How to Get Started as a Writer Without Clips

A huge question I get is, "Alina, how can I get writing gigs if I don't have any clips? And how do I get clips if no one will hire me?" Ah, it's a catch-22 that seems impossible to overcome, but there's an easy way to build a professional writing portfolio from nothing.

This project will guide you through creating your own clips portfolio that will display your writing skills, as well as act as a marketing device.

You've Got Clips...You Just Don't Know It

Take screenshots or scan any copy you’ve written for previous employers’ website, brochures, newsletters, etc. If you have already dipped your toe into the freelance writing world with a blog or some free work, collect links to anything you have written. Remember, it doesn’t matter if you have a byline or not.

Create Some New Clips

If you don’t have a blog, start one and post a couple pieces a day that are focused on your niche. Keep going until you have a couple dozen strong, researched posts of at least 500 words. Remember to have a reader in mind and make the posts as interesting and fact-filled as you can. Don’t forget to link to your references or cite them in your posts, either. This will make you look like a professional.

Write! Many places don’t care if you’re a published writer as long as you can write interesting, clean copy and have examples of your work. So, pick a topic that’s within your niche and write. Rinse and repeat until you have at least three really strong pieces.

Once you’re done, put each one in a Google Doc so you have links to send to potential clients. Be sure to lock the document so it can’t be edited to protect the copy from being stolen. Share your finished articles with the Project Gallery to get some feedback. After all, you want them to be as polished as possible before potential clients see them.

Pulling Your Clips Together into a Portfolio

Now that you have clips, it’s time to weave them into some awesomeness that potential clients will love. I suggest you make a portfolio using Contently and make another on LinkedIn. Once they are up, both portfolios can bring you clients without the need to do anything else. I’ve had many people contact me for gigs because they found me on LinkedIn and if Contently likes your clips they may hire you to write for some of their clients. That’s how I got a gig writing for Benefiber.

Bar none, I love Contently the most out of any online portfolio provider. It organizes your clips automatically, you can do automatic searches for clip using the platform and the whole thing just looks awesome. The best part is that it’s free.

Create a portfolio through Contently by going to https://contently.com/register. Make sure you use your name as the portfolio’s web address. For example, mine is https://abradford.contently.com. This will help your portfolio pop up first when people google your name. It also just looks more professional.

Fill out everything in your account information, including your web address, if you have one, and your social media account information. Add links to your clips using the Edit Portfolio button at the top of the portfolio page. (The above video is a little out of date, but I think you’ll still get the idea.)

That's all there is to it!

Want to make $100 to $200 per hour from home like I do? My No-Fluff Freelance Writing Starter Pack teaches you how to make a living as a writer from home.

How to Run a Successful Business, Even While Traveling

Do you travel a lot? You can still run a successful business. Here are some tips from Karen Evans at Start Blogging Online.

Everyone wants to go on a vacation. The only problem is they don’t have enough time to get out of work just to travel. This is even worse for those who own a business. For them, there is not a single day where they can just rest and not do business at all.

If you are running this kind of business and you are tired of always canceling your travel plans because you are extremely busy with work, it is time for change. Pack your stuff and work in another place while running your business.

This might seem like a crazy plan, but it works. One of the reasons why businesses fail is because owners are easily burnt out. They feel tired all the time. They also can’t take some time off to have some fun. By traveling and working at the same time, you are able to hit two birds in one stone.

It is just a matter of time management. Even if you are traveling, you can keep the business running. You will still be the one to make major decisions. You can ask people to do the tasks while you are away. You have nothing to worry especially if you have left responsible people to run the show.

Since you are already on a vacation while working, you will feel more relaxed. The amount of work that needs to be done won’t bother you at all. This is the key to success in running a business. Check out the infographic below for more tips.

How to Handle Taking Payments from Clients

Despite all the odds, freelancers are strangely optimistic about the future. We work in an uncertain field and have only ourselves to depend on, yet more than seventy percent says they feel either confident or balanced about their business performance over the next twelve months.

Where the media is talking about a stressed out workforce and an uncertain future, freelancers are taking it easy - demonstrating that it is, in fact, possible to have our priorities straight when we manage it on our own. It’s not all rosy, though, as the same percentage said that they have problems with late or non-existing payments. Something as simple as being paid for the work we do could actually get in your way of enjoying a balanced life as a freelancer, so it’s time to lay down the law.

Here is a handful of smart ways you can ensure the payments arrive on time, eliminating unreasonable terms and dodgy clients.

Have a Written Agreement

When it comes to money, you should always have it in writing. Setting up a proper contract between yourself and your client is about more than ensuring the payment, though.

It should clarify the:

• Delivery dates

• Scope of the project

• Client's address, phone number and other contact information

• How many edits you’ll allow

Freelancers who have struggled with late payments from clients - or those that never even pay at all-- can fix the problem easily. An upfront payment will weed out the deadbeats. I like at least 50 percent, myself.

What do you say to those that balk at an upfront payment? "My time is valuable. An upfront payment insures you a place in my client list and schedule."

What to Do if You Don’t Get Paid

Unfortunately, this section will be interesting to a lot of freelancers and contractors. When you’re an employee and working for someone else, the roles are clear; you’re responsible for doing your job and showing up on time, while your employer is in charge of making sure you get paid. It’s simple and plain. Too bad it's not always that simple when you’re freelancing.

When you’ve told your client that you’d want some of the payment up front and you receive no payment, the course of action is clear. Just tell your client that you’re not doing the work until the payment has cleared.

If you get halfway through the project and another milestone payment is required and they don't pay, stop doing the work.

Give them a friendly reminder first, though, as it could have been an honest mistake and you want to keep a courteous tone if this is the case. One reminder is enough. If they don't pay up, then remove them from your client list. You don't need someone who is slow in performing the one duty they have towards you.

I like using the invoicing system through PayPal, but there are many other options out there. Look for one with automated reminders and professional looking invoice templates. It’s important that you have a system for your collection process that makes sense to your finances. When your clients don’t pay on time, or when you don’t have a proper system in place, it makes the final hunt for payments a rush in order to pay your bills on time - not to mention the mess it makes when you’re dealing with your taxes.

If sorting out your taxes has been a struggle in the past, it’s a good idea to talk to a tax attorney experienced in helping in tax dispute right away.

Be Professional

My last advice deals with how you present yourself as a professional. The better you are at building an image of yourself as proper, polite and experienced in the work you do, the higher your chances are of getting high-paying, trustworthy clients.

When you deliver projects that are rushed or not completed, you’re not going to attract the kind of clients that will make the payments on time. Stay polite and professional, build an online reputation with loads of great reviews and showcase a solid network of other professionals - it will scare those amateur clients away.

In a way, it’s not that strange that freelancers are positive about the future. It’s all about building your own business and making it mature with your own hard work where you don’t have to depend on anyone but yourself - and those payments, that is.

What to get more clients? Read my book:

The Fluff-Free Freelance Writing Master Course: The only course that gives you concrete, actionable information to building a successful freelance business without any fluff.

