Be a Freelance Blogger

Make REAL money blogging for hire.

By

The Total Flake’s Guide to Getting Shit Done [Plus Your Chance to Win $100!]

The Total Flake’s Guide to Getting Shit Done [Plus Your Chance to Win $100!]

OK, confession time:

People often ask me for productivity advice, and I usually point them elsewhere because…

…I’m actually a total flake.

Most of the time, I have no idea how I get shit done. In fact, I’m often surprised that I get ANYTHING done.

But recently, I had several conversations with my favourite client (who I just quit working with, even though they’re my uber-best client ever — that’s a story I’ll tell another day) about how I do what I do.

And I realised: Wow, I do get a lot of shit done!

In the past year, I’ve written hundreds of thousands of words of copy and content for my clients’ emails, sales pages, books, and blog posts…

…Published an ebook (with Lauren as my co-author)…

…Earned a *very* healthy income from working with a small handful of amazing people — and flew around the world to meet some of them in person…

…Helped my students to start and grow their freelance blogging careers…

…and that’s without even considering all the *other* stuff I’ve done, like taking weeks off work to travel with my family, or going to parent-teacher meetings, school performances, and sports events, or spending hours in IKEA sitting on all the furniture before going home with a multipack of plastic plates and a stuffed toy for each of my girls.

I’ve also wasted plenty of time flicking through Netflix and YouTube, reading articles about stuff I have absolutely no need to know, staring blankly out of the window while interesting thoughts scampered around in my mind, and dream-planning next year’s summer break. 😉

So the question my client asked me was this: “When we’re hiring someone to replace you, what should we look for? How do we identify someone like you, that gets done what needs to be done and doesn’t freak out under pressure?”

To which I said, “Umm… I dunno… I don’t do anything special, this is just how I work… and I DO freak out under pressure, I just do the work anyway.”

Because I’m helpful and articulate like that, right?

(Funny story: in the end, my client hired two new full-time writers to replace me. But their business is growing, so that hiring decision *wasn’t* purely about my mad productivity skillz.)

Now that I’ve had a bit of time to think about it, I’ve finally managed to figure out what I do that helps me get shit done. And now that I know what it is, I’m happy to share it!

3 Ways to Suck at Getting Shit Done

So the first thing I need to explain is that there are 3 different ways you can be unproductive:

  1. Suck at starting stuff
  2. Suck at doing stuff
  3. Suck at finishing stuff

I’m pretty sure that every single human in the world sucks at one or more of these three things. Personally, I’m bad at all of them, with a definite major in #3.

Now that you know that, what do you do with this insight?

Find ways to get through your personal suck.

If you suck at starting stuff, I recommend taking a hardcore approach.

How to Start Stuff: List, Schedule and Obey

It sounds a bit like ye olde wedding vows because basically, for this to work, you have to live like your to-do schedule is your beloved partner.

First, you make a list of everything that you know needs doing. Then you break out a calendar (or use a to-do tool with a calendar built in) and you schedule a date and time window for you to work on each of those things.

Most people can get started on this without much difficulty. But here’s what most people don’t do:

Use a calendar that can send you notifications, and then… when those notifications come in, do what they tell you to do.

This last part takes discipline. And discipline is something that flakes and procrastinators are famously bad at.

So how do you do it?

You have to believe — no, to know, without a doubt, that the discipline is worthwhile.

That’s the ONLY way you’ll ever choose to start doing what needs doing, instead of putting it off or starting something easier but less important instead.

So, to make it worthwhile, you need to know what the worth is.

What will you ultimately get out of the projects and tasks you need to start when those notifications pop up? Money? Prestige? A better life? More happiness? 

Is that worth more to you than doing whatever you feel like doing instead? Worth more than another half-hour on Facebook or another cup of coffee?

If it isn’t, then forget it. You’re not going to get it done unless the outcome truly matters to you.

If it is, get started. Because you know why it needs doing, and you know why you can’t wait, so doing ANY amount of work on it is better than none.

How to Do Stuff: Consistent Ass-Kicking

If you’re able to start stuff, but fizzle out long before the end, what you need is “grit” — that special ability to stick with the work even if you’re restless today, even if there are distractions, even if you’re doubting your capability, even if you spilled juice on yourself at lunch.

And there’s an extra problem, too: because you’re able to *start* projects, you might not even realise that you’re slowly creeping to a halt on a bunch of them.

You feel productive because you can see all the stuff you’ve got going on as work in progress… but if the progress isn’t really happening, all you’ll get is an ever-increasing stack of half-done tasks mounting up behind you until it collapses on your head.

To overcome this problem of not knowing when you’re slowing, you need to apply grit ALL THE TIME (or as much of the time as humanly possible, at least) while you’re working.

You also need resilience, so that you don’t throw your hands in the air and quit whenever things get difficult or frustrating.

How do you develop grit and resilience? Well, the grit is a lot like the discipline I mentioned earlier. You get gritty when you know in your bones that the outcome is worth the work, and that the work needs to get done.

Some people have great “natural” resilience, but for the rest of us it often comes from experience. When you’ve had plenty of FUBARs, SNAFUs and screw-ups, sooner or later you can’t help but realise that you survived all of that shit and figured out a way to move forward. That being so, there’s a pretty strong probability that you’ll figure out a workable solution to whatever other challenges come up in the future, as long as you don’t quit trying.

Every day, you have to kick some ass. Some days it might be a very small ass, and you might only kick it gently. But you’ll kick it, and the next day you’ll kick it some more.

Consistent action creates success one step (or one kick) at a time. But if your struggle is at the finish line, you’ll probably need an extra push…

How to Finish Stuff: Time and Punishment

Forget the idea of giving yourself a reward for completing a task. You’re not a child, so why try to bribe yourself with chocolate or gold stars?

Nope, what’ll make you finish the job is simple: FEAR.

You have to create an outcome so terrifying that you’ll take off all the brakes, let go of perfectionism, and basically do pretty much *anything* necessary to avoid the punishment.

And then put a date on that outcome.

Pro tip: If you’re not shitting yourself at the mere thought of the outcome, go bigger. Keep thinking of worse punishments until you come up with something that makes you feel genuinely worried in case you fail.

To force myself to publish How to Pitch a Blog Post on time, I pledged that if I failed to hit my deadline, I’d donate $1,000 to a political group I despise. That made me determined to complete my mission, because there was NO WAY I’d let my cash go into their pockets!

So think of an outcome that sends dread creeping through your soul. Make sure that it’d be painful enough to force you into action, without being harmful to you or anyone around you (don’t pledge to eat soap, or to give away your household grocery budget, for example).

Set the deadline, and tell someone you trust to enforce it. There are even websites where you can sign up to make your pledge public — just Google “accountability commitment online” to find them.

Now, it’s time to get shit done! 🙂

We Want to Hear YOUR Ideas

In case you’re not familiar, Pitchfest is a blog post pitching contest we run here on Be a Freelance Blogger every three months. You tell us your blog post idea and we choose our favorites, with prizes of up to $100 for the winners.

The contest starts today.

Your theme for this Pitchfest (this contest is closed)

This time we’re looking for pitches on the theme of “how to get shit done as a freelance blogger”.

Interpret that theme any way you like! You could share your tried-and-tested tips on how to develop discipline as a superpower, or you could tell us your favorite method for making sure you always finish your projects on deadline, or how you prioritise to keep yourself working on the right stuff day by day…

We’re looking forward to seeing what YOU come up with.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Your pitch must be focused on serving our audience of freelance bloggers. Whatever idea you present to us HAS to benefit freelance bloggers in some way, and we need to see that benefit explained in your pitch.

The rules

  • Anybody can enter the contest by typing (or pasting) their pitch into the comments box at the bottom of this page.
  • Only ONE PITCH per person, please.
  • Follow the pitch format I’ll tell you in a moment.
  • After you submit your pitch, Lauren and/or I will offer feedback to help you optimize your idea for this blog’s audience and improve your pitching skills. You may also get feedback from other entrants, BAFB team members, and innocent bystanders — pay attention, because they represent your readers here.
  • After you get our feedback, you can revise your pitch if you like and re-submit it by pasting it into a follow-up comment. And yes, that means you can offer us a completely different idea if we’ve told you your first idea definitely won’t work for this blog.
  • If you win, we’ll ask you to send us a draft of at least 1000 words, so bear that minimum word count in mind when you pitch.

The prizes

  • First prize: $100 for your guest post, paid via PayPal on publication.
  • Second prize: $50 for your guest post, paid via PayPal on publication.
  • Third prize: A copy of How to Pitch a Blog Post (Kindle edition).

The deadline

  • Submit your pitch before the end of Saturday, July 7th, 2018.
  • We’ll announce the winners on July 14th, 2018.
  • If we choose your pitch, we expect you to deliver your first draft to Lauren by July 31st. But if you need a little longer, let us know and we’ll work around it.

How to pitch

  1. Read our general guest blogging guidelines first, then come back here to submit your pitch.
  2. Suggest at least one headline designed to make freelance bloggers want to read your post.
  3. Follow the headline with the opening lines you’d use in the post. No less than 30 words, no more than 60. You DON’T need to write a whole post (or even a whole introduction) before you pitch — we’d like to give you feedback on your idea before you write a draft.
  4. After the opening lines, give us no more than 6 points you’ll make in your post, and provide a one or two sentence summary of each point. (If you plan to make more than 6 points in your post, only tell us the most important 6 in your pitch.)
  5. Then explain in no more than 3 sentences why this is a great post for Be a Freelance Blogger and why you’re the right person to write it.
  6. Put your pitch in the comment box at the bottom of this page.
  7. Check the little box that says “Notify me of follow-up comments” so you’ll know when we’ve given you feedback.
  8. Submit your comment and if you followed all the steps above, you’re entered into the contest.

