Working at Home? Get out of the house!

I’ve been working at home for the past two years, but I’ve just discovered a way to be more productive before 10 pm. Get out of the house!

With kids, there are always distractions. Even though my husband and I arrange our schedules so that we each get some work time in, inevitably that time gets interrupted by tantrums (the terrible twos are apparently going to go full steam through the threes) and child-related psuedo-emergencies.

So yesterday, I started taking my work outside of the home. I chose my parent’s house, as it’s right down the street and has a secure Internet connection. At first I just breathed in a sigh of relief at being in a quiet space during daylight hours. Then I worried how my husband was surviving his trial by fire with our daughters. Then I got to work. Three hours flew by fast and then it was time for us to switch shifts. But I got more done in that three hours than I had in the days preceding it.  Was I done with my work? Not in the least bit. But I did have the time I needed to complete the “high focus” work that I needed to get done.

I’d always read that changing environment can be good for your productivity, and now I have the proof. Here’s why it worked for me:

-No distractions. Kids are loud. Even through earphones. And my motherly instincts (and the overwhelmed look on my husbands face) always won out when I tried to work at home.

-There’s a separation between work and home. At home, the desk needs to be organized, the office vacuumed, etc. Even though I have a dedicated work space it’s tempting to distract myself by cleaning it up or doing other “home” stuff. Getting out of the house makes that impossible.

-Focus=more productivity. For those few hours my sole objective is to write. There isn’t anything else that I have to do. It’s forced dedication.

If you work at home, how do you seperate your work and home life? Dedicated office? Getting out of the house? Incredible self-control?

January 24, 2008 | Filed Under Working at Home | 11 Comments 

Daily Article - Any opinions?

Sometimes you need something to fill in the gaps between work. My first choice recommendation used to be Associated Content, but their pay has decreased in the past year so much that I wonder if it is worth it.

There may be a new solution for when you have an article to sell and need a marketplace. Daily Article (www.dailyarticle.com) looks pretty promising. According to the FAQ, a writer submits an article to their marketplace, sets their own price and then the buyer has full ownership of the article once they purchase an article.

Founded in the Fall of 2007, the site is pretty new. There seems to be a lot of writers who have content there, but I wonder about the rate of buying. Looking at the Alexa rankings, the site has some work to do with building up their traffic and popularity with buyers. A search for “buy articles” on Google shows no signs of the site. There are only 3 adwords ads so some Pay per click marketing may be in order to get the site some visibility.

The fact that the sales are limited to full rights means that you’ll be able to fetch a higher price for your articles. But your chances of selling an article may be low until more buyers are visiting the site. If you are a writer for the site, I’d love to hear how it’s working for you. Are you helping to promote the site and get more buyer traffic? How have your sales been?

January 22, 2008 | Filed Under Techniques and Tips | 7 Comments 

Finding Your Niche as a Web Content Writer

Depending on where you are coming from with your writing career, you may not have the luxury to pick a niche. You may be motivated to take any and all jobs that come your way (within reason). But as soon as you can, it’s a good idea to find a niche and stick with it.

Finding your niche as a writer makes your job easier for several reasons. First, you can streamline your jobs so that your work flows more easily. If you know that are focused on writing articles, then you can work on writing great articles. The same goes for ebooks or blog posts.

You can also market yourself better as “The Parenting Writer” or “The Finance Writer.” When someone needs to have content written on a specific topic, you’ll be the first person they think of. This can help you get more projects and more new clients. This will also help you reduce the amount of research that you need to complete for each project. If you know the topic well, you may not have to do any research at all.

Finding your niche can mean that you target your projects on a specific type of project (like ebooks or reports), or that you create a client list that needs content on a specific subject. I know one writer who has developed a steady stream of business just writing e-mail autoresponder messages. She has branded herself as the go-to person for quality e-mail messages.

Narrowing your focus as a writer and finding your niche doesn’t mean that you won’t get requests for other subjects or other types of content. Once someone likes your writing, they may want you to write all of their content, whether or not it’s part of your niche. But it can help you market yourself better and help you stand out among other web content writers.