Copywriting Mistakes You Could Be Making

Everyone, absolutely everyone, makes mistakes when writing copy every now and then. Even David Ogilvy, the father of modern advertising copy, once admitted: “I’m a lousy copywriter, but I am a good editor.” Perfection never happens the first time around, and even the best copywriters in the world are constantly re-drafting and making little tweaks. While some mistakes are unavoidable, some are more common than others. Here are a few of the most common copywriting blunders you need to watch out for…

how to become a better freelance writer

Bad Headlines

You may have some of the best content on the web, but if your headline stinks, so will the results. Using clickbait is probably one of the most common mistakes when it comes to headlines. Titles that scream controversy, offer incredible guarantees or apply similar cheap ploys, can serve a purpose, but only for a moment. If you do end up using clickbait headlines, you need to make sure the body of your copy backs it up in a big way.

Another common error is trying to be too original. It’s good to make your copy stand out, but there’s a reason why professional copywriting headlines follow certain conventions: they work! Good headlines are absolutely essential, so make sure you’re not making these common blunders.

Too Much Focus on Features

branding

This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t be clued-up on the product or service you’re trying to sell. Being familiar with whatever it is you’re trying to make people buy is absolutely essential for any piece of copywriting, whether it’s organic groceries or NFC cards or anything in between.

However, it’s a big, and unfortunately common mistake, for copywriters to focus their material too much on the features of a product, and not enough on the benefits it offers the target audience in question.

Customers aren’t interested in the quality of the materials, the high manufacturing standards, or the history of the business itself. All they want to know is what they’ll gain from buying this product or paying for this service. Features can certainly be important, but you should limit them to short, sweet, bullet-points. The bulk of your creative energy should be used for telling people how they can benefit from buying this or that product.

Poor Layout

A good layout isn’t going to make your copy successful, but poor layout will chase prospective customers away like there’s no tomorrow. You’ve probably had at least one instance where you went looking for some information on Google, clicked a promising headline, then glanced over a huge block of text, and went straight back to the page of search results.

The content itself may have been just what you were looking for, but seeing the way it was laid out, you decided immediately that you weren’t going to bother reading it. You probably went on to find some copy with well-spaced, legible font, broken up into subheadings and bullet points. Make sure you’re using layouts that are attractive and easily digestible to your audience, or your copywriting is sure to fail.

For every article you write, be sure there are:

• Separate paragraphs

• Photos

• Headings

• Bullet points or numbered lists, if needed

• Legible font (Times New Roman, Calibri or Georgia are some of the best)

Need step-by-step help starting your freelancing career? Take my master course.

Fancy Starting a Vlog? Here's What You Need to Know

A vlog essentially means a virtual log, and is fast becoming a new way of blogging. (Okay, it's not that new, but it's becoming mainstream.) You essentially record yourself and post it onto the internet, which people watch. There are dozens of virtual logs out there, and essentially comes in the form of something sat facing the camera and talking about things that are pertinent to them. It can be a great way to feature your expertise in a niche, or you can use your skill as a vlogger as an added benefit to choosing you over other freelance writers.

If you fancied starting one, then good for you! There are certain things you need to make it a success. These tips can help you get started. You may have already thought about some of these, but if not use them and apply them to your setup.

Supplies

There are certain things you need to do before starting your Vlog. First you need a camera to record yourself. You need to find the best vlogging camera for you. If you can’t afford one then you could use your phone if the camera is good enough. At least make sure your phone camera is over 12 megapixels. Otherwise the video will look grainy.

You also need to think about what kind of platform you want your vlog to rest on. YouTube is extremely popular, but you may want to post it on your blog to make it more accessible. Youtube is easier to access, but you are making more of a statement by posting it from your own website. Facebook Live, Instagram Live and Snapchat are all good options, too.

Choose Your Niche

You need to ensure you have some form of niche. Something that makes you stand out will pull people in. Check on the more popular vlogs and see what they are doing that attracts success. You need to do the same thing, but with a spin.

What are you an authority on? What are you good at? What makes you unique?

Get Viewers

Now that you have your vlog setup you need to start attracting people to it. They need to know it exists to give it a chance. You can help by shouting about it. Okay, not literally.

• Comment on similar videos linking back to your own.

• Tell people on social media, friends included.

• Offer to guest star in other people's videos that share the same topic.

The more people that know the more they will talk about it and you can’t beat word of mouth as the main pulling point for your new videos.

Take Feedback

As you post, the comments will pour in, some critical, others praising. You need to reply to the good comments and act on the bad feedback. Use suggestions to turn bad videos into good ones by listening to your critics.

Of course, there will be a lot of trolls, especially if you post on YouTube. If a person isn't offering constructive criticism that you can use, ignore them. Don't let it make you give up. You can do this!

Don’t Make Your Vlog a Slog

You’ve been uploading new videos and keeping a close eye on the view counter. You keep refreshing the pages, but the view counter for your videos just aren’t going up. The only person who seems to be increasing the view count is you, and that’s only because you keep refreshing the page to check the view count. Ha!

This is a disastrously common scenario for many vloggers out there. The fact is, vlogs are a dime a dozen - or maybe even a dime a hundred these days - and, while it remains an exciting medium, you really need something that will make you stand out from the crowd.

And on that note, let’s dive into the first common mistake that new vloggers make...

There’s Nothing Special About Your Vlog

A lot of vloggers aren’t really saying anything new or offering anything particularly funny or wise. They’re simply regurgitating what more popular vloggers are saying. While this may have worked for a few people who managed to get rich while basically ripping off the likes of PewDiePie, by and large the rip-off artists are called out as such right away and fail to grab an audience.

There needs to be something about your vlog that really compels people to watch more. Here's some ideas:

• Do you have a funny voice that makes your friends howl with laughter? Use it! A good example is Chelcie Lynn. She creates characters and videos them living their lives. The results are hilarious.

• Do you have a unique way of seeing the world? Make sure that shines through. Don't stifle it in the name of fitting in. My favorite example of letting your freak flag fly is Chris Crocker. He's funny, poignant and adorable, all wrapped up in one package.

• Do you like putting a spin on an old classic? BUG Bradford (my kiddo) makes parodies of TV shows and songs. While she's not a pro yet, a rendition of one song has gotten close to 30,000 views.

Your Editing Isn’t Any Good

Never, never, never underestimate the importance of good editing. The best vloggers out there tend to have great editing skills they use to make their videos funnier, clearer and more enjoyable. In fact, many of these vloggers find that the real creation of their videos is in the editing, not the filming. Resources like Training Connection may be able to help you.

The Videos Are Too Long - or Not Long Enough

People love to talk cynically about how ruined our attention span supposedly is. While the damage the internet has wrought upon our attention spans is a myth, it’s important that your vlog isn’t longer than it needs to be.

Of course, it depends what your niche is. A video that’s too short may not grab people at all. The sweet spot for many viewers seems to be somewhere along the four to seven minute mark, especially if you lean more towards comedy. Social commentary may take on longer forms; for example, a historical and economic video about Brexit will actually attract more viewers if it’s over twenty minutes!

You’re Not Interacting with Your Audience

The best way to engage your audience, beside making great vlogs, is to actually engage with them. This is why you need respond to reasonable comments on your videos, as well as use social media to converse with followers.

Twitter is a particularly good platform for vloggers. You can also use social media to follow and interact with bigger vloggers who may end up paying attention to your videos and giving you a wider audience.

Speedy Writing Tips for Beginners

I must admit. I’m a speedy writer. Not to say I don’t work hard to get stories in by their deadline, research new markets and craft queries. I just don’t like wasting time. I want to get it done and move onto the part I love, the actual writing.