Extra tips

  • It’s a good idea to explain how your pitch reflects the theme we’ve set for you — unless it’s blindingly obvious, in which case you can probably assume we’ll see the connection without extra signposting.
  • Remember to tell us why you think your idea will interest the people who read Be a Freelance Blogger.
  • To get a better sense of what we’re looking for in your pitch, study the pitches and responses in previous Pitchfests.
  • Save a copy of your pitch somewhere before you post it here — if your comment gets lost in the internet, you don’t wanna have to re-write it from scratch.
  • Your comment may get held in a moderation queue, especially if it contains hyperlinks. Don’t worry if that happens; we’ll get to it and reply!

OK, it’s time.

Let the Pitchfest begin! THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED.

Yours Free: $13,355 in Blogging Gigs

If you're keen to make money blogging, you'll love the Ultimate List of Better-Paid Blogging Gigs -- it gives you details of 75 blogs that pay $50 to $2000 per post. Enter your email and I'll send you a free copy, plus my money-making toolkit and other useful stuff.

Comments

  1. I don’t have a web address as of yet but I’ll get a blog started.

  2. 10 Tips for Mom Writers

    As you try to take shower and are interrupted for the 7th time when only 5 people live in your house, you start to rethink your aspirations to carve out any time to work on writing as a mom. Scribbling half a recipe on the back of a piece of a cereal box may seem like the most writing that you are able to handle. At Georgia STEM, we work with STEMgems to help them get their voices heard because we know that if the only voices kids hear in STEM are men, less girls aspire to be STEMtastic. So here are 10 tips for mom writers to help you find some time to share your voice with the bloggosphere.

    1. Momentum

    Momentum is an interface that I use to help me stay focused throughout the day. It easily installs as an extension in Google Chrome. You can add to do lists on the side and check things off as the day progresses. So each time you open up your browser, it gently reminds you to keep momentum toward your goals for the day.

    2. Pocket

    If you have ever been trying to read an article and one child decides to paint the other with peanut butter, this app is for you. Pocket is a great way to save something you are reading in a quick and easy way to finish later so that you can grab that sharpie before the wall decoration commences or open that Gogurt tube.

    3. Old Fashioned

    No, not the drink (although on same days that might help). One of the best productivity tips I have ever been given was to keep a small notebook by the bed. Sometimes laying in bed at night is when my creativity and writing potential is highest but my energy is lowest. I scribble out the thoughts quickly in the notebook. Not only does it allow then to get out of my head, relieving anxiety so I can rest- it also makes them available for later when I can dedicate some time to expansion.

    4. Smile- you are on (candid) camera

    Kids love to be involved in what you are doing; however, writing with a keyboard can be such a solitary act. Many times they will compete for your attention and let’s face it- most of the time they win. On a random day of desperation, I was trying to write to meet a deadline and my 4 year old was just not having it. Instead of fighting it, I asked him to be my Videographer. Granted- I looked pretty scary at the time and this video never saw the world outside of my phone, but he loved it. I just rambled on for like 10 minutes saying all the thoughts that I probably would have been typing. He got to participate and I got the article “written”.

    5. Find your creative time

    Everyone naturally has a creative time of day. Finding it sometimes is a key to helping your writing seem more effortless. Do you need to get up early in the morning? Is it after lunch? Late in the evening? Once you locate the time, then it becomes a scheduling thing to help you be efficient. It is pointless to get a babysitter and go somewhere to write at 3 pm if your creative time is 6 am or 10 pm. You will stare at the computer and just feel frustrated. Take a few days and attempt to write at different times of the day. Your time will reveal itself and then you can use that information to make your time more powerful.

    6. Don’t limit yourself

    Sometimes inspiration will strike and you will have no use for what you write ( at that moment). Write it anyways. Save these musings in a file folder for later. It is amazing how you can write something and 6 months later you have the opportunity to use it. Don;t limit yourself to just the freelance themes currently available.

    I would love to share my experience as a writer and freelancer with your audience. I am inspired to help moms specifically carve out more time to contribute their voices to the world. I look forward to hearing from you.

    • I like this idea, but feel like it’s not quite on-target for our freelance blogging audience – it’s more of a general blogging productivity post. If you’d like to re-angle it and resubmit, please do!

  3. Meet Your Blogging Deadlines with No Stress

    Reality: You are a hard-working, highly talented writer, still undiscovered by the rest of the blogging community. Fantasy: You are an in-demand blogger whose guest posts are sought after by so many, you have to turn work down. Want to know the two-step secret for turning fantasy into reality? Fantasy + Visualization –› Reality.

    –Too many brilliant writers are never discovered because they’re scared of rejection
    –Not enough mentors to encourage new writers for the “good of the profession”
    –There is a formula that should be no secret on how to stop dreaming and start realizing success
    –Inspiration from the past proves the formula to be correct 100% of the time
    –How to create ideas out of daydreaming—write only about what you believe in 100%
    –Give back—thank people on your journey from newbie to professional by serving as a mentor to someone else.

    So many writers have focused on blogging as a “writing for hire” profession, and the mindset has gone from “fun with the written word” to “how many more words do I have to write to pay the bills?” Fellow writers often complain: “I’m having trouble writing getting inspired for a client; how do you do it so consistently?” I share my secret.

    • It’s still a bit too secret for me – I’d like to see more details of your 6 points, and some indication of what exactly you do to turn visualisation into success.

  4. How Being A Single Parent Made Me Organized

    Life is scary enough when you are trusted to raise another person. But its even scarier when you do it alone. There are millions of things running through your head and you just don’t know how you will get any of it done.
    • How to keep track of to do list
    Keeping a journal or using tasks in your calendar to keep track of list
    • Prioritize based on date
    If some things have a time limit or a due date organize based on that time.
    • Kids
    If you have older kids ask them to do little things to help out
    • Always keep pen and paper handy
    You never know when someone wants you to do something and it never fails that you might forget if you don’t write it down.
    • Inspiration
    Life gives you motivation to do so much its your choice if you take it
    • Time for you
    Without a break in all the crazy you start to break

    I believe it’s a great post because both men and women can relate. I am truly living this post right now. I believe this will give anyone new to single parent life a way to know it will be okay.

    • This is a nice enough pitch, but we’ve had several parenting/productivity posts and will probably get pitched a few more this week – tell us what makes yours the one we want. 🙂

    • I’d also like to see it more specific to freelance blogging — as in, how parenting made you a more productive freelance blogger (and how your insights can be put into action by other freelance bloggers with kiddos as well).

  5. How a Freelance Blogger Can Get Something Done by Having a Relaxing Read

    A smart writer never passes up a chance to study some printed material. It might contain a piece of information that the same writer could use in a blog post. It might even help a blogger to network with a possible client.

    Blogger could find information on subject that would probably be of interest to a potential client. The publication containing that information might be one that might escape that same client’s eyes. By sharing his or her discovery of that printed fact, the writer can connect with a possible client.

    Blogger might be in a position to promote some event that has been mentioned in a local paper or a newsletter. By promoting the same event, the blogger might gain insight into promotion of similar events. At the same time, the blogger might get a chance to meet a business owner that sought-out events of that sort, in order to have his or her business mentioned in something posted on a social media network.

    Blogger needs to keep an eye out for useful sources of information. Even a used book that is on sale might prove helpful. Become familiar with stores that have used books. Watch for the times when the Friends of your local library have a used book sale.

    Since I began blogging and composing online content material, I have used all of the suggestions mentioned above. Before I became a blogger, I had written some newsletters and some newspaper articles. I also talked with a couple other writers.

    I got some words of advice that have proved quite useful. One was this: A good writer can write about anything. That was from Bebe Miles, a woman that had become an expert on growing bulbs, and had shared her knowledge with her readers.

    The other piece of advice came to me from Carolyn Howard-Johnson. In her book about being a frugal book promoter she emphasized the value in examining any piece of printed matter.

    • I agree that reading is essential to writing, but I’m not convinced that this tip alone can stretch to a high value 1000-word blog post. If you’d like to develop your pitch further and resubmit, go ahead!

  6. Headline: How You Can Be A Successful Freelance Blogger AND Be Efficiently Lazy

    Opening: You might think that being a freelancer blogger requires an ocean of work. Well, I’m here to show you how to manage your time efficiently whilst being productive–meaning you can be as lazy as you like and still get shit DONE.

    Points:
    1. This will cover getting into the right mindset before you start writing. If you’re not in the right mindset, you’ll waste a lot of time distracted by anything around you. There are a few things you can do to counter this.

    2. This will introduce the idea of “Sprints”. This will cover the main bulk of the post. This is a technique that I use when I’m writing and I’ve noticed just how much easier it makes the process.

    3. This point will discuss the science behind everything. How our brains can only focus for a certain amount of time. This will provide a cap for the Sprints.

    4. Here, I’ll have a few calculations of the time you spend sitting at the computer, and the actual time you spend writing. It will show how much work you can get done by doing a sprint, taking a break, then sprinting again.

