24 Lessons on 24 Months of Freelance Writing
Spoiler: Freelancing is not the end goal; it’s a journey.
August marks my freelance anniversary.
It’s been 2 years since I’ve been out of the 9-to-5 and into a “risky” and “unstable” venture, which has provided me with more moolah than I had ever got in my first 3 years of a typical working life.
The following 2 years of my working life, I had built myself up as a freelance copywriter and SEO writer.
Fourteen months ago, I wrote an article on the 10 lessons I learned after 10 months of freelancing. So I thought I’d update and add on to the list!
HABITUAL PRACTICE
The first 12 lessons touch on the habits that I’ve put into practice to ensure a smooth day-to-day freelance operation.
1. Day-blocking for a Bird’s-eye View
Day-blocking is essentially deciding what one activity you’re focusing on for the day. For example, you dedicate Mondays and Tuesdays for research and outlining while Wednesdays to Fridays are for drafting. Of course, you can add other activities or tasks later in the day but only when you’ve completed that one major task.
2. Time-blocking to Minimize Distraction
While you know that Thursday is draft day, you’d still need to block your times of the day for work and rest. So what I’ve been doing is that I schedule my work or draft time in the morning for 3–4 hours. If they’re not done by lunchtime I’d pick it back up again for another hour or two after lunch. After that, I’m free to do any side or passion projects, chat with friends, or get some exercise done. I also block off time to wind down at night to remind me to get my 7–8 hours of sleep.
Blocking my time in big chunks allows me to focus on one task at a time.
3. Schedule Everything on GCal
GCal is my lifeline. I schedule literally everything in my life. Thanks to the time-blocking method, I don’t have to put in so much in a day. Below are the blocks of activities that I schedule on my GCal. If there’s a meeting at any point, I’ll schedule it in and move things around.
- Morning power hour
- Work
- Lunch
- Work
- Prayer/Meditation
- Exercise
- Dinner
- Reading
- Wind down
Keep in mind that you can change up your blocks or routines when the current ones don’t serve you anymore.
4. Do Weekly Review & Planning
My second lifeline is Notion. All my to-dos are there, including daily journaling and weekly planning. I also schedule one hour of weekly review on Sundays. In this hour, I write down what went well, what could’ve gone better, what I look forward to in the coming week, as well as the tasks I need to do. I then schedule the tasks on my GCal.
5. Reassess Your Goals Every Quarter
Similar to the weekly review, this would be a review at the end of each quarter. This is necessary to remind me why I’m doing what I’m doing and if it still aligns with my goals, or if my goals have changed.
6. Take Breaks
I got an Apple Watch recently and it reminds me to get up and move for one minute every hour until it reached my target of 9 times a day. I also take a 20-minute power nap after lunch to reboot my system for another ‘fresh start’ to survive the rest of the day.
7. Reward Yourself
Yes, this is considered a habit that needs to be practised. Oftentimes, we forget to reward ourselves for our good work. This could be as small a gesture as taking a longer break after finishing a draft or eating chocolate. Or it could be a whole day off without screens and going for a hike.
8. Read Often
This is specifically for writers like myself who may be spending way too much time writing for clients but not reading for pleasure. Sure, we read for research purposes but it’s not the same as reading novels. Reading for pleasure not only relieves stress but also helps me get inspiration especially during a dry spell.
9. Take Notes
Of everything. Document it. You may never know when you need it for a piece of article. It’s a habit I’m still building but I’m proud to say that I have a good collection on Notion.
10. Don’t Ignore Admin Tasks
This includes invoicing, updating your portfolio and rates, and backing up receipts. I still haven’t set a specific time to do this regularly as I do it when the need arises. But usually, that need arises once a month.
11. Keep Finances on Track
I do my budgeting on Notion so I keep track of all my income and expenses there. I’m happy to say that my finances are on track because I’ve developed the habit to key in the numbers whenever money comes in or goes out. On top of that, I do a monthly financial checkup as part of my monthly review.
12. Network and Maintain Good Relationships
This is a constant work in progress for me. As more of a lone wolf than a social monkey, it’s quite an effort to network. I have gone on Facebook groups for writers but I can’t seem to keep a constant presence there. But hey, at least I’ve been getting clients via LinkedIn so I must be doing something right!
PERPETUAL WISDOM
The next half of this article touches on timeless wisdom and reminders that I would, from time to time, check upon.
13. Know What Type of Freelancer You Want to Be
Based on what I can do, I knew from the start that I could be a freelance writer. I knew for a long time that writing is one of my strengths. But then, what kind of writer? I settled on copywriting for various reasons but mostly because I was curious about it. I then added SEO writing to my list of services and somehow landed upon the fintech niche. Along the way, I went deeper and got myself into the crypto space.
14. Stick to a Niche
I’ve been sticking to the same niche since the first fintech/finance client I got. The longer you stick to a niche, the more your knowledge of it will grow, and the more trust clients would have in you.
15. You Can Pivot
Sticking to a niche makes life a lot easier and profitable. But that doesn’t mean you can’t pivot to a different niche. Whether it’s out of necessity or boredom, be sure to make a conscious decision and plan ahead.
16. Upskill From Time to Time
When you feel like you’ve reached a plateau, it’s time to level up. Going deeper into a specific niche or even pivoting to a different one requires you to upgrade your knowledge and/or skills. As the saying goes, learning is a lifelong journey.
17. Know Thyself to Sell Thyself
Okay, we’re getting deep here. But hear me out. Do whatever it takes to really get to know yourself be it through meditation, yoga, breathwork, going on a long hike, camping, taking ayahuasca… whatever it is, you need to tap into your inner self, understand it, and use it to your advantage for when you need to sell your services.
18. Show or Document Your Journey
It’s not necessary to show your life to the world on social media. But for the purpose of creating your business or brand, you may need some sort of presence in the online world. Choose a platform you’re comfortable in and document your journey. I guess this is what I’m doing now and as I’m writing this, I’m constantly reminding myself not to aim for perfection.
19. Don’t Just Do It for the Money
My main goal for starting freelancing wasn’t to be a millionaire. I don’t think one can rely completely on freelance gigs to earn a six-figure income. Sure, money is important and you do need to reach your monthly target. But for me, my #1 reason for freelancing is to own my time.
20. Understand Why You Procrastinate
Being a writer doesn’t mean you turn yourself into a robot. There will be times when you just don’t feel like writing. Pushing through it would possibly get the job done but it may not be of great quality. Give yourself a break but also reflect on it and find out the root cause.
21. Have a Social Life
Not gonna lie, being a freelancer can be a lonely journey. So make sure you keep your real friends close and meet them regularly.
22. Eat Healthy & Be Active
Taking care of your body is an act of brain care. You need your brain to be at its best to attend to clients and do the work. Exercise increases oxygen flow into the brain and good nutrition keeps the brain healthy.
23. Hold on to Your Why
I can’t stress enough how important this is. Be it for money, freedom or mental health, write down your reason and look at it often.
24. Freelancing is Not the End Goal
It’s a means to an end. I went on this journey because I wanted to own my time and work from anywhere. Over time, I’d also learn to build passive income from multiple streams. Freelancing gives me the freedom that I need and acts as a vehicle to my destination.
Freelancing is not everyone. The aesthetic you see on social media is just that — aesthetic. It takes courage, grit and determination to follow through.
I’m grateful that I chose this path and put my well-being and happiness first. It has not been a smooth ride at all but it is very much fulfilling.
Here’s to taking that first leap of faith and working it through one step at a time 🥂🎊
Diyana is currently a freelance SEO writer for fintech and crypto companies.
You can find her portfolio and links to published articles on LinkedIn.