For more on marketing and web writing, check out Sell Your Writing Online

January 21, 2008 | Filed Under Marketing | 6 Comments 

The Benefits of Being a Sole Proprietor

I’d been looking forward to the day when I could incorporate my business, but it looks like there are some benefits to being a sole proprietor that I hadn’t realized.

Check out “The Big Hidden Tax Benefits of Sole Proprietorship

Thanks to Matt at Simple Cash Blog for giving me the head’s up on this article.

January 16, 2008 | Filed Under Cool Tools, Link Love | 3 Comments 

Wow! What a way to show off your samples!

I can’t remember how I ran across this writer or his article directory, but I had to share his unique idea for sharing samples. He has used an article directory program to create his own directory showcasing his work.

Although I’m sure it was quite a bit of work, I think it could be a great idea. Instead of trying to find samples that are appropriate for a particular job, your potential client can look up the articles that deal with their topic to see how well you know that topic.

The only suggestion I’d make to the writer are to include contact info on the article directory itself. I bookmarked this link a while ago, and I know I found it from his resume page. But now it’s later, I can’t remember who he is, how to contact him or what his resume page URL is.

Are there any good sleuths out there who would like to track down this guy for me?

January 16, 2008 | Filed Under Organization, Marketing | 3 Comments 

If you’re unhappy with where you are….

change where you are going! I don’t know about you but it seems like the writing community has the “blahs” with this new year. I don’t know if it has to do with the busy holiday season, the $3 article junk or what….but I can feel it on every blog and board I visit.

Apparently, I’m not alone. Hope Wilbanks has been feeling the same way, and outlined some great tips for breaking out of old patterns and changing your life and career.

January 15, 2008 | Filed Under Motivation | 2 Comments 

What’s Your Sign? and other Bad Ways to Pick Up A Client

Have you been applying everywhere you can and still getting no response?

You may need some work on your “pick up line” before you start getting bites on your writing services. Just like in the dating scene, your introduction to a potential client can ruin your chances for getting any further.

From what I’ve discovered, a lot of people are making very basic mistakes when they are applying for jobs including:

*not proofreading their e-mail

*sending a one line “i’m interested. what’s the pay?” response. (This is seriously a response my client got recently and the lack of capitalization is intentional)

*not reading the details of the job requirements

*asking the client to contact you if they are interested in you, without providing enough for them to make that decision

Based on some discussions I’ve had with some clients, and from my own experience in hiring writers for projects, there are some of you out there who need to brush up on the basics. Here are the major guidelines for making that all important first contact.

*Realize that your clients are busy, busy people.

When someone posts a request for writers on a forum or places an ad on Craiglist, they are flooded with responses. You aren’t unique. You’re one of many dozens if not hundreds of applicants. They don’t have time to read through a lengthy letter that explains why you were inspired to write, who your favorite authors are and your personal philosophy on web content. Keep your e-mail short and to the point.

*If you don’t cover the basics, they won’t get back to you.

Even though you want to keep your e-mail succinct, it’s important to include everything that a person will need to make a decision on hiring you. A short resume, your rates, samples (either attached or links to where they are posted) and contact info are absolutely essential. Forget any of these are you are destined for the recycle bin.

*Be respectful

If a person is offering a low rate, don’t berate them for their stupidity. Some of the behavior I’ve seen on forums is nowhere near professional. Give you information and let them know you’d love to work with them if their budget ever grows. I’ve done this a few times and when the client gets tired of $3 who are dropping the ball, they’ve been more than happy to pay for quality work.

*Make yourself stand out with a simple “connection” statement.

Yes, I did say not to go on and on about your experiences. But if you have a connection to a topic, let the client know (briefly!). For example:

“I know that I can provide you with great articles on natural childbirth. Having had both of my daughters at home and studying a lot about the subject, I can draw from my personal bank of knowledge to make your articles unique.”

Before throwing in the towel and declaring that there isn’t work out there, evaluate your pick up strategy and make a better first contact.

January 15, 2008 | Filed Under Techniques and Tips | 6 Comments 

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