    This method fits perfectly with this topic because it’s so concrete. I’m a writer–as yet unpublished but I have a book and many short stories under my belt–and I’ve used this method to great effect. Even though I’m a college student with a part-time job, exercise fanatic and buzzing social life, I can still get my writing done every day without fail.

    • Nice topic choice. 🙂 But you only have 4 points to make – can you expand it to 6 points by exploring more of the psychology, answering potential objections (e.g. “but I don’t want to sprint because XYZ)”, or giving instructions on how to tailor the sprint approach to different needs and contexts, for example?

  7. You ever met someone who can read your emotions better then you can?
    Imagain people needing answeres to there problems someone that’s not just sitting in a room nodding there head. Someone they can text or email for a refreshing conscious in there life?

      • Freedom is the new look
        Giving people a chance to be heard.
        •The world is changing people are always either scared happy or there lives are being token away.
        •This is a chance for people to have a way to express themselves and be given the chance to be heard.
        •asking millennials how they feel the world needs to be better
        * answering there statements with a question and a response
        * Letting people know there is someone out there if super hero’s aren’t real the people in the articles are listening.
        * We are the people and we have a right to be heard.

  8. The Key to Getting Things Done: Move Your Feet

    Most people gravitate towards a writing life because, on some level, the work is easy. No one who struggles over every word would dare make a living at this line of work — the tangential barriers to a writing career are high enough already.

    Yet something sinister happens to many writers when this easy pastime becomes a way to make money. The simple joy disappears. Time usually spent clicking away becomes deep dives into unfamiliar material or time confusing interviews that go down dead ends. Procrastination sets in. We look to do anything that seems productive to avoid cranking out the copy that earns the cash.

    Call it overthinking. Call it focusing too much on everything beside the word. You’ve fallen into an unproductive rut sometimes call writer’s block. Fortunately, there are centuries of solutions to this malady that apply just as well to the blogger as the epic poet. The answer to your problem is to get moving.

    This isn’t a metaphorical solution, it’s a literal one. You need to leave your office or house and take a good long walk or run. Nietzsche once said that “all truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.” This isn’t true. Some are also conceived while running or swimming or riding a bike. The crucial thing is to give your mind free range time, the ability to start self-composing your next piece before the checklists and outlines have time to kill it.

    Now, you might think, but I can’t start on this project, I haven’t checked my facts, consulted the literature, interviewed all of my sources. All of these are perfectly respectable thoughts for editors, not writers. You have within your head the ability to pound out a first draft of any piece you have the desire to write. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have the drive to write it at all.

    The simple germs of ideas that spark imagination are sufficient to start any project. But first, you must let them breathe. You can’t shape them, you can’t stuff them into a clickbait piece determined by pictures or found quotes. You need to let your body get in motion so the brain is free to do its happy work of auto-composing while your limbs are in motion.

    When your first draft is complete, then you can go back and consult the literature, find the quotes and check the facts. Polish your sentences. Look for support and opposition, be prepared to defend, ideally in the text. Or maybe don’t — maybe the best use of your time is to jump right back into another first draft that you conceived while writing the original piece.

    Never short circuit your muse. If your fingers want to fly on an idea, let them. If you have a draft stored on my laptop, go to work getting it publisher ready. But if you have nothing — or nothing more than an idea that you’re not sure goes anywhere, get as far away from a computer or tablet or phone that you can. Unplug completely — carry a simple, small notebook if you need to jot something down in motion.

    But don’t take my word for it — or even Nietzsche’s. Look at what two Stanford University researchers wrote in the Journal of Experimental Psychology (http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/xlm-a0036577.pdf) in 2014: “Four experiments demonstrate that walking boosts creative ideation in real time and shortly after ….Walking outside produced the most novel and highest quality analogies. The effects of outdoor stimulation and walking were separable. Walking opens up the free flow of ideas, and it is a simple and robust solution to the goals of increasing creativity and increasing physical activity.”

    So get outside and enjoy the summer. Don’t think of it as a vacation. Think of it as doing your best work.

    • You seem to be very passionate, but I’m a little confused by your “pitch” here. It feels like you just rambled on for a few paragraphs without actually getting to your point…

      If you’d like to try again, and be considered as an actual entrant in the contest, please follow the pitching guidelines outlined in the rules and re-submit your idea. Remember: your pitch should have six bullet points/sub-headings you intend to cover. Thanks!

  9. I want to make a blog where I solicit donations from conspiracy theorists in order to retire. I will be making the most blanket assumptions which contain all the assumptions they make. I will lead them ~during~ the flood. hahah I can’t even write this without smirking. Just have a taste of what I have in store for them and you’ll understand how this is so entertaining to me. But I will do it ALL. and I will lead the unleadable into lifting my socioeconomic status.

    polytheistic religions have a deity for each ethnicity living in their society and the ones they interact with from other societies. egpyt, india, everywhere you go this is true. polytheistic religion is not a unique thing that comes from anything other than to settle our minds & explain why we react differently when different people do the same exact thing.

    monotheistic religion is just taking your ethnicity’s deity and saying if anyone worships any other ones, they will go to jail. thus the baseline amount of respect everyone has for each other is shattered into jillions of fragments, and you hesitate before speaking about your most delicate feelings, and it’s even audaciously unmanly to acknowledge these bodily functions. …how a man’s bodily function isn’t proof that such a bodily function is manly is beyond the most graceful idiot’s trembling imagination… since a person exists before he can act, an action can only be gendered the other way: whatever a man most gently (or only existentially) feels is his most manly attribute. there’s no chicken-or-the-egg paradox with manliness of bodily functions. yeah the brain is a part of the body.

    the real racists have a billion people prostrating to their genealogical line and still can’t get enough. they say their genetic brother has stolen their land and solicit pity and accept land. then they charge us rent and make us do jobs that can be automated for 12 hours a day. while they decide on a whim who gets life in prison and who loses all their assets, everyone who is not related to them has a mind full of thoughts they they hesitate before saying. when the dominant mammal makes a certain gesture, everyone in the group changes their behavior but their behavior does not change when one of them who is not the leader tries as hard as he can to change their behavior.

    our faces and bodies were shaped by unlimited power over hundreds of millions of years. this power is constantly switched off at the will of the one holding the power. heredity of wealth has ruined us. in the beginning primates were not in africa. lesser apes in east asia for example had no nose bridge. all the lesser apes were led generation by generation to show up in africa at the same time. greater apes came in to existence in africa. then when the Homo genus emerged, the leaders through having suuuuch free will, guided their groups back to where they came from originally. it is a very harmonious state if unlimited power is permitted. it’s quite beautiful the ways it is possible for our history to shine, and for evolution to make us more advanced.

    now that the rabbis and mullahs people (genetic brothers) own our land and charge us interest on mortgages, our history is embarrassing. scientists have found our brains have been shrinking significantly. a third of the US population has a parasitic infection. we are evolutionarily worse off than we were during the ancient egyptian empire. it takes a certain kind of putridity to win a war and suck the pity meant for the people who lost it. it takes a certain kind of racism to charge rent and say you got wealthy by saving nickels and taking the bus to work. it takes a certain kind of unabashed pride to say yahweh is the combined power of all jews. it takes a certain kind of ignorance to charge people for oil when like sunlight and wind it is a natural resource.

    if you were stuck on an island with ten or a hundred other people and you each had your disagreements with each other, the best solution would be to hold unlimited power and switch it off. whether you do this by a schedule or after every two days or if you let the leader decide when they will allow another person to surpass him by exhibiting a power vacuum and inciting his own replacement is up to leader. as is everything we do.

    the real mystery is how I write this from my sarcophagus.

    enjoy this original poem

    Ozymandias Should Be Backward

    I departed from this proprietor of a new nationality

    Who hid from me—”two tall spindles of silk

    Descend in the jungle…Halfway around the world on the soil,

    A face is upright. An unprotruding septum,

    And aura of understanding, a persevering grin,

    Cover up how its bane in part the appeal did not comprehend

    Which now is dead, eroded from these lively things,

    The heart that respected it, and the hand that fed;

    And on the land lichens grow a sequence of letters:

    My name is Op☍Xhybe, aught may stir neath my bow;

    Avert mirror from gaze, ye Myope, so here coincidentally be!

    This fountain of youth is surrounded by evergreen life. And far away

    From va▴riegated mandala,

    The branches crowd the vines.”

  10. April 17th, 2017 I began the conquest of being a blogger. I am living my dream life as a result of changing my stinking thinking and thus my how to get shit done.

    The tools I use for Getting $hit Done is my way of paying it forward and joining the “Be A Freelance Blogger” community.

    For those of you that like a step 1,2,3,4 here ya go:

    Set your destination (vision statement/picture)
    Give the Universe your desired path (side roads or the highway)
    Allow the Universe time to arrange your travel plans/ Flush out the shit
    Find Fun in the remaining shit / Get It Done

    If you will follow this process for 30 days, you will see Shit Getting Done, with ease.

    I gave the Universe my desire destination, so the only shit I need to get done is find fun in the chores. I tend to sing while I go about my shit to get done. A smile and a song really help make the shit not so shitty.

    Let me tell you more???

    • Yes. Please tell us more. There isn’t enough information here to determine if what you intend to write will actually be useful to our audience. Please elaborate on your sub-headings with details about what you intend to present in each section. Thanks.