There are many sites made specifically to aid writers on their quest for information, resources, and education. Below are some of the best to help you save time and get writing.

Reference at Your Fingertips

Everyone knows that you need a good dictionary, thesaurus and encyclopedia, but thumbing through these can waste huge masses of time. Besides, why buy these reference books when you can easily access them on the web? This saves time and money! Wordsmyth has a dictionary and thesaurus that are quick and easy to use. All you have to do is type your word into the box on the left-hand side of the screen. The site will give you the correct spelling, synonyms, definition, and a list of related words.

Merriam and Webster Online not only has a dictionary and thesaurus, but also Encyclopedia Britannica. This site also helps you with research related to the words you look up by providing helpful links.

Another great reference site is Writer’s Market.com. The digital version of this long time writer’s staple offers instant access to thousands of editors and agents just for $5.99 a month. This is a great time saver because it is constantly being updated. No more getting returned query letters because of address changes or business mergers.

Speedy Research

Doing research is one of the biggest time eaters there is for writers. Going to the library can take up a whole day. And typing random terms into search engines can be just as time consuming. Finding several surefire research sites is the best way to maximize writing time. The key is to stay focused on your topic. Say you are looking for information on the best places to go salmon fishing. You find several great articles on salmon fishing, but a few pop up about salmon recipes. Even if you are tempted, don’t stray over to other topics that may pique you interest. Stay focused! It saves precious time that you need to write your story.

Profnet lets you ask technical questions of experts and look up previously answered questions on anything from Ancient Egypt to Oklahoma injury settlements. For more, Game Press is another site that lets you connect with experts in the field of gaming.

Need really detailed information like statistics or government documents for your story? Don’t shlep to your local government agency. Turn to sites like Fedstats or Firstgov.gov. Fedstats has links to statistical data, statistical profiles of states, counties, cities, congressional districts, and federal judicial districts, while Firstgov.gov has just about any other kind of information you could want related to government agencies and policies.

Do you want to have just one website bookmarked where you can find all the research help you could ever need? Refdesk.com is the ultimate online guide to internet research. The site includes links to expert advice, reference facilities and news, as well as help and advice columns.

Saving time by using the internet is a great way to add more minutes to writing your story. Just remember to actually write.

Here’s everything you need to start a successful freelance writing business.

Are You a Sex and the City Writer or a Dragnet Blogger?

Your style of writing is important. It is what will make people follow your blogs and search for your guest posts. When you're deciding what your brand's voice will be, there is one thing you need to be clear on: Are you a Sex and the City writer or a Dragnet writer? Confused? Let me explain.

carrie bradshaw with joe friday

The Sex and the City Writer

Lovers of the iconic HBO series Sex and the City swooned at the thought of being Carrie, the main character. Carrie Bradshaw would sit at her laptop in her fantastic rent-controlled New York apartment, sip coffee or Cosmopolitans and type out juicy stories about sex and the Big Apple.  Eventually, Carrie's fantastic stories earned her a spot at Vogue writing 500-word articles for $4 per word.

All of this is swoon-worthy, until you actually think about Carrie as a writer. She puts not only the most personal information about herself into her column, but she also writes about her friend's sex lives, her boyfriend's hang-ups and, once, about a politician's kinks. All of this is put out there every week for all of New York to read. She has no secrets, her friends have no secrets and everyone she runs into's secrets are often revealed, too.

[bctt tweet="Your #writing style is important. Are you a Carrie Bradshaw or a Friday? Find out."]

Sex and the City

This may seem far fetched. No writer actually does that, right?

Actually, writers write like Carrie every single day. Some get paid like they are writing for Vogue and some get paid very little. They take some personal story or a story about someone they know and turn it into an article that gets right to the heartstrings of a reader.

Once upon a time, these types of writers called confession writers. Today, they are called bloggers or personal narrative writers.

Do you have the cajones to be a writer that delves into your personal life? Though I've dreamed of being Carrie more times than I care to admit, I just could never coax myself into the Carrie way of life. When sitting down to write a personal experience I would always wonder, "Will my mom read this? Or my kids?" Those thoughts put a stop to my more personal narratives. Maybe you don't have the same inhibitions, though. If not, you could create some amazing prose that others will love to read. And if they love to read your stories, they will keep coming back, gaining you site traffic and conversions.

Dragnet Writers

Just the facts, ma'am.

If you have problems putting yourself in the spotlight you may be a Dragnet writer. For those that don't remember Dragnet from a time before CSI or never got a chance to watch some reruns, I'll give you the gist. The star of the show was Detective Sergeant Joe Friday. Friday was a laced up, no-nonsense type of guy who only concerned himself with the facts and how they pertained to his case. No funny business, you see.

While writing straightforward posts and articles may not be as flashy as steamy tell-alls, it allows you to get in there and present the facts to the reader in a quick one-two punch that gets the job done. The writer doesn't need to get sentimental or provocative or provide any personal information. If you like to present "Just the facts, ma'am," then writing the Dragnet way may be the path you take with your brand writing.

Straddling the Fence

Why not mix the two? Dragnet in the City, anyone?

Of course, both of these types of writers are very drastic examples. There is a happy medium for those who don't want to lean too far in either direction. These writers pepper their fact-filled articles and blog posts with a personal story to add a little personality to their writing. This type of writing walks the fine line between confessional writing and news writing. You'll often see these types of articles on DIY sites, in home and style magazines and on sites like Huffington Post.

Don't know what type of writer you would like to be? Then you need to start writing to find out what writing style you are more comfortable with! It will probably take some time, but sooner or later your inner Carrie or Friday will emerge.

Want to learn how to make money from your writing? I offer a great course that will get you on your way. Click here for more info.

8 Beginning Blogger Mistakes to Avoid

Guest post by Jamie from Start Blogging Online

Your blog is a platform to voice out your opinions and thoughts. It is also a vehicle to raise money. There are advertisers willing to pay popular bloggers to place their ads on the site. It is a win-win situation. Relying on your blog alone to be popular is a big blogging mistake. Before you reach a point where you become an authority in a particular niche you have to build your name first.

Try writing for other blogs as a guest blogger to build your name. This will increase your online visibility. Be sure to add a link to your own blog. Of course, you have to reserve your best write-ups for your own blog.

The infographic below shows other mistakes bloggers makes when running a blog site. Avoid these mistakes so your site becomes popular in no time. It takes a lot to reach a certain level of popularity, but it can be done.

16 Ways to Get Visitors to Stay on Your Site Longer

It is estimated that there are 1.18 billion websites online right now. 152 million of those sites are blogs and over three million posts are written each day for them. Getting your site noticed when it is literally one in a billion is quite difficult. Think of a search engine as a gatekeeper. Getting to the top of a search engine’s list of results is key. The longer people stay on your site, the better your ranking will be. Here’s how to keep them engaged.

awesome website content

First, Make Your Content Awesome

The algorithms used to calculate search results change, but one thing doesn't: Stick to creating informative, reliable information that's interesting and you're sure to rank. You have to make sure that when living, breathing people come to your site, they find something that they want to read or watch and stay awhile. One of the things search engines look for are sites that keep visitors from clicking away. The longer visitors stay on your site, the better it ranks.

Creating interesting, original and unique content is actually the fun part of having your own website because it can be about whatever you want. Remember: it has to be good enough to set your site apart from a billion others.

