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About Kelly Gurnett

Kelly Gurnett runs the blog Cordelia Calls It Quits, where she documents her attempts to rid her life of the things that don’t matter and focus more on the things that do. You can follow her on Twitter or Facebook.

By Kelly Gurnett 14 Comments

21 Unusual Ways to Find Blog Post Inspiration

21 Unusual Ways to Find Blog Post Inspiration

There are plenty of questions I hate fielding from people when they find out I’m a freelance blogger (such as, “Why don’t you write for a newspaper?”). But at least I’ve developed canned responses for most of them (such as, “Because print is dying and traditional jobs make me murderous, Uncle Frank.”).

The one question I’ve yet to figure out a good response to, however, is one which on the surface seems fairly innocuous: “How do you come up with ideas?”

This is is because I myself don’t really know the answer to this.

I can say it helps to have a working knowledge of the publication you’re writing for, a sense of what has already been covered (and converted well), and a healthy heaping of creative spin to make your approach new and noteworthy. It also helps if you’ve gotten enough sleep, had enough caffeine, have nothing else stressful going on in your life, and are Seth Godin. (The man is so prolific it’s unnatural).

But even possession of all the above (minus, of course, Seth Godin) isn’t enough to ward away those times when the ideas Just. Won’t. Come. Some days you’re a wellspring of potential pitches and some days the well runs dry, but if you want to succeed as a freelance blogger, you have to find ways to prime the pump no matter what condition it’s in. Because your clients want content, and their schedule doesn’t revolve around your “aha!” moments.

When you find yourself at a loss for blog post ideas, here are 21 ways to step outside your stale, obstructed brain and jumpstart your creativity. Whatever topic you’re covering or audience you’re writing for, these hacks can be tweaked to fit your needs — and the timeframe you’re working with. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog Better, Get Started, Stay Sane

By Kelly Gurnett 14 Comments

10 Things You’re Probably Sick of Hearing If You’re a Freelance Blogger

10 Things You’re Probably Sick of Hearing If You’re a Freelance Blogger

There are lots of challenges you never realize you’ll need to deal with when you first dream of becoming a freelance blogger.

Some of them you can brace yourself for if you read blogs like this one — things like how to ask for the rate you want, how to avoid problem clients, or how to occasionally shower before dinnertime so your partner doesn’t come home and wonder, for the 40th day in a row, if you are or are not in the exact same position you were when they left for work that morning.

Other challenges don’t get as much airplay on blogging blogs, but when you find yourself commiserating with fellow freelancers, you realize they’re just as prevalent — and just as much a cause of EOFHL (Early Onset Freelancer Hair Loss).

Which is why I think it’s time we talk about something that has nothing to do with productivity or process or profit. That thing?

The incredibly dumb, ridiculous, silly and annoying questions you will find yourself fielding from friends, loved ones and random strangers when they find out what you do for a living.

See if any of these sound familiar to you… [Read more…]

Filed Under: Guest Posts, Stay Sane

By Kelly Gurnett 24 Comments

15 Real-Life Freelance Bloggers Who Prove You Can Create a Successful Business from Nothing

15 Real-Life Freelance Bloggers Who Prove You Can Create a Successful Business from Nothing

Am I ever really going to make a go of this?

Why would I ever think I could be as successful as some of those other freelancers?

Should I just give up now?

Whether you’re just starting out as a freelance blogger or you’ve been doing it for a while and have reached a plateau, it’s easy to fall prey to fears and doubts like this — especially when you compare yourself against those bigger, better freelancers who seem to have already “made it.”

But here’s a little insider secret to success: There are no insider secrets to success.

Many of those bloggers you envy started out with nothing, just like you, and it’s only through a combination of skill, moxie and sheer dogged persistence they managed to get to where they are are today.

Know what that means for you?

You can get there too.

To prove it to you (and give you some super-helpful tips you can put to use today), we interviewed 15 freelance bloggers who built their own successful businesses from “nothing” and asked them how they did it, what they learned along the way and what they wish all aspiring freelancers knew about the journey.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Get Started, Guest Posts

By Kelly Gurnett 29 Comments

Freelance Blogging Productivity: The Only Guide You’ll Ever Need

Freelance Blogging Productivity: The Only Guide You’ll Ever Need

When you’re a freelance blogger, your time equals money in a way no 9-to-5er will ever experience.

Whether you’re working by the billable hour or the flat project rate, the more you’re able to get done in a day, the happier your bank balance will look at the end of the month.

It’s one of the reasons so many of us burn ourselves out.

Painfully aware of the fact that we and we alone are responsible for how much money we’re able to bring in, we’re constantly trying to squeeze as much as we can out of each day. We devour productivity tips, tricks and systems because we believe we can always do more, more, more if we just push ourselves a liiiittle bit harder.

But the trouble with a “more, more, more” mentality is it leaves us feeling empty, empty, empty after a while. And an empty freelancer has a productivity level of zero.

Guess how much money a productivity level of zero will earn you?

If you really want to maximize your productivity — meaning, “produce the highest amount of high-quality work each day” — you need to stop listening to all the gurus and hype that promise you the secret to cramming ever more into the same 24-hour blocks while your mind and body coast on fumes.

Instead, focus on creating a sustainable, personalized system that enables you to do your best work each day, every day, and keep that pace up over the long term.

Forget the latest GTD fads and promos; the methods in this post will help you find your best productivity groove and, as a result, create awesome work (and income) like never before.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Guest Posts, Stay Sane

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