      • Thank you Lauren

        The use of a U-GPS to become the freelance blogger you desire is a blog for another day. For now, let’s get this shit done 🙂

        First and foremost you most know where you are headed. What is your destination? This may seem like an obvious question/answer but it is not. You most have a crystal clear vision of where you are headed. Take the time to dream/visualize and then write your vision down. Use pictures to help your mind and the Universe know where it is you want to go. This step should not be taken lightly. It is where you tell your Universal GPS(U-GPS) your desired destination. If you do not give the Universe a clear destination point, you will go in circles.

        Next, I think it is crucial to understand that some shit needs to be flushed. Decide what really is crucial. The Universe will help you, it will help you take the roads that will deliver you to your desired destination but you have to set the program. Do you want to take the backloads and stop off here and there, or do you want to get on the highway bypassing possible scenic detours? Either way is okay, but you need to decide how you wish for the Universe to map the course.

        Now, it is time to allow the Universe time to arrange your travel plans. You are always in control of programming the Universe, so make your desires known and proceed. If you decide you prefer a different path or destination you simply re-program.

        Do you have your destination set? Have you allowed you’re self to go off somewhere you will not be disturbed and just dream? Do you have a clear vision written with a picture or pictures of where you want to end up? Have you taken the time to set your travel plans?

        If So, you will realize much of the shit you thought you just had to do no longer exists. You are now free to actively enjoy your day.

        Sounds simple and it is, the hard part for me was learning to still my mind. Once I learned to still my mind I of course still had chores, but I see the chores as part of realizing my visualized destination.

        Sharing an example of my work day may help you better understand/accept the principles describe.
        Each morning I awake before I MUST get out of bed, I lay in bed for a few minutes just appreciating the comfort of my bed. I intentionally smile at the sun light coming thru the windows. I say YES out loud as an awaking of my productivity.
        I then get dressed etc and spend a little time outside just thanking the Universe for Loving me, Protecting me and Providing for me.
        I then review my to do list for the day. My list is divided in half one side is My To Do the other Universe To Do. This helps me feel accomplished before I even begin. It is in the knowing that the Universe is taking care of the things I can not do so I have ample time and energy to do the chores.
        Remember, I have already given the Universe my desire destination, so all the only shit I need to get done is find fun in the chores. I tend to sing while I go about my shit to get done. A smile and a song really help make the shit not so shitty.

        At the end of my day, I sit outside, look up and say, Good Job. I am thanking the Universe for navigating and I am acknowledging my productivity. It is then time to just chill and enjoy the evening knowing “It Is Done”. Right before I go to sleep I visualize/dream of my desired destination.

        My days are a re-loop of this simple yet effective practice. Remind your self morning, noon and night you are becoming a productive freelance blogger. I AM a productive freelance blogger.

        For those of you that like a simple step by step 1,2,3,4,5 &6 here ya go:

        1.Get outside and just chill out/ free your mind
        2.Set your destination (vision statement/picture)
        3.Give the Universe your desired path (side roads or the highway)
        4.Allow the Universe time to arrange your travel plans/ Flush out the shit
        5.Go do something fun/give yourself permission to relax
        6.Find Fun in the remaining shit / Get It Done J
        *Find a simple task and DO IT _ No need for perfection utilize the 80/20 rule
        *Get Focused _ affirm – I AM a productive Freelance Blogger
        *Check off another To Do – then take a short break /take a deep breath and smile

        If you follow this process for 30 days, you will see Shit Getting Done, with ease.

        Sharing my tools for Getting $hit Done is my way of paying it forward. I am grateful for the “Be A Freelance Blogger” community.

          • Woo-Woo ?? Well okay then. I believe the proof is in the pudding. Any and all of the ideas shared will most likely work if applied. Kinda like purchasing work out equipment, buying it does nothing. Using the equipment until it becomes habit, will however yield results.

            I do get your woo-woo point so, may I pitch again from a completely different angle??

            • Is this more in line with your vision??

              Fellow bloggers I am here to share how I get shit done, no BS. My days are a re-loop of this simple yet effective practice. I AM a productive freelance blogger.

              For those of you that like a simple step by step 1,2,3,4,5 &6 here ya go:
              Get outside and just chill out/ free your mind
              Set your destination (vision statement/picture)/Create your To Do List
              Give the Universe your desired path (side roads or the highway)/Visualize your To Do List Completed
              Allow the Universe time to arrange your travel plans/ Flush out the shit
              Go do something fun/give yourself permission to relax
              Find Fun in the remaining shit / Get It Done J
              Find a simple task and DO IT _ No need for perfection utilize the 80/20 rule
              Get Focused _ affirm – I AM a productive Freelance Blogger
              Check off another To Do – then take a short break /take a deep breath and smile

              If you follow this process for 30 days, you will see Shit Getting Done, No BS.
              Remind your self each morning, noon and night you are becoming a productive freelance blogger. I AM a productive freelance blogger.

              Getting shit done, NO BS – if you care to hear more, please let me know.

  11. The GUARANTEED Method to Find Time to Write – A Freelance Bloggers Saving Grace

    You have the blog, you have the passion, but somehow you never have the time. If this sounds like you (which I know it does), read on to learn how to gain TWO HOURS A DAY to create content for your blog, and ultimately launch your career.

    1. What you’re doing wrong
    The time spent mindlessly using our smart phones adds up. Whether your commuting to work or waiting at the doctors, you’re losing precious writing time.
    2. How to do it right
    You won’t be able to write a whole post, but jotting down ideas and outlines for upcoming blog content will save you hours later.
    3. Don’t believe me? I’ll prove it
    There are a number of apps out there used to track your phone usage. Mostly likely, you spend way longer playing Candy Crush than you thought.
    4. Thinking vs Doing: Making it Happen
    For someone, completely avoiding the blackhole of the internet is too daunting. Try starting out with smaller steps, such as selecting a time of day to focus on changing, or a certain app to avoid.
    5. Tips, Tricks, & Tools
    I will discuss recommended apps and recording devices to ensure no million dollar ideas are lost to the wind. Additionally, I will touch upon key organization tactics that are pivotal to the methods success.
    6. Remember: NOW, Never Later
    Why wait when today’s the best day to start??

    As someone who has a realistic tone of writing, and has been the victim of social media’s lure, I know the Be a Freelance Blogger community will instantly relate to problem described in my post, and will love the simple, yet life-changing solution.

      • Hmm, I guess I wasn’t clear… My main point is that research shows we spend about two hours mindlessly scrolling through games and social media when we could be using those two hours to brainstorm blog posts and set an outline to drastically reduce the time we need to spend writing.

        • Good point, but one I think most people are already aware of (they might just not know the precise number of hours). This could possibly be re-angle to suit an audience of freelance bloggers who already know roughly how much time they waste on their phones – if you want to give it a shot, please resubmit by Saturday! 🙂

  12. The Myth: If I Didn’t Have a Job, I Would Have Time to Write

    I’m a recently retired blogger, who has found it can actually be MORE challenging to write when lack of time is not an issue. I will explain how I manage to write:
    – for 2 different blogs on a regular basis
    – have written and published 2 short stories since retirement
    – have completed one book, and am working on another

    All of which I do, even with maintaining hobbies, active volunteerism in my church and community, and extensive travel.

    The underlying key to my success?

    Planning. Lots of short and long term planning.

    • Hey, Linda! I’d be very interested in your story and how you manage to maintain your two blogs and whatnot. But “planning. lots of planning” doesn’t tell me much about what you intend to write for our audience. 🙁 Please follow the pitching guidelines in the contest rules and re-submit your pitch if you’d like to be considered.

  13. Counterintuitive ways to Kill it as a blogger

    Are you burnt out? So sick and tired of hearing about productivity hacks- that you will gouge the eyes out the next person who spews these pearls of wisdom at you. What if I told you being productive had very little to do with hacks-more with doing the stuff that isn’t intuitive. You want to get shit done right?

    1. Take a day off – When you have a 100 tasks bogging you down. The last thing you want to do take time off. Talk about how recharging is essential, discuss different ways to recharge.

    2. Cut information overload- Keeping social media off the phone. Not reading news etc. Have stats on time wasted on online and effects on health.
    3. Try polyphasic sleep- Not for the faint of heart. Explain polyphasic sleep. Gain hours back to your day.

    4. Do a quick exercise every hour- 10 pushups etc. explain benefits behind exercise and focus.

    5. Join a writing/business accountability group- Real people keep tabs on your progress. Go into detail about some groups and how they support bloggers being successful.

    6. Say No- explain how we say yes to things which zap our energy from client demands to family, collaborating etc. Give the psychology behind saying no gives you freedom.

    As being a rather unconventional person these tips have helped me in one way or another in my writing and in the different areas of my life.

    • Not bad… A little simple, but not bad. Though, I’m unsure if it’s specific enough for freelance bloggers. For example, for sub-heading number five, I would expect you to link to several groups specifically for freelance bloggers, not writers in general.

      • Maybe I’m being nitpicky, but polyphasic sleep sounds like a “hack” to me…
        In terms of improving your pitches, I would’ve liked more info about you and what makes you the ideal writer for the post.

  14. How To Be A Musician At The Same Time A Successful Music Freelance Blogger

    Sometimes being a Music Blogger requires passion for not just writing but also for the love of Music and the best people who really would find writing about music are mostly musicians. I’m sharing my experience of how I was able to manage being a Musician and also Music Freelance Blogger.

    1. Be A Sucker For Music
    It can be crazy if you have no idea about what you are supposed to write about but having a passion for Music makes the job interesting and fun to write about.