Keep them Engaged

Other than interesting content, there are a few other things that can keep visitors on your site longer. Here are the other 15 tips:

1. Give them another place to go on your site by offering related post links in your copy and in the sidebar.

2. Make your internal links a bright color so they catch people's attention. My links are pink!

3. Post videos within your written content.

4. Add photos. Two to three photos in a post breaks up text and makes it seem more interesting.

5. Add headers, bullets and numbered lists to your post. These also make your post look more interesting and helpful at first glance, preventing people from clicking away.

6. Give your posts tags that link to collections of similar content.

7. Make sure your site's menu is easy to use so readers can find more of your content.

8. Make all external links open a new window or browser tab instead of leading the visitors off your page.

9. Put your most interesting information "above the fold." Often, if a visitor doesn't see the information they want without scrolling, they click back to the search results.

10. Make a gallery post that gets visitors to click through pages using interesting photographs.

11. Be sure that your site loads quickly. Most people don't wait around for more than a few seconds for a page to finish loading and NO ONE will click around a slow website.

12. Give your visitors a search box so they can quickly find information that they want to read on your site.

13. Use a font that is easy to read, like Times New Roman or Georgia.

14. Don't use big words. Remember, if you don't make everything as easy as possible, people will click away from your site.

15. Provide longer articles packed with great information.

5 Things You Need to Invest in for Writing on the Go

If you’ve turned writing into a career, then something you’ve probably thought about is how to keep writing while you’re on the go. Perhaps you travel around the world to take pictures and get ideas for content, or maybe you work a regular day job that involves long and unproductive commutes. Whatever your ideas are, here are a few ways to help you keep writing on the go no matter where you are.

Invest in a Laptop

If you don’t already have a laptop, then you’re missing out on a wealth of opportunities. Since writing isn’t very demanding for computers, you could essentially do it from a smartphone or even a tablet with an external keyboard. However, there’s nothing as simple and productive as a basic Windows laptop with a comfortable keyboard.

Instead of focusing on specs such as hard drive space and processing power, get a laptop with fantastic battery life so you can continue working no matter where you are, and you won’t have to charge it very often which is perfect if you’re a travel blogger.

I personally love the Lenovo IdeaPad laptop powered by AMD. It has laptop or tablet functionality and Active Pen support on select models. With up to 8 hours and Rapid Charge technology with IdeaPad, I can take it anywhere and be sure that I’ll have enough battery life to carry me through. Plus, it’s small and light (only 4.63 pounds!), but has a full-size keyboard. I can slip it in my beach bag or carry on and go.

I’ve got my IdeaPad in my purse and I’m ready to go.

A Place to Save it All

Then, once you have the laptop taken care of, invest in a portable hard drive to hold all of your photos and such. I use the pocket-sized My Passport with 2 terabytes of memory. Having an external hard drive is important because it can back up all of your work and will still be okay if your laptop breaks down. Backing your work up to cloud storage is another option.

Carry Some Equipment

You’ll find that you don’t need to carry much in order to continue blogging on the move. Get a stylish business backpack to store your laptop, camera and charger and you’ll find it’s much easier to stay productive on the go. They don’t cost much, they’re extremely durable.

A Place to Work

If possible, also get something like a portable table to have a place to put your devices when there’s no desk nearby. This Tabletote Plus Portable Compact Computer Stand folds up and can be strapped to your backpack. Plus, it has enough room for your phone and your drink.

Peace and Quiet

You can’t blog while you have people shouting around you, and it’s hard to focus on your writing when all you can hear are cars and trains rushing past. Find a quiet place to type if you want to blog on the go, such as a hotel room or an empty library.

If you want to commute on the train or someplace bustling, such as a coffee shop, then consider getting a pair of headphones (wireless if possible) and play some soothing music that doesn’t have lyrics. Better yet, invest in some noise canceling headphones to get complete silence. 

Here are some more ideas on writing tool must-haves from a travel writer:

Fight Generic Content: How to Create Interesting Posts

I was recently critiquing a person's article, and something struck me. This article had everything going for it...in theory. It was on a great topic that would be interesting to the reader. The problem was, once you started reading, it was clear that the article was generic. It was a general dabbling into the subject and not the in-depth article the title promised. Of course, the average reader would click away from the article right away and never come back to the site.

To help you avoid this mistake, I'm going to give you a sure-fire way to determine if your content is generic with one easy step.

Image by Neil Kandalgaonkar.

How to Spot a Generic Article

Spotting a generic article is easy. All you need to do is see if you can swap your main keyword for something else.

For example, say your article was entitled: How Marketers can Use PayPal. Throughout your article, you should give examples of how marketers, specifically, can use PayPal. If you can switch out the word "marketers" and replace it with any other type of profession, then your article is generic.

How to Fix Generic Content

Fixing generic content is just as easy as spotting it. Simply go through your article and insert tips or ideas that are specific to your topic keyword.  Remember, you want people to learn or be entertained with tidbits that pertain to their interests. If they aren't learning or being entertained, then your article is nothing but search fodder.

Nothing makes me angrier than search fodder. That's articles that are created with the sole intent of drawing in hits through keyword usage. These articles are dry, useless and infuriating because they waste people's time. Not to mention, search engines are looking for helpful content more than keywords and SEO tricks these days, anyway.

[bctt tweet="Keep it classy. Make sure that your content avoids the generic label and is something special."]

ron_burgundy_ stay classy

Keep it classy. Make sure that your content avoids the generic label and is something special. Not only will your brand gain a loyal following, you'll also get more search engine love.

Want to learn how to become a successful writer? Get a copy of my book:

The Fluff-Free Freelance Writing Master Course: The only course that gives you concrete, actionable information to building a successful freelance business without any fluff.

The #1 Worry For Freelance Writers (And How to Solve It)

Let's face it, as a freelance writer your day may have a few more worries than those folks that have staff jobs. In particular, the number one concern for us freelancers is the work will suddenly dry up, and leave us destitute. This worry haunts our days and our nights. However, it is definitely possible to ensure a consistent workflow as a freelancer. Read on to find out more.

how to be a freelancer

Find your niche

Having a niche when you are a freelance writer is particularly crucial in securing work. Firstly a niche is a specific area that you can specialize in. It can work well for writers because we get to create work around things they are passionate about, and as we know, it's always easier to write an engaging quality piece about something that actually interests us.

Luckily, there are all sorts of fascinating niche topics that have been made accessible and in demand on the internet. This means you can successfully base your freelance writing career in areas as varied as health and fitness, wellbeing, vehicles,  art, tech or computer games, as well as pretty much anything else in between.  

Also by focusing your efforts in a certain area, it is easier as a writer to build up a name and reputation for themselves, as well as stay on top of all of the current affairs in that field. This will make your writing well informed and ensure that people think of you when they need a piece on that topic completed.

To learn more about choosing your niche, take a look at my article Yes, You Need a Niche, Freelance Writers.

Ensure your pitch is right

Next, a massive part of ensuring a consistent workflow as a freelance writer is the art of mastering the pitch. The pitch is that communication between you and your client (usually an editor) that convinces them to award the job to you and not someone else.

Image credit

Pitches usually consist of titles, lead sentences, and a brief outline of what the rest of the piece will contain. That means these things need to be full of verve and engage the reader straight away. Cut out the generics and put in with attention-grabbing specific pieces that appeal to the readership of the company you are pitching to.

