What’s on the iPod: Walk of Life by Dire Straits
How was the weekend? We spent ours at my parents’ house in western PA amid plenty of relatives and lots of laughs. Holidays are usually a time when I feel a bit melancholic about times and people past, but this holiday was memory-making. We had a great time and left some memories for the younger ones to cherish, I hope.
Today is still a bit of a work day for me as the house is torn to bits and I’m trying to find somewhere to sit. The study remains intact for now, so I sit here, relishing the routine. I have a project due in a few weeks that I’ll put time into today.
It’s nearly time for me to report my earnings for this month, which are expectedly low. Client budgets ran out sooner this year than expected, and a lot of projects were pushed to January, so I had little coming in. I’ll still report it, but I’m already looking ahead to January and have a plan in place to increase next month’s results. Reflection on the past seems to be a December pasttime, and that includes earnings for me.
December is also a time when people begin to think about the new year and resolving to change things. Things rarely work out the way folks plan, though, and soon resolutions just dissipate like sand against a wave. I’m not one to make resolutions for that reason. Instead, I make plans.
We writers can flip that resolution idea on its ear. Call it what you want — plan, resolution, action item, whatever. But find a way now to make the resolution not an annual event, but a regular one.
Here’s how I do that:
Create a monthly goal. I know what I want to make every month. I have done the math, figured my hourly rate, and I know how much I have to work to make that happen. By setting a target, I now have some direction. What is your monthly earnings goal?
Create accountability. A goal is just wasted planning if I have no one to answer to. It’s funny how the mind responded when I wrapped accountability around my goals. The minute I realized I had to answer to my writing community, I began noticing my own efforts much more often. Each time I scored a writing gig or made a new client connection, I found myself punching numbers into my mental calculator. Now I see fairly easily what my expected earnings are for the month before the month even ends. So to whom will you be accountable? You’re welcome to report your results here every month, as I do, or find an accountability partner.
Track client contact. My marketing and networking plan is no longer written out. I keep it simple — I contact XX number of past, potential, and existing clients per day. I have a number in my head of how many queries I want to send out, and I know how many letters of introduction I want to email. Every day, I open my Excel spreadsheet and make note of who I contact, how to reach them, and what day I reached out. Even LinkedIn connections are tracked, though not in the spreadsheet yet. I still do virtual sticky notes with these. My goal for next month is to move them to Excel, as well.
Decide on one new activity each month. It’s rather boring to do the same things every month — contact this writing client, come up with this writing proposal, take on that writing project….so I try to find one thing each month that’s different, challenging, or somehow catches my interest. One month it was teaching a trade magazine writing course. Another month I was proposing articles to a consumer magazine. Another month I attended a local business seminar. One thing. It doesn’t have to monopolize my time (and I’d much rather it didn’t), but it should be something that pushes me in a new direction.
Schedule it. I’m one who gets a lot of things going at once and can sometimes get lost in what to do first. So I open my Outlook calendar and schedule time for each project. If I’m giving an hour to the white paper, I’m allowing myself to put the article aside or not write or research for the insurance course during that hour. It’s all about the white paper because those other projects have their own time scheduled.
Find motivation. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to rely on motivation to keep me on track, but I do have some upcoming expenses that I need to get money in the bank for now (time goes by way too quickly) — my daughter’s wedding, my stepson’s wedding, my dad’s 80th birthday….all of these are in my head as I sit down to market. If you need more help, use visual reminders — notes, photos, whatever.
Do it today. One of the worst mistakes I made when starting out was to let excuses and timing get in the way. “I’ll start my writing career in February because I hear editors are super busy in January” or deciding not to start tracking marketing because it’s Tuesday and my head thinks everything must start on a Monday. So instead of waiting for January 1, why not start right now?
Writers, how do you create resolutions that stick?
What hasn’t worked in the past?
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