    2. Listen To Every Kind Of Music
    This can sound weird to some but as a successful Music Blogger you need to be able to have an open mind to every kind of Music. Soundcloud is a perfect place to discover new music and different genre. Expand your music library and writing about music will come easily.

    3. Attend Music Events And Concerts
    Okay this is what I do regularly. I know you might say because I’m a musician so it’s normal but you don’t have to be a musician to have a nice time and enjoy good music. When you attend music events you get inspiration from just the band, the music, the crowd and even the ambience. You can over a 100 things to write about from just one music event. So give it a try and as a musician you also get to network so it’s a win win for you also.

    4. Travel
    Traveling is good for a writer because you get to see a whole new world outside of what you are used to. Personally traveling has really opened up a lot of ideas to write about as Music Writer because every tribe and region I visit have a unique music and dance attributed to them. So I’m never short of ideas on what to write any time I travel.

    5. Abreast With Social Media
    This might sound cliche but the truth is that these days everything you looking for can be found on social media. Just scrolling through Facebook or Instagram I get a lot of ideas that I can write about concerning Music. You also get to know what is trending at that particular time which you can follow the trend in whatever you writing.

    6. Write With Your Favourite Music On
    Yeah that’s what I do. I love to relax my mind when writing by playing my favourite song. Most of the time I just play my own song and let the inspiration flow. You too can do the same and see the magic it will bring. It makes writing fun. Give it a try.

    If you try all these six steps I just listed I can assure you that being a Musician and also a Music Freelance Blogger will be fun ride for you because you will not just enjoy writing but you will also improve in your Music career. It has helped me and I know it will also help you.

    • Interesting topic, and you have some solid points, but I’m not really seeing the theme of the contest coming through… I get how this helps musicians focus on their music in-between writing gigs… But that’s kind of the opposite of what we’re looking for. We want tips on how to focus on freelance blogging in-between other life stuff.

  15. Headline: How to be a successful freelance Blogger after just losing your Job, you car and you have no money or degree! These 6 steps will start you in the right direction…
    Personal Development: Waking up that monday after your company downsized and let at minimum of 175 of you go on the prior Friday is rough but you are not alone. You have to rebuild yourself back up after the tears and the anger. You have to find the motivation and one way to accomplish this is reading personal development books. You have to find those individuals that help motivate you, because losing anything will cause you to go through stages of death.
    Calendar: Get yourself a huge calendar from the dollar store to have plenty of room to write , because you are going to need to map timeframes to write along with accomplishing daily living duties such as shower, prayer, meditation, exercise etc…
    Journal: Journal your life either on lined paper inside of a 3 ring binder or purchase a journal, but write out your feelings; because, this becomes a good way to practice writing for your blog.
    Exercise: This is not a time to let yourself go. Take a walk jog, stretch, swim but keep active to get those endorphins flowing to know out depression.
    Eat right: Limit the comfort food. Start enjoying salads, make them spectacular. Eat plenty of fruit and drink ½ your weight in water
    Be Consistent: Now that you are no longer with your 9 to 5, you have to create and consistently keep to a schedule. Use alarms on your cell phone or use a clock but make time for everything that you do or you will be a couch potato, in depression, overeating or losing massive weight, crying and accomplishing nothing.

    A great many people can relate to losing their job and in turn losing everything. Unemployment usually does not cover financially what you were making. I kept thinking that I had time to get my life together. Together meaning a degree, build up my 401K, pay off all of my debt then at age 54 the 9 to 5 that I had trusted to be there for me was in an instant gone. The tears had to stop and I had to reinvent myself. I chose to do blogging.

    P.S. I do have a website but not much is on it just yet. I am just getting started.

    • These are good general tips for efficiently looking for work and maintaining your health while unemployed… but what makes your post specific to freelance bloggers (our audience)?

      And don’t worry about your website. You don’t need to have a killer web presence to enter the contest. All you need is a good, relevant, pitch. 🙂

      • Thank you very much for the feedback Lauren. Should I do this pitch again? What my pitch has to do with Freelance Blogging is that if you want to be a Freelance Blogger you need a strong enough reason to do it, start it and be consistent to blog. I hate the 9 to 5 grind and also, I want to have a voice. I want to be me. I want to be free to schedule my day and my life on my terms. I want to inspire and encourage people that have lost everything to check out blogging and take the journey with me.

        • So long as you get your revised pitch on here before 12am PT 7/8/18, then absolutely feel free! 🙂

          Just remember: you have to write for our specific audience: Freelance bloggers. Not freelancers in general or bloggers in general.

  16. Getting Shit Done in the Midst of a Doubt Apocalypse

    Like a zombie virus, doubt starts with a single bite, infects anyone, and can spread until nothing healthy is left. For the new freelance blogger, it makes you shamble through your career before you’ve reached your potential. Before the doubts outnumber your creative output, understand how this threat works and how to stop it truly dead in its tracks.

    The Doubting Disease Goes Viral.

    The Bite. With zombies, the trouble often starts with a single bite. Doubt is like that, too, sinking its teeth into your prospecting momentum.

    The Fever. It usually takes a while to feel the full effects of the zombie virus. In your blogging life, doubt gradually attacks every aspect of the once-healthy confidence in your writing that made you launch this career in the first place.

    The Spread. Once you become a zombie, your only goal is to feed yourself, thus incidentally spreading the disease. Doubt wants more fuel to keep going, and it wants company, forcing you to procrastinate, often socially, instead of doing the work awaiting you.

    Fighting Back against the Monsters of Doubt.

    Breathing Room. When the undead are crowding close, you need some breathing room. The same goes for your writing doubts, which is why you need to pick up any weapon that comes to hand and start swinging till the crowd thins out.

    Planning Your Defense. Once the mob of doubt is no longer clawing at you from every direction, it’s time to work out a plan that gives your freelance blogging career its best chance at survival.

    Practice, Practice, Practice. The more you rely on your plan, the stronger it and you get. There is no cure for doubt, but your blogging career can still take off if you put in the work that frees it to thrive.

    Since childhood, I’ve lived with the incurable desire to make a living from my writing, but I’m chronically being brought low by doubts. The outbreak is worse for the uninoculated–new writers like me without many blogging successes, seeking sound advice like yours to build up resistance. But I believe other newbies can learn from my constant battle to get shit done so we all can take the risks that make this life possible.

    =====

    Thank you for this chance to stretch our writing muscles and have an impact on your audience. Finding your blog recently has already helped me with starting my blogging career, and I know your advice on my pitch, whether or not it is a fit, will help make it stronger.

    Thanks again,

    Jodi

    • Hey, Jodi! Love that you picked a theme and stuck to it. And bonus points for making that theme horror-related (I’m a big horror buff; and I know Sophie is a fan of zombies in particular).

      I just have a few questions, in order to clarify some of your points:
      * For “breathing room,” what “weapons” do you plan to suggest our readers use in battle?
      * For “panning your defense,” do you intend to write out an actual plan/template for our readers to follow? If so, what will that entail?

      • Thank you for your response! Your feedback means a lot to me.

        Question One: My inspiration on this point comes from the Dead Rising zombie games and movies. Basically, in the game, people pick up anything that comes easily to hand. In the case of doubts, the weapons are the ones that come easily to mind. The goal is immediate action, not necessarily the most efficient action, to stop the doubt’s attack. The weapon can be as simple as writing the doubt down on piece of paper and putting it in the circular file. Taking this small action lets someone step back from the situation and start the work to really keep the doubt at bay.

        I’ll list other examples in this section. They will be quick and easy solutions.

        Question Two: Stopping a doubt temporarily doesn’t mean it won’t come back, fast, the first chance it gets. That’s because the brain likes to keep going back to it for closure. The doubt is bruised, not brained. This section is about finding a long-term solution that fits the person. In the apocalypse example, if someone has never shot a gun before, that shouldn’t be their first line of defense. If someone hears about the power of affirmations but has never tried one before, then that won’t be that person’s best way to remove the doubt. This section will guide the reader in developing a personalized strategy.

        On horror and zombies: In a previous Pitchfest, someone submitted a zombie idea, and it was received well. That made me want to finish working on my own idea. I love horror, both supernatural and psychological, and I’m a major zombie fan. I have an entire shelf dedicated to zombie movies. Last Halloween at work, I dressed up as a zombie. I once bought a zombie video game at a yard sale without first having the system to play it on. For me, the more zombies out there in any form–book, movie, game, or article–the better off the world is. Or at least, it will be more interesting.

        Thanks again for the feedback. It gives me ideas on how to take the article further to better meet the audience’s needs. For example, it made me realize a brief questionnaire or template will be helpful, so I can include that. In fact, having a guided process and a template that produces a short, written plan is a great idea. When a doubt hits hard, it can block up clear thinking. Having a prepared go-to helps someone start fighting back. And taking some of the work out of making the go-to makes it more likely to be created.

        Jodi

  17. How to get shit done as a freelance blogger!

    I just do (get shit done) – without really thinking about it – but the brain cells have to kick in first – my pearls of wisdom are coming together!

    You have to be organized! I hate the word organized – why? For me, the image of things neatly lined up, put away, in their own place. Is what organized means. But did you know there are different types of organizers?