To help you with this you can take a look at their previous publications to see how they title their pieces and what sort of style their articles usually take. Then match your pitch to this to increase your win rate and ensure you have as much work as possible.

For specifics on pitching to magazines, see my article How To Pitch Magazines: A Writer's Guide for Getting Published.

Manage your reputation

Did you know that your reputation is crucial to your success as a freelance writer? It truly is, especially if you want to win the higher paying articles that will provide you with enough time to research and truly craft the pieces you are writing.

Remember that is it very easy for an editor or client to Google you and get a sense of what you are about quickly. That means you need to manage your online reputation carefully to achieve the best results.

To do this ensure that you keep your non-work social media page private, and you can even employ professionals, as this reputation service case study demonstrates, to ensure that you come across as credible and reliable online. Something that can definitely help you to achieve more work and maintain that steady workflow that so many freelancers desire.

Encourage referrals  

Last of all, but certainly not least to solve the problem of getting enough work, it's vital that as a freelancer you encourage referrals from previous customers that have been pleased with your work.

Of course, this is easier said than done a lot of the time, as getting repeat business or a business to business referral often seem like something you are a freelancer have little control over.

how to get referrals as a freelancer

The answer here is a combination of incentivization and subtle reminders.

1. Get repeat work and referrals by offering discounted rates if pieces are requested within a certain space of time.

2. Remind previous clients that you are still here and ready to help them with any writing job they may need assistance with.

3. Some freelancers even take the time to send a handwritten thank you card as a way of maintaining a positive relationship with previous clients. Something that can often pay off in the long run.

It's often much easier to convince satisfied clients that they would like to use you for more work, remember. Instead of finding someone that you have never worked with before that is willing to take an unqualified chance on you.

Need step-by-step instructions on becoming a successful freelance writer? I've got you. Read my book:

The Fluff-Free Freelance Writing Master Course: The only course that gives you concrete, actionable information to building a successful freelance business without any fluff.

Writers, Don't Neglect Real World

how to start a blog

As a freelance writer, you can’t just focus on your writing and be done with it - you need to be able to advertise yourself and your services both online and off. This means that you need to know what your USP is, find your target market and hit them with a brilliant sales pitch before the competition can even have a chance.

You may not think it, but the freelance writing market is incredibly competitive and you need to have your wits about you! If you are struggling to make your name as a writer, you need to get your advertising hat on and drum up some business for yourself.

Go to Networking Events

No freelancer (that I know of!) really likes networking, but it is a necessity if you want to build a real network of contacts. You might think that networking is all about a group of people meeting to try and get work from one another and in a way you are right.

However, it is important that you go in with an open mind and think more about how you can help others than outwardly trying to score a contract.

Networking for clients

Above all, networking is about getting connected to a range of people. This means that even if a person you meet isn’t going to work with you, they may have another person to introduce you to later down the line and vice versa.

To make sure that people can get in touch with you later, always offer a business card. This is a great technique for shy people especially as swapping cards makes it easier to invite people to get in touch with you later on.  

Go to Conventions

Almost every industry has a convention at some point in the year and if you want to make the most of it, grab a stall, set yourself up and entice people over to chat about your services. Make sure that your stall fully represents you, your services and your values with examples of your writing.

getting visitors for website

To fill your space and make posters that detail your services, you website and how to get in touch. Then all you need are some banner hangers to display your posters and you are away. You should also leave business cards on the table so that people are able to just pick one up and move on.

Work Your Website

Your website is a great way to bring new business in so you need to make sure that it is fully optimised for its purpose. Write a regular blog to add content to your site and promote it via social media to draw people in.

Similarly, you should display examples of your work so that prospective customers can see what your writing style is like and the kind of niches you go for. Build up your portfolio with your strongest pieces and keep an up-to-date resume too.

As you would during a networking event or convention, make sure that personal touches come through on your website. Remember: your customers are buying into you as much as your services.

Starter's Guide to Becoming a Professional Writer

More and more employees find themselves sitting at their desk and dreaming of becoming their own boss as a professional writer. It’s a recurring dream for all those who want it difficult to juggle with the unnecessary office politics or the toxic colleagues.

Whatever the reasoning, self-employment is at its highest level in the UK and the US, signifying more and more people have decide to move their professional career under the freelancing skies. After all, if there’s something appealing in the world of freelancing, it’s the sense of freedom that you get. For many, freelancing as a professional writer is the way out of the career or a company that didn’t suit their personality or desires.

But working for yourself comes at a high cost, in terms of money, social behavior and mental health. Freelancers don’t have it always easy, but if it’s the life you want for yourself, you need to aware of the inherent costs and hurdles. Here’s some things you need to know when getting started as a freelance writer.

The legal stuff

Do you know how to pay taxes or if you need a business license in your area? You need to research these two items before you start taking on clients. Here’s some tips on the legal part of becoming a freelance writer.

You compete against other market players

The freelancing world is that the market is a busy place. There is a lot of competition coming from a variety of places. As an independent contractor, you might find yourself competing against companies or other freelancing individuals.

In fact, if you’re not in a position where you can bring your client a competitive edge, either by your expertise or your specialist niche experience, you’ll be struggling to make ends meet. There’s no way around it: As a freelancer, you need to have top qualifications, and more often than not it’s something you need to invest either or money into. How do you gather the relevant knowledge? There are many options, depending on your area of freelancing.

For instance, if you’re a freelance copywriter and want to attract more financial writing gigs, you might need to get an MSC Accounting and Finance – and studying, as you know, doesn’t come for free.

You might also want to take on an internship in a specialist sector, just to gather the relevant market knowledge. The advantage is that an internship position doesn’t require any payment on your part. The inconvenient is that it isn’t paid either.

Another option is to find a niche in what you're already skilled at. For example, if you were a firefighter, you can write about safety. If you're a mom, you can write about a wide range of topics, from childcare tips to home organization. If you're a nurse, you can make the health field your niche.

You don't need to base your niche off of your old career or degree, either. It can also come from hobbies you are passionate about. Say, for example, you love to cook. You don't need a degree from the Culinary Arts Institute. Your resume can say something like:

"As a lifelong home cook trained by three generations of women, I have made over 5,000 recipes in my life."

This is how I started writing about tech. I don't have any kind of technical degree, but I'm passionate about learning everything about it. This gives me an edge.

Here are some more tips for standing out from the crowd.

Professional writer, be organized

When working in an office, there is only one thing that you need to worry about: Finishing your project within the deadline. When you work for yourself, you need to become a master of organization.

If you work on several projects at the same time, you may find it useful to stay on top of your client tasks in the same way that companies manage employee schedules, with a work schedule maker.

Fortunately, there are plenty of affordable or even free tools, starting with the obvious pen and paper. However, the more complex your tasks are, the more you’ll have to spend on keeping your freelancing business on track, from automated invoicing to digital task overview.

If you're a goal oriented person (I recommend setting goals to build your career, btw) get a planner that focuses on setting goals while organizing your day. I personally use the Law of Attraction Planner. If you want a digital organizer, try Google Calendar. It's free and you can set up alarms and reminders.

abundance planner

Another must have is a note taking app that you can use on your desktop, computer, phone and tablet that syncs all of your notes. I use OneNote and probably won't use anything else. I have a page with links to all of my social media and books so I can just copy and paste it when people ask for the information. I also have pages for writing guidelines for various clients, project ideas and email templates.

