Your Freelance Writing Continuous Improvement Plan

Today is more of an interactive post. Consider it homework that will actually make a difference to your freelance writing business.

“Become addicted to constant and never-ending improvement.” – Anthony J. D’Angelo

I saw a bastardized version of this quote on Twitter and did some researching to make sure it was attributed correctly. It wasn’t, nor was it verbatim. In fact, the actual quote above is so much better than what’s circulating on social media anyway that I couldn’t help but share it.

It’s a great reminder that today is your fresh start.

So is tomorrow. And the next day.

Every day you sit down at your desk to work (or to find work), you have the opportunity to make things better for yourself. What can you do?

• You can stop searching for work on job listings and on those awful content-generating sites that pay far too little to be considered a fair wage.
• You can decide what you consider to be a fair wage (not what you think is fair to someone else, but what you think is fair).
• You can read one really good article on how to improve your income.
• You can research one new client, then put together a small plan for how to approach them and what you’ll say that will appeal to them.

Freelance writing careers are a choice. That choice doesn’t come with guarantees that it will work out. In fact, it’s the mirror opposite of an employer/employee relationship. You won’t punch in, put in eight hours, and get paid every week. Instead, you’ll sit down and find work. You’ll make connections, build relationships, and work harder than you’ve ever worked to win client business, then win their loyalty.

But what if you’re a veteran writer who has already done all this? My questions to you are these: Do you get bored? Do you feel stagnant? Are you really doing something today that makes you feel you’ve improved in some way? When was the last time you’ve felt like you’re now in a better place, and what did it take for you to feel that way?

That feeling — go with it.

I can’t tell you what it will take for you to feel like you’re improving. I can’t know exactly where you are in your career or your knowledge, so I’ll give you some general strategies that can be applied by most people. Remember my golden rule — if it doesn’t fit, don’t try to make it fit. We’re all different.

Today starts a regular feature here on the blog. Every so often, I’ll post a suggestion (let’s consider it a business prompt) that can steer you toward a more profitable freelance writing career and get you thinking regularly about how to improve what you’re doing right now.

Today’s improvement suggestion:

Find the best article you can on how to market for new clients.

Then share the link here and answer these questions:

Why do you like this article?
What resonated most with you?
What would you change, if anything?