    • There’s the list type
    • There’s the calendar reminder type
    • There is the neat and organized type
    • And there is “me” the messy type! I will never forget – the job I had with a city organization. My supervisor would tell me to clean up my desk! File those papers! Put your stuff away! Well, I just very seldom got around to doing just that – it wasn’t me – but I didn’t know it at the time (I figured I was going thru a rebellious streak) – however, one morning my supervisor came in and asked me for some documentation – and yep, she was looking at my messy desk, the papers piled on the floor – you getting the picture? But guess what I did? I turned to my desk, thought a brief second then reached down in a messy pile and brought out the paperwork she needed! She never said another word about being messy. She literally told me in a review she did with me – that she realized I was organized (for me) it didn’t fit her definition of organization – but it was all mine!
    • What type of organizer are you? Organization is key! But know how you work with organization. Figure it out!

    Flexibility and Contingencies! I don’t know about you, but sometimes the day or evening just gets away from me. When things happen – I have to stop what I am doing and deal. Sometimes, I am so exasperated! That is why I say “Contingencies” go hand in hand.

    • Contingencies – you have to schedule them in – be realistic – when you are freelancing it isn’t much different then holding a regular job – when crisis hits at your regular job – all things stop – and you have to deal with the crisis – whether it is work related or personal – so I have learned not to pack my time with too many things – mentally, I map out my week and then I write it down in my day timer – making sure not to overload on any given day – does it work? Not always, but mostly yes.
    • Be realistic in your scheduling of your contingencies – know that life happens: I had a day to myself – and my plan was to work 4-5 hours (get extra things done) then play! But I had forgotten that I had an appointment in the morning. Ok, not so bad – I figured I would be home in plenty of time to get my project worked on – (it didn’t have to be completed but it needed to show some substantial improvement and work. Well, 4 hours later – I finally make it home. I am pooped out, brain dead (those brain cells were NOT kicking in)

    • Be kind to yourself – when outside issues arise! In the case of my day off? I actually took off with my Sharpei puppy and went for a walk! It turned out to be the perfect thing to do – it helped to clear my head, I said all those nasty words in my head walking down that street – but when Riley saw the chickens? I just started laughing! (Note: I came home and spent a couple of hours on the project and got further then I thought I would!)

    The third thing I will note is “Research” & “Target Audience” – you have to research your subject matter. You also need to know who your target audience is. For me this goes hand in hand. Let me explain. I know a medical researcher – a boomer, very very smart man – someone that will dig and dig and find the true stuff for medical issues. But he cannot write to the average person. He writes to the medical personnel – the nurses, doctors, therapists, and scientists.

    We had a project for him – but I knew he could not write to the average person – his terminology would put you to sleep! So I asked him to write to his audience. Do his thing – don’t think about anything other then the topic at hand and the medical personnel it was going to. That is exactly what he did! But now it was my turn. I only changed the tone of the content – because we needed to make it interesting to the audience it really was intended for. It worked! We had all the links, the images, a video referenced – we had all the references noted at the bottom of the document – but the wording changed to reflect the new audience it was to go to.

    Like I said – you have to know your audience and do your research – sometimes it takes me a few days to get it down – then again when things click – out pours the content. It’s not perfect – it could have a misspelling or two – but once I have the right idea – I just start in.

    These three things are key for me. I figure that there are others that will fall under the messy organized state, those who understand what it means to be flexible and to forgive yourself if it doesn’t work for you on a particular day – and those that may take a tip or two about the research and target audience area.

    Last but not least – know who you are, how you work – if you are a morning person or a night person (for me it is morning) I will go to bed at 9 and get up at 4 and bam – the work just pours out in the wee hours of the morning – (actually, this was a suggestion that came from a great group of women professionals that I belonged to as a young mom. I had gone back to school – was single raising 3 kids) But the only time I really had with the kids was in the evening – and I needed to get my homework done! I was so exhausted at the end of the day. These very knowledgeable ladies suggested to me to ditch the books at night – take care of the kids – do my mom thing and when they went to bed – for me to take my sorry rear to bed too! Then get up at 4 in the morning and walla – I may do better and get my homework done! Well, guess what? It worked!

      • Hey Lauren – good questions – the freelance bloggers? I will give it some thought here – since I am writing specifically to them? I would need to condense a bit, bullet and figure out the key info that I want to give – freelance blogging is fun, but stressful – especially if you are not that familiar with a subject matter.

        My messy type advice? I was working at conveying that no matter what you have to be organized – sometimes when you are working from home – other things get in the way – the laundry needs done, the dishes are piling up in the sink etc. Hmmmm, just thought of this – you have to treat your freelance work as a job – you have to set the parameters with the family – it is one thing to work for someone else – we are all conditioned to get ready and go to work

        When working for yourself, if you have a family – they just know that you are home – but you need to treat it like you left to go to work – let them know that between 9-12 or 1-5 that you won’t be handling personal issues (outside of an emergency) the more organized you are the more work you get done –

        Let me think on this –

  18. How to keep from crumbling under your deadlines

    The life of a freelancer is one that requires an insane amount of discipline but not necessarily one of insane amounts of stress. How can you possibly keep your levels of stress down when you a thousand things to do?, you ask. Take a breath and organize your one long list into multiple short lists!

    Take a breath
    If you’re like me then the thought of your long list of to-do’s makes you want to take a nap. Seriously, I will literally go to sleep. Take a breath and know that you can do this. Everything isn’t urgent.

    Write everything down
    Write your tasks down and details the amount of effort and time those tasks require.

    Organize your tasks using variation of the Eisenhower box
    The Eisenhower model, named after Dwight D., helps organize tasks by importance and urgency, leaving you 4 boxes – Do now (urgent and important); Schedule for later (not urgent and important); Delegate (urgent but not important); Don’t do (not urgent, not important). We likely don’t have an assistant so I change “delegate” to Do Today with notes by deadline and change “don’t do” to Do in Free Time.

    Give yourself a pre-deadline
    Plan to get your task done at some point before it actually needs to be done. At best it’s out of the way and at worst you miss your deadline but make their deadline.

    Don’t be so hard on yourself
    Remember that we are only human and we cannot possibly do everything at once.

    As a recent college grad, I thought that juggling different assignments would have prepared me for my roles in the professional world supporting communications and advocacy departments and then adding freelance writing on top of that to supplement my income to pay my student loans — it wasn’t preparation enough. As someone that feels a sense of urgency to do EVERYTHING at once I had to follow a new system besides my checklist.

    • I have two concerns:

      1. I’m worried that this post won’t be long enough since the advice is so simple. We require over 1,000 words for guest posts, and there can be no “filler” content — and it all has to be relevant to freelance bloggers. Which brings me to,

      2. I’m not sure that this post will be relevant to our very specific audience (freelance bloggers). You mention freelancers — and I can tell your advice could be relevant to ANY freelancer — but not bloggers. How will your post address the challenges of freelance bloggers specifically?

  19. How my first year as a teacher prepared me for blogging

    My first year as a teacher has taught me many things, but most of all how to organize my time. Being a full-time mom, teacher, and trying to get your blogging business off the ground is not an easy task….but it’s doable. Trying to get 25 kids to do the same things at the same time without total chaos in the classroom is an art, and with it comes the art of organization, time management, and perseverance.

    Saving the world

    As a first year teaching, you crash through that classroom door thinking that you are going to save the world! (Wrong) This is not going to happen, at most a teacher will have 2-3 kids that they really get through too throughout their entire teaching career. If you apply this method to blogging you learn that it is a long and grueling process that takes work and you may reach 2 to 3 people who want to view or use your writing through a large amount of post you submit. Even though this is true for most of us, you still continue to work through it because it’s worth it and your dreams are worth not giving up on, just like the 126 children who walk through my door on a daily basis.

    2. Classroom management

    The first thing you learn in your teaching program in college is classroom management. Which consist of a structure. This structure is a balance between bringing your information to the level of your students and being able to hold their attention for a certain amount of time without complete and total anarchy breaking out in your classroom! Blogging is not far off of that. You are bringing your writing to the level of your readers and you choose the category on what is going to keep your readers interested and happy.

    3. How much time it actually takes

    You must have a real sense of time in the teaching world. You need to have the sensibility of how long it is actually going to take 6th graders to cut out 4 pieces of paper! (Believe me….it takes longer than you think) The reality of how long you are actually going to spend researching information writing your blogs will take you longer than you think! Remember though that whether working from home is your dream or you just think that blogging is fun….the time put it in is totally work it!

    I think that there are a lot of teachers out there that look for alternative income….just like myself. Most of these teachers are also mothers and the boost of confidence is much needed!!

    • This COULD work, but I’m just not seeing it in the pitch you wrote. I have a few problems right off the bat:

      1. There are too few points/sub-headings (there should be six). Which makes me worry your final draft won’t be long enough.

      2. The pitch itself focuses too much on the “teacher” aspect and not enough on the freelance blogger aspect. Even though you’re a teacher (which gives you a unique perspective I’d be interested in!), your tips should apply to ALL of our freelance blogging readers.

      3. I’m not seeing the theme of the contest coming through… How will these tips help freelance bloggers be more efficient at freelance blogging?

  20. My pitch is to limit your blog posting to two days each week.

    Decide, each week, which days you will post. They should be a few days
    apart. Then stick to your schedule.

    My 1000 word post will discuss how to pick a topic if you’re scratching your head, how to outline your post, how to write your post (at least 500 words), how to post for social media, how to select images for your post, how to select categories and tags and then check Google analytics.

    I can do it.

  21. 6 reasons why someone with bipolar disorder won’t suck as a freelance blogger.