You create your own office

If you work from home, you will need to design a home office that is both inspiring and functional. More often than not, you’ll come across cute home office design tutorials that list all the furniture and DIY tools required to achieve “the look.” But they often forget to mention the cost of your work setting.

As a freelancer, you will need a decent desk, the relevant tech – from laptop to printer – and a storage facility. Remember that you’ll spend long hours working, so you need a comfortable and homely decor. 

my desk

Here's a list of the basics:

• Laptop or desktop. (I prefer a laptop so I can work from anywhere.)

• Desk. (I use a standing desk, but for years I had an old door propped across small filing cabinets.)

• Printer with built-in scanner and fax.

• Some kind of online portfolio or website. (I suggest just getting a LinkedIn page to start here is some more in-depth info on building a portfolio.)

• If you're going to write for local businesses you'll need business cards. (Moo.com is my card maker of choice. Here are my cards, below.)

Business cards for freelance writers

Business cards for freelance writers

Need a break? It’s at your expense

Being paid by the project, you might be tempted to work almost 24/7. However, overworking yourself is not a practical solution. Not only will this decrease the quality of your work, but it can put your health at risk too. Be safe, my professional writer friend!

You do need to take a break to recharge your batteries.  Holidays and sick days are not remunerated, though. What this means is that you need to evaluate your health against your finance: Can you afford to take a day off?

One of the things I love about being a freelancer is that I can do my work ahead of schedule so I can take a week or two off. My clients are happy, I get paid, and I get needed time off. I take several vacations throughout the year.

professional writer on vacation

Either you multitask, or you pay someone to do it

Working for yourself as a professional writer means that you need to be a marketer, an accountant, a sale representative and a freelancing expert at the same time. It’s not only exhausting to juggle between each job; it seems that multitasking also reduces your IQ and productivity.

If your budget is in the green (a simple monthly budget template can help you keep your finances in line), you should consider outsourcing. If it isn’t, you’ll need to rely a smart tool such as ToDoist to keep you focused on one task at a time. I ended up setting up some automated systems because I just couldn't do EVERYTHING. Now, I have an assistant.   

Working alone as a professional writer affects your health

As a freelancer, you’re free from the office routine and the colleagues -- and drama! It also means that you are on your own. While it might seem like a blessing at first, it’s a lonely career, and it can become extremely depressing and stressful.

Indeed, the very nature of the gig economy undermines the need for security. Job insecurity can lead to depression, anxiety, emotional exhaustion and even heart disease, and that’s precisely what you will be dealing with every single day of your self-employed life, if you let it.

Me in my office.

My advice is to not be scarcity oriented, but abundance oriented in your freelance business. The more you think about the abundance that's coming your way, the more confident you will be, which will attract more clients. When I was starting out I called it "fake it until you make it". This mindset will not only make you more successful, it will also lessen the job security anxiety.

Additionally, loneliness is a natural feeling to experience, and it can become a burden when you can’t exchange with same-minded colleagues. Are your ideas still good if nobody hears about them?

For a lot of freelancers, hitting the wall of insecure isolation can break their career and convince them to move back to a more traditional employment situation. If you feel lonely, I suggest joining my Facebook group for writers. It helps to have others to talk to that know exactly where you're coming from.

Also, grab your laptop or your notebook and work at a picnic table at your local park or lake. Even setting up a workstation at your favorite coffee shop once a week can help with the loneliness. When I first started out, I took my kids to McDonalds and while they played on the playground I would brainstorm article ideas.

One of our trips to McDonalds.

Freelancing is freeing (haha) if you’ve got the right mindset and the appropriate expectations. It’s not a lifestyle that is best suited for everyone. Of course, the best way to find out if you like it is to try! 

Need step-by-step instructions for starting your freelance business? My book, The Fluff-Free Freelance Writing Master Course, has everything you need, from how to find clients to setting up a fantastic portfolio.

Have a Blog? Here's How You Can Profit from Your Existing Content

In case you have been blogging for years just for fun -- or to connect with like minded people -- chances are that you already have built-in audience ready to listen to your opinion and recommendations. It might be time to take the next step and monetize your website to earn some extra cash while you do what you enjoy. While many websites tell you you can make money by setting up your blog, only a few experts talk about using your existing content to create profits. Read on to get some ideas.

Compile an eBook

If you have enough content on a certain topic, you could easily create a guide or an ebook you can sell online. While you might need to do some editing and extra writing, making use of your free content this way can prove to be profitable long term.

Here are two of my ebooks:

The Fluff-Free Freelance Writing Master Course

The No-Fluff Guide to Writing Web Content

Turn Articles Into a Video Training

Apart from ebooks, you can also create your own video training that you sell on your own site or through affiliates. Whichever method you use, make sure you get a professional camera (or a phone with a really good camera) and write your scripts before you sit down.

Practice video creation through blogging, and invest in editing software to make your product professionally finished.

I put my videos on SkillShare and make money from ad views. Here's a look at my playlist for writers on SkillShare. I've had a lot of luck posting there.

Offer Paid Guest Posts

Having a lot of subscribers and comments on your blog doesn’t only make you feel good, but it can also help you get the attention of companies looking to place their links and ads on your site. Advertise your site on different platforms and offer a flat rate for article placements.

Be sure the company has strict guidelines and they don’t intend to spam your site with low quality links.

Add Affiliate Links or Google Adwords

The simplest way of monetizing your website is by adding Google ads or affiliate links to your page. Sign up for a CPA affiliate network and choose the offers that are most relevant to the topics you regularly feature on your blog.

If you use WordPress as your blogging platform, you might be able to automatically place your link in each past post based on the right keywords using a plugin.

Some places to get affiliate links are:

• Amazon Affiliate Program

• Affiliate Window

• Shareasale  

• MaxBounty

• CJ Affiliate

Set Up a Side Business and Promote Products

If you regularly write about home improvements and furnishings, and you have your favorite items, you can create a store on your blog where your visitors can purchase the items through you. The good news is that you don’t have to deal with shipment and administration if you use a dropshipping service.

10 Job Boards for Freelance Writers

If you’re on the hunt for a job with flexible working hours and great income potential, freelance writing is one opportunity you’ll want to check out. Being a freelance writer allows you to work from home (or a coffee shop, or your daughter’s ballet recital if necessary). And while it may be hard to imagine making an income while lounging about the house in your pajamas, there are plenty of people in the world who are able to make a great full-time income exclusively through freelance writing.

Of course, with the same draws that come with freelance writing, there are some drawbacks. One such drawback is the need to be continuously seeking out new work. Even seasoned freelance writers will have dry spells between clients when it will be necessary to seek out new work, but if you’re just breaking into the freelance industry, a large portion of your day will be spent looking for work. Freelance job boards are a great solution to this problem, helping connect freelance writers to the people who need them. If that sounds like a perfect place for you, then you’ll want to check out the websites on this list of 10 legitimate job boards for freelance writers.

Upwork

Upwork is one of the leading freelance job boards on the web right now, and most freelance writers have made an appearance there at one point or another. One great thing about Upwork is that the freelance work available is not just limited to one type of writing—or to writing at all. Instead, people and companies both can post listings for jobs that need to be done, leading to an endless bevy of opportunities.

