a victim mentality.) 

Want creates conflicting desires for me. 

The Conflict of ‘Want’ 

Here’s a real example of this conflict: I want a newer car. 

I drive a 2001 Dodge Durango that we bought six years ago to take our blended family-of-six skiing during the winter. Now that the kids are older, and most of them are working weekends and driving, the family ski trips are done. 

But here’s the conflicting part: I don’t want a car payment. 

And the argument that supports the conflict is this: I don’t really need a newer car. The Durango is super reliable and, since I work from home and commute down the hallway instead of down the highway, the gas-guzzling 10mpg it gets really isn’t financially painful. 

But, if the Durango starts costing me a lot to maintain, or if my driving increases exponentially, my want for a new car will suddenly become a need. And you can be sure that I’ll find a way to buy a more reliable and affordable ride. Even if that means taking on a car payment. 

Need changes my priorities. 

The Power of ‘Need’

When I made the decision to quit my day job and start a freelance copywriting business, I needed a break from the constraints of corporate America. My home life was kind of a mess and I needed to be around more. But the company I worked for didn’t support working from home or job-sharing so I couldn’t cut my hours to part-time. 

As my home stress increased, my tolerance for corporate politics fell lower and lower. After a change in company ownership, where micro-management was taken to a whole new level, I felt like I needed to leave or die. But I didn’t want to trade one corporate job for another. That left self-employment as my only valid option.

So I started planning my escape. And as soon as I made the decision to leave my day job, the details of how to launch my business arrived with amazing clarity. The rest, as they say, is history. 

In your quest to start or grow your copywriting business, what drives you, want or need? Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment. 

Copywriter Confession: When I was in my teens and 20’s, I’m pretty sure I was driven more by want than need. Somewhere along the way, that changed for me. Maybe it’s a mom thing, where my ‘wants’ usually take a back seat to providing what my family ‘needs.’ Or maybe it’s a getting older thing, where material possessions aren’t as important to me as nurturing my body, mind and spirit.Similar Posts:

• Lessons from 2011: My Top 3 Copywriter Confessions
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