    Suffering with bipolar depression is hard enough, add the 60% unemoyment rate amongst us to the mix and it just plain out sucks. The manic spontaneous behaviour, the deep, dark depression, the racing thoughts, the irritability… being able to focus on a job is an exhausting and seemingly impossible task. But what if I told you that you could earn a steady income, in a way that doesn’t conflict with your already stressful life? Here’s 6 reasons why someone who is bipolar would fit rifht in as a freelance blogger.

    Take control of your schedule:
    One of our greatest challenges is the unpredictability of our mood changes. One day you may feel hopeless and hurting, the next you might feel like Speedy Gonzales. In a regular job setting that just doesn’t work out so well, but as a freelance blogger you work when you feel like working. This means you have more time to focus on you without all the stress of the job. You can write a few sentences whenever you feel the inspiration, or you can write several blog posts. You write when you feel like writing.

    We’re more artisticly inclined.
    Studies have shown that people who are bipolar are typically more artisticly inclined than those who aren’t. So, if that is the case then it should come as no surprise why writing would be something we are capable of doing. Now I know, not everyone writes the same, or as well as others, but it takes practice. Anyone can do it, you just have to get down and start doing it. The quality of writing comes with time, it’s the content that is written about that matters most. And hey, bipolar is still a hot topic. We know some stuff about it, but it’s still mysterious. If you think about it, it would probably be really interesting to read a blog about bipolar written by people who live witb bipolar every day. Nobody knows it better than we do.

    You can work remotely, from anywhere.
    What sounds better than sitting on a white sandy beach somewhere in the beautiful south Pacific, sipping a fresh niña colada? Oops. I almost forgot, you can get paid to do it. Yes, that’s correct. Being a freelance blogger makes the world your office. You can take your business wherever you want to go because it’s all online.

    No attitude.
    Listening to Bob talk loudly about baseball history is hard enough, not including trying to get your work done. But as a freelance blogger you don’t have to worry about the fuss of your co-workers. Because there are none! Unless you want co-workers but that’s a different topic altogether. You have the freedom to work in peace. So pop in those Amazon rainforest soundtracks, sip on a fresh cup of coffee, and write away.

    No need to feel guilty for taking medication.
    I’m not sure about you, but I always disliked taking medication at work. I always feel like someone knows and that someone will try to use that to get me in trouble. Or maybe I’m just paranoid. Either way, maybe you partake in natural (legal) remedies but ones the workplace doesn’t approve of, or you’re like me and don t like publicly taking medications, as a freelance blogger you can throw that worry out the window. You can go about your scheduled medication routine without any added stress.

    A healthier choice.
    This is the most important reason why freelance blogging is good for people with bipolar disorder. It’s healthier. We already have enough going on upstairs so it’s no wonder we do so poorly in the work place. Stress doesn’t help us any, and goodness knows bills aren’t going to stop. But it’s not stressful to wrote meaningful content, and it’s not hard to reach an audience when you produce meaningful content. I mean yeah, unless you get lucky chances are you won’t be making a living income when you first start, but that’s the thing. You can’t come in guns blazing and expect immediate results. First you test the waters, then you find your niche, then you start entering pitch contests, guest posting, and interacting with the blogging community to build a reputation… And that is when you start getting leads. You get these leads because over that time of free writing you have built a decorated portfolio, you have networked with other bloggers who know you are there to blog and not quit when you don’t get rich quick, you have developed relationships with editors and multi-media outlets. In the blogging world, reputation is everything. Now that doesn’t mean you can’t use content mills to earn a little just starting out (I don’t recommend that route), but with a little patience you’ll be able to quit worrying about a regular job and start focusing on being paid to do what you love. Just don’t forget to remain humble. Don’t force content for profit, let it flow.

    I feel like this is an important topic that is desperately in need of some attention. Unemployment rates within the mentally ill communities are simply heartbreaking but yet so many struggle to survive. These topics do seem to have a steady trend of being a topic of interest, and mental illness acceptance has come a long way. But why do so many still feel shunned? I think it’s important to encourage people who are diagnosed with a mental illness who are struggling on the employment department to consider freelance writing. It creates a self of self worth, for starters. When they produce informative content and people start sharing that content, it give that content value. Something They wrote is valued. Now they start to feel like they matter. So not only does it help their self image and overall outlook on life, it shows the world that we’re just people who have an illness, not monsters ready to explode. In a time when we cut spending to mental health, I think this could potentially help lower our unemployment rates, by opening the door to employment on their own terms through freelancing. It gives then a hobby, which is therapeutic, and an income. In turn they are writing articles from a perspective others aren’t able to experience.

    Why do I think I’m the one you want? Well, to be honest I’m sure there are much better writer than myself out who are also pitching, but I can offer content pertaining to freelance writing and mental illness. There is not enough readily available content on this for those of us who are suffering. I just hope I am able to help get that much needed information out there so we can start living more productive and meaningful lives.

      • Side note: if anyone reading this is hoping to become a freelance blogger so that they can write only when they feel like it… don’t make this your primary source of income. Bills need paying whether you feel like writing or not, and making blogging your job means doing it reliably and consistently enough to give your clients good service.

        • Well, freelance blogging was MY sole source of income for about six months last year. I do agree it’s not likely to support you indefinitely if you aspire to anything like an upper-middle-class First World lifestyle: all the successful full-time writers I know have their fingers in a variety of pies including e-book writing, public speaking, and big business projects like white papers. But then, part of the fun of being a writer is the variety!

          • Absolutely! Freelance blogging *can* be a sole or primary income source (it was mine for years, and we’re fairly middle-class in lifestyle). I just wouldn’t recommend any kind of freelance writing to people who want to write only when they feel like it, because deadlines and bills don’t care how we feel!

  22. Meet Your Blogging Due dates with No Pressure

    Reality: You are a persevering, exceedingly skilled author, still unfamiliar by whatever remains of the blogging network. Dream: You are a popular blogger whose visitor posts are looked for after by such a significant number of, you need to turn work down. Need to know the two-advance mystery for transforming dream into the real world? Dream + Perception – › Reality.

    – Excessively numerous splendid essayists are never found since they’re terrified of dismissal

    – insufficient guides to support new journalists for the “benefit of the calling”

    – There is a recipe that ought to be no mystery on the most proficient method to quit envisioning and begin acknowledging achievement

    – Motivation from the past turns out to be right 100% of the time

    – How to make thoughts out of wandering off in fantasy land—compose just about what you have faith in 100%

    – Give back—thank individuals on your voyage from beginner to proficient by filling in as a coach to another person.

    Such a significant number of authors have concentrated on blogging as a “composition for enlist” calling, and the outlook has gone from “fun with the composed word” to “what number of more words do I need to write to pay the bills?” Kindred scholars regularly whine: “I’m experiencing difficulty composing getting roused for a customer; how would you do it so reliably?” I share my mystery.

  23. Why you’re not getting shit done according to psychology, and how to combat it

    You have your to-do list in hand, and hours spread out ahead of you waiting to be filled with productivity. You know how much work you could do in that time, yet as the sun sets you still haven’t switched off Netflix and switched on your brain. Sound familiar? Trust me, we’ve all been there.

    1. Psychological studies such as Skinner’s rats have shown us how strong the effects of positive and negative reinforcement can be. This can be applied to your freelance work.

    2. Internal motivation works better than external rewards. In fact, external rewards can have the opposite effect to motivation (the overjustification effect). It’s better to dig deep and remember why you really want to do this – see the bigger picture.

    3. Psychology shows that our feelings get in the way of our thoughts, and we actually do our best work when we are happy.

    4. Research has shown that in terms of productivity, peer pressure can actually be very useful. By surrounding yourself with successful freelance bloggers (or at least reading about them), you will feel more motivated.

    5. It is important to dream big in order to be as motivated as possible – think of long-term goals and the best-case scenario.

    6. Stop thinking ‘I have to do this’, and instead think ‘I want to do this’.

    Freelance bloggers will all be able to related to the post, and many will be very interested to learn the psychology behind motivation, and the science-backed solution, having already read several fluff pieces on line with very general, common-sense tips which are based on nothing. I am a freelance writer with a degree in psychology, so I feel that an article which combines two of the things I know best is ideal for me.

    • Interesting. And I know Sophie loves “psychology” posts (especially when backed with extensive research).

      Personally, I’d like to know more about how you’re going to make this post specific to freelance bloggers — rather than general “how to get ANYthing done based on psychological tactics” for everyone.

  24. Freelance blogging is not an easy job to do! But here´s how you can do it.

    Imagine a drop in the ocean. Observe the circles that it creates and how it spreads from one insignificant point to the ends of the horizons. That is the essence of authors work.
    For creative people, writing is the source of pleasure. But what happens when it becomes the source of money? The biggest virtues of such work – autonomy, freedom, independence – become the triggers for the biggest sins – lack of motivation, procrastination, and inaction.
    It is not a surprise that spiritual leaders, philosophers, and psychologists have been investigating these phenomena for thousands, or maybe millions, of years.

    1. Study how to motivate yourself.
    I am not talking about watching viral videos or putting banal quotes on your home screen that you have already seen countless times. Theorists have classified creativity in one of the highest levels of motivation hierarchy. Realize that it is not easy. In fact, it is one of the hardest things to learn and achieve. Educate yourself only from the highest quality sources.