In turn, freelancers can put in a bid on the jobs they’re interested in. Typical bids include not only a price point, but also a cover letter indicating why you’d be the best fit for the job and links to any relevant freelance writing you’ve done that they can use as an indication of your capabilities.

An overall great job board, the one struggle with Upwork is that because it’s so popular and trusted, new freelancers may have a hard time getting their toe in the door without much of a portfolio to speak of. Still, it’s a great site to have in your back pocket, even if it’s not one you spend a lot of time on until you’re a little more established.

Pitchwiz

Check out my review of this great, high-quality job board here.

Verblio

Once known as BlogMutt, this job board has recently been rebranded as Verblio. Verblio specializes in companies that need frequent content on certain topics. Writers can write articles within these topics for companies, and the companies can choose the articles they like best.

Though the downside is that you only get paid for articles that get selected—and articles are sometimes not selected because the company has received too many on the same topic, not because there’s anything wrong with your writing—the upside is that it’s entirely possible to build a reputation with a company, making them more likely to choose your articles going forward or even request special projects from you.

FreelanceWriting.com

If “set it and forget it” is a phrase that you hold near and dear to your heart, FreelanceWriting.com may be the perfect place for you. They compile freelance writing opportunities from some popular sites, including Indeed.com, and send out a daily newsletter promoting some of the best freelance writing opportunities on the web.

Their website itself also helps connect writers to writing jobs, so on days you’re feeling more actively invested, you can go there for even more opportunities.

BloggingPro

BloggingPro looks more like a traditional job board than some of the other freelance writing job boards available, with multiple companies listing ads and freelance writers applying for them the way they might apply for any other job. One great thing about BloggingPro, however, is that it links to not only short-term freelance opportunities but also more traditional part-time and even long-term writing jobs, meaning you have a chance of landing a full-time client here if you time things correctly.

Online Writing Jobs

Online writing jobs is a job board with high expectations of its writers. In order to be approved to write for their site, you have to read and understand a litany of stylistic rules and regulations. The trade-off for the extra research—and, often, extra edits—that goes into their jobs is a higher pay rate on approved articles. This is also a great job board if you’re looking to grow your skills as a writer as it forces you to learn about different stylistic choices and to write to very unique criteria.

Text Broker

Text Broker is a great site for aspiring writers as it allows you to build your reputation over time. While early jobs will only earn pennies at a time, you get ranked as a writer the more you write. Higher rankings mean higher earning potential, so if you’re willing to hone your craft, you can make a halfway decent income through their jobs.

Writer Access

One unique aspect of Writer Access is the entry exam, which rates writers as they come in and gives them an initial star rating. This star rating helps determine pay rates and hourly rates for writers, setting everyone to a standard while rewarding some of the more skilled writers on the market. Writer Access also offers free online webinars and podcasts on being a content marketer, which makes it a great place to learn more about the industry while also writing for it.

JournalismJobs

Not all freelance writers want to write blogs or product descriptions. Freelance journalism jobs do exist, and JournalismJobs.com specifically caters to these jobs, as well as to more long-term journalism jobs. You can even narrow your search results by location and preferred salary range, allowing you to be a little more nuanced in your selection process.

All Freelance Writing

Another more traditional type of job board, All Freelance Writing stands out from the crowd because it clearly displays the pay range for writing jobs and the date they were posted, allowing you to determine at a glance whether or not a job is worth further investigation. They also make a point of only keeping listings on their site for 30 days or fewer, ensuring that you’re not wasting your time applying for jobs that have long expired.

Here's How Writers Can be Ready for Disaster

This story is from a few years ago, but it still sends shivers down my spine. A writer ran into a burning building to save his two novels from disaster. He managed to save his work without getting hurt, thankfully.

Screenshot of BBC article.

A while back I faced every writer's worst nightmare, though it wasn’t as bad as this guy’s problem. My computer died and wouldn't start back up. Luckily, it turned out to just be a damaged power cord, but it could have been worse. I've had lightning hit my laptop, for example. It fried everything! I’ve also worked in a blackout during an ice storm.

Do you have a plan for your work when disaster strikes? Do you know what you would do if tragedy struck your laptop of desktop? How would you handle client work? How would you access your precious files?Here are some ways you can keep everything safe…and allow you to keep working, even after fires and during blackouts.

Start by getting a back-up device

First, you'll need a computer-like device that you can use to check emails, create articles and more. You probably already have a phone or a tablet that can do everything you need. Just download some apps to get you going, like Word, Google Docs or OneNote, for article creation.

Next, connect your search engine account with your device so you can access all of your bookmarks in the browser. Finally, if you connect with clients through Slack, Blue Jean or another messaging system, be sure to download it to your device.

Save your files somewhere else

All of my files are saved on a My Passport Ultra 1TB external hard drive. All I need to do is plug my hard drive into another device and I'm good. You'll probably need to invest in a hard drive with 1TB to 2TB of storage. You'll be surprised at how fast they fill up!

If you don't like the idea of having an external hard drive, consider storing your files in the cloud. Google Drive is a good choice. Another good cloud storage service to look into is provided by Microsoft Word 360.

Have a power supply

When there was an ice storm my power was out for days. You can't exactly run your online business without electricity. When your laptop battery dies, you can move to your tablet or phone, but how will you power them when they die?

I highly recommend getting a solar charger like the Everything Tech Gear Solar Charger. It powers my phone with no problems. I'm using clean power, too, so I love it.

Make things easier with a portable keyboard

My phone, a wireless keyboard, headphones and a solar charger to power it all. It's awkward, but at least get work done.

I can type pretty quickly on my phone, but putting together an article is a nightmare using the on-screen keyboard. I have a wireless keyboard by ZAGG that syncs with my phone or tablet and it's almost full-size, so typing is MUCH faster!

Don't wait until you're in a predicament. Go set up your backup right now. You never know when you'll need it.

How To Stay Focused at Your Job as a Working Mother

Tips for working mothers to help them keep their sanity and productivity, no matter what the kids are up to.

Guest post by Ujëbardha Bekolli, Mother Works

Every once in a while everyone experiences a downhill at their workplace. We get fed up by daily drama, same old routine and everything looks like a bore.

However the loss of focus that mothers experience is entirely different. Whether you work part-time jobs or full time, this lack of focus has a taste of fatigue, tiresome, chaos and imbalance. That is because our mind is floating in 20 different things within one minute.

We’re worrying about whether the baby is asleep right now, if the nanny forgot to feed her, wondering if we manage to make it home for dinner, maybe that co-worker will give me a hand, what if our plans for next year’s summer camp fail, is the world we live in a safe place to raise children?    

And this is just the average of what’s going on inside our heads. So, how can we manage to gather our senses and focus on our job?

Write.stuff.down

You can be the most efficient person in the world who memorizes everything, and yet without having a proper list,, your brains will feel chaotic. So in order for you to feel more organized, make a list of things you have to do throughout the day. Better yet, make two lists. Divide whatever it is that you have to do once you get home, and the tasks you are assigned to do while being at your work desk.

Visualize yourself crossing a huge line in between these two, without being able to go back and forth from one list to another. This will help you feel more at ease, and it will clarify your thoughts. Cross each task out of the list once finished, and the sense of relief you will feel is utterly amazing.

working mothers

Use breaks efficiently

There is no use in working 3-4 straight hours while you're always thinking about getting a snack or grabbing a coffee. Although breaks work differently depending on people, use them to the maximum, to recharge and to gain balance.

Use that balcony at work to go outside and breathe some fresh air, while sipping your coffee. Call your husband or talk to your toddler. It will help you gain back some inspiration, and you will return stronger, knowing that you are blessed with those people who will be eagerly waiting for you to come home. You’ll come back wanting to hug your boss out of the sweetness you’ve received from a phone call. Don’t do it though, he’ll think you’ve gone mad!

Make ‘you’ time and ‘we’ time

You would be surprised to know how much time off of work impacts your time at work. When you’re stressing out over lack of sleep, or that discussion you had last night with your partner over the kids, you will be constantly distracted.

So set up dinner dates with your loved one, open up a bottle of wine after the kids have gone to bed and spice things up a little bit. That spontaneous drive will keep you going throughout everything.

But don’t forget to make some time for yourself as well whether that be in the early sunrise or those late hours of tranquility. Recharge, take a bath filled with scents, take some yoga classes or go out for a long run. It might sound like a cliche piece of advice, but it will add some blissfulness to your daily routine.

Sharing

You do not have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. When I say share, I do not only imply the sharing concept of chores, although that is what you should do in the first place. Let your partner pick up the children, do laundry or wash the dishes every once in a while. Let your daughter cook and don’t laugh out at her chicken recipe. This will ease your responsibilities, and it will grow out your children to be good-willing independent human beings.

But also, share your concerns. May that be with your spouse, friends, co-workers or fellow parents who are also struggling to find that work-family balance.

As you commiserate with people going through the same situation, you will not feel alone. In fact, you will gain strength as they make you feel great about all the work you're doing.

Keep your expectations real

All those stories you hear on TV about how you can do it all, you can be perfect, or that ‘Beyonce also had 24 hours at her disposal and look what she achieved’ nonsense, ignore them all. You are doing everything that a regular, normal mum can do. So do not set unrealistic expectations for what you owe to be doing, or what your children should become like.

Follow a reasonable pace and let things flow. I promise you will feel peace captivate you once you know your worth and realize that some things take patience. You have to go by a list of priorities, and follow that list through whatever. If your priority is a presentation you have for tomorrow, don’t start scrolling through food recipes for dinner. Resisting that sweet call of Facebook to keep scrolling will reward you with positive feedback at work tomorrow.

Do nothing day

I know it sounds luxurious, being both an employee and a mum, but sometimes doing nothing isn’t really a waste of time.

You’ve heard people talk about cheat days, how about applying that version for you and your family. Cheat your career every once in a while, by lingering in bed for some extra hours, watching cheesy tv shows or ordering Chinese.

Your children will think you rock, and I’m sure you’ll be able to put up with some mess once you get a bucket full of laughter in return.

Bio:

Ujëbardha Bekolli, SAHMjobs

Ujëbardha Bekolli is a writer for https://sahmjobs.net/. SAHMjobs is a job portal designed to bring together stay at home moms and recruiters. The platform also brings helpful articles in the Blog section regarding mothers who want to return to the workforce.

Use this Website Checklist to Make Sure You're Ready for the Masses

Confused about how to start — and finish — your website? Humans form impressions within seconds, and the look of a site can impact the way we feel about a brand long before we give the owner a chance. Make sure your site looks the professional, then go one step further and make it useful and easy to find. 

Here is a checklist that you should use to optimize your site:

• Use a simple color scheme and use it throughout. (You'll notice my color scheme is grey and pink/purple.)

• Make sure you have a Contact Page, About Me page, Policies page and a Clips and Clients page.

• When was the last time you put yourself in a customer’s shoes? If it’s been a long time, take a tour of your site, make notes and consider how you could improve the user experience.

• Are there broken links? Fix them. A good plugin can do the work for you. Broken Link Checker is my favorite.

• Have you got pages that are out of date? Update them and give them a new publishing date to put them back on the search engine's radar.

• Are there images or video clips that aren’t loading properly? Use a photo compression plugin like Smush.

• Is the site slow? Use a speed booster plugin. I use Speed Booster Pack.

• Use the same font family throughout your site. Avoid comic sans.

• Stay on topic. Pick what you'll write about and keep at it. Use Don’t know your niche? Here’s a guide to help figure it out.

• Avoid long paragraphs of text and use different types of content, such as images, videos and virtual tours.

• Focus on creating engaging content that is informative and useful.

• It’s useful to include an FAQ section and a live chat feature to enable you to respond to queries.

• Use social media, email marketing and search engine optimization to market your web address and encourage more people to visit your site and take a look around.

• It’s all very well having a website, but if nobody knows where to find you, you’re going to struggle to make a splash. Check out this SEO guide for writers to make sure you're on point.

• Include your website address on any merchandise you sell or hand out at events or trade fairs. Many people prefer to shop online now, so providing this information is key.

• Make sure your blog posts show up on the homepage. Everytime you add a new post, the site will look fresh to search engines.

• Use call to action buttons (CTAs).

• Make all of your main subheadings H2.

• Use pictures, videos and gifs to add visual interest to every post and page.

• Feel free to let your personality shine. What makes you special is what will make your business stand out from the rest.

If your site isn’t slick, you have concerns about online security, or it doesn’t make life easy for the client, consider seeking advice from experts like those at Total Tech Team to make improvements.

How to Fight Imposter Syndrome

One of the biggest challenges for writers isn't finding clients. It isn't perfecting a sentence. It isn't even getting paid what you're owed. The greatest challenge that holds you back in almost every area of your freelance writing business is imposter syndrome.

You know what I'm talking about.

Some days you just feel like you're pretending to be a professional writer. It doesn't matter how much success you've had or how hard you work, you still feel like a fraud. Imposter syndrome is common for creative types.

It’s even a problem for the magnificent AOC:

I get struck with it at least once a week, even though I've been running my business for 20 years. My stomach starts to ache. My head feels fuzzy. A tiny voice says, "Hey, they're going to find out you're just a big faker. You're going to lose everything."

There's no justification to feel this way, I know, deep down.

On days like this I know I need to push through, because clients aren't going to wait for me to feel good about myself, right?

Here's how I do it.

Stand back

First, you need to step away from the blank Word document for a few minutes. Walk around in your yard. Go for a jog. Pull some weeds. Scrub your bathtub. Dance around to a favorite jam. Anything that will get your blood pumping for a few minutes is a good idea. Happy chemicals will start to flow and your anxiety will lessen.

Get Hyped on Yourself

This is kind-of embarrassing, but I keep a three-ring binder full of good reviews, awards and emails from happy clients. After 20 years, it's pretty huge. When I feel really off, I just thumb through to remind myself that people do enjoy my writing and I'm not a fraud.

Don't have any accolades yet? Take out your trusty notebook and write down what you're good at and why. Also, write down any accomplishments you've made in your career. Even if it's just a published article or a client contract, that's a big deal!

Get Fancy

Another way to boost your confidence is to get out of your pajamas and dress up for work, even if you're just heading to the recliner with your laptop. Dressing up can make you feel like a professional. Be sure to take some selfies!

Want more tips for becoming a successful freelance writer? Grab a copy of my book: 

The Fluff-Free Freelance Writing Master Course Workbook