    2. Set precise goals.
    Whether it is a short-term or a long-term goal, make it specific! Break it down, write it down, analyze and follow the path. There is a strong scientific evidence that ambiguous goals will not get you anywhere.

    3. Condition yourself.
    Surround yourself with aesthetics, positivity, and beauty. Reward yourself when you tick the boxes on your to-do list. The news is, now YOU are the person responsible for your own rewards.

    4. Be bold, but not cheap.
    Creating outstanding work does always involve a revolutionary element, so the speak. However, any claim that lacks argumentation, that you can use to back it up, is destined to fail.

    5. Prepare to face the obstacles.
    There is only one way to overcome the negativity of obstacles – powerful emotion! And the source of your power is in your creative work.

    6.’If the mountain will not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain’.
    Maybe a little humorous, but true! Do not expect to be unexpectedly discovered. Reach the ‘mountains’ yourself. This is the last, but not the least important thing you have to do.

    • This seems like good advice; however, I have two issues with it:

      1. It’s very simple — I’m not seeing how you’re going to stretch your idea to 1,000+ words without a lot of filler. And,

      2. I’m not really seeing how your tips are specific to our audience (freelance bloggers). They seem like general tips that could be used by anyone.

  25. How procrastination kills freelancers’ productivity and 6 tips to overcome it.

    Being a freelance blogger, many face the problem of putting things off for later even though you know it’s not a clever idea. This can jeopardize your productivity and lose out on clients as after all, nobody wants to work with a procrastinating freelancer.

    6 tips to overcome it
    1. Disconnect yourself from social media while working on the blog
    The minor distractions such as Facebook notifications can really get to you. Though it may not be easiest thing to do, it may make sense to stay away from it at least while working. Try to set up a phone-free zone.
    2. Remove all the clutter from your Internet browser
    Have you been in a situation where you have so many tabs open on your browser with the hope of reading them later? Get rid of this habit by forcing yourself to close these tabs during work.
    3. Use productivity tools (both online and offline)
    There are many tools and apps that claim to improve your productivity. Some include project management tools that help record and track your projects/clients.
    4. Break down your tasks to make a list of things to do
    Look for those that help you break down your tasks and set a target completion date to each. Design and implement a reward/punishment system based on your performance.
    5. Assess your skillset
    As a freelance blogger, you are bound to be good at several skills such as content writing, social media marketing etc. However, not being focused on what you’re good at can lead to an overload of tasks. Maintain a sense of focus by assessing what you’re best at and capitalize on them.
    6. Delegate repetitive tasks
    There are tasks that can drain your energy like invoicing, paying bills, advertising etc. These tasks can easily distract you and learning to delegate some of these tasks can help you focus on your core activities.

    Procrastination is a huge problem for freelancers and I believe the audience will benefit from this article because 1. It addresses the issues that they continue to face 2. Provides easy to implement steps to overcome them. It will also include examples on how I personally overcame them. However, I cannot claim to have completely eliminated the problem though I have minimized it.

  26. Less is more – Easy productivity hacks that anyone can do to stay on track!

    I swear if I hear anyone say that writing is an easy way to making a living, I immediately want to smack them in the side of the head. The bane of many a wordsmith’s life is staying on target with their writing plans. So here are some of own personal ways of actually getting something down on paper, or screen as we are in 2018!

    1. DO NOT DISTURB

    Put your god damn phone on do not disturb. I do this with exception of someone who may need to contact me in case of an emergency. Everyone else can wait.

    2. MEDIATE

    This is going to sound a bit hippy dippy to some but meditation! Meditation is no longer about sitting in a circle, holding hands with some random person in a tie-dye t-shirt and chanting strange noises reminiscent of cattle in a farmers field! Meditation helps me with focus.

    3. BE A VAMPIRE

    Shut the curtains. This is a silly thing but closing my blinds, curtains, whatever gives me the feeling of shutting the world out.

    4. CAFFEINE

    Make yourself a nice big coffee or cup of tea before you start! This tip is almost a ceremonial thing for me. Sitting down with a hot, suitably caffeinated, drink marks the beginning of my writing time.

    5. TIME MANIPULATION

    Plan a specific time of day to write. Mine is always immediately after getting in from work. I find that if I sit down and watch Netflix or clean the bathroom or spend half an hour on the phone to my sister about my niece’s school report etc… I will lose my momentum and it results in actually sitting down to write 10 times harder!

    6. F**K FACEBOOK

    Social media. Ahh, social media. We are like moths to time-wasting flames with this one aren’t we folks! We all do it and those who say they don’t are telling lies. My tip is here is to create a little social media folder on your phone.

    I think this would be a great post for be a freelance blogger because it’s providing your audience with simple tips that anyone can do without any hassle. I think the writing style lines up with a lot of your other posts. Also I was really enjoying writing this and want to carry on please!

    • Good advice, but I have a couple issues…

      1. It feels overly simple. I’m not sure how you intend to stretch out the points you chose to be 1000+ words in your final draft. And,

      2. I’m not seeing how your tips are specifically tailored for our audience (freelance bloggers). They seem like they could be relevant to anyone.

      • Hi Lauren,

        Thanks for your feedback. I have taken on board what you’ve said and tried to make the post more freelance blogging related. I’ve fleshed it out some more and plan to include more detail if you need a another draft.

        Here’s what I’ve come up with. I hope it is more along the lines of what you want:

        Less is more – Easy blogging productivity hacks that freelancers can do to stay on track!

        I swear if I hear anyone say that blogging is an easy way to making a living, I immediately want to smack them in the side of the head. Clearly they have never had a serious go at it. The bane of many a blogger’s life is staying on target with their blogging plans. This theme crops up over and over again whenever I read blogs or articles about blogging. With this is mind, we can never really have enough advice about how to stick to deadlines and be as productive as we possibly can. We need as much help as we can get, let’s face it! So here are some of own personal ways of actually getting something down on paper, or screen as we are in 2018!

        1. DO NOT DISTURB

        Put your god damn phone on do not disturb. I do this with exception of someone who may need to contact me in case of an emergency. Everyone else can wait. Honestly, think about it. Who of your family, friends, next door neighbour, next-door-neighbour’s neighbour, etc… There isn’t much that can’t wait at least a couple of hours. You do not need to be permanently available to everyone all the time!

        2. MEDIATE

        This is going to sound a bit hippy dippy to some but meditation. Meditation is no longer about sitting in a circle, holding hands with some random person in a tie-dye t-shirt and chanting strange noises reminiscent of cattle in a farmers field! Meditation helps me with focus. I work full-time and blog on the side at the moment so when I get home from work I take my shoes and coat off, put my bag down and sit upright on my sofa and take five minutes to breathe deeply, concentrating on how my body feels. This works wonders for breaking up the flow between work and getting my freelance blogging head on.

        3. BE A VAMPIRE

        Shut the curtains. This is a silly thing but closing my blinds, curtains, whatever gives me the feeling of shutting the world out. It’s very easy to get distracted by the sunshine or by people walking past your windows for instance (I live in a top floor flat so my neighbours would have to literally have to fly past my window in order for me to see them but I do get distracted by freakin birds sailing by as if nothing were!). Closing out external stimulus really helps me. We need to be able to blog in peace!

        4. CAFFEINE

        Make yourself a nice big coffee or cup of tea before you start! This tip is almost a ceremonial thing for me. Sitting down with a hot, suitably caffeinated, drink marks the beginning of my blogging time. If you need to get up for a re-fill then you should totally do that but make sure you get back to the screen when you’ve made it. Don’t go wandering off to take the washing out of the machine, or for a quick shower or to feed the gecko for god’s sake. You’ll break your blogging flow if you mess about too much.

        5. TIME MANIPULATION

        Plan a specific time of day to blog. Mine is always immediately after getting in from work. I find that if I sit down and watch Netflix or clean the bathroom or spend half an hour on the phone to my sister about my niece’s school report etc… I will lose my momentum and it results in actually sitting down to blog 10 times harder! Choose the times of day that work best for you and take advantage of it.

        6. F**K FACEBOOK

        Social media. Ahh, social media. We are like moths to time-wasting flames with this one aren’t we folks. We all do it and those who say they don’t are telling lies. My tip is here is to create a little social media folder on your phone. Even monks in Tibet are scrolling through Facebook in between doing their monkly duties. However, the key words there are in-between, not during. Put all said time-wasting apps in said folder and bury it in another folder is necessary. My point is if you can’t see those twinkling little squares calling out to you then you should be less tempted to blindly open them. Make it more difficult to access them. The only one you’re allowed to open is the Facebook page for Be a Freelance Blogger of course 😉

        I think this would be a great post for be a freelance blogger because it’s providing your audience with simple tips for distracted bloggers that they can do without much hassle. I think the writing style lines up with a lot of your other posts. Also I was really enjoying writing this and want to carry on please!

        Thanks Lauren 🙂

        • It still feels a bit too simple to me. Like… this is advice everyone already knows, right? Hmmm. Maybe I’m just jaded because I’ve seen so many pitches like this one over the years lol. I’ll have to let Sophie have the final call on this one.

            • Be a well-oiled blogging machine! How to cut the crap and get results!

              Whether you’ve been in the freelance blogging game for years or you’re you’re still a bit of a newb, you’ll get that there’s much to be done. With this in mind, here’s some sure-fire ways to keep the blogging beast moving and still have time for a life!

              1.COMMUNICATION

              It can be tricky to understand exactly what the client wants at times. However, you don’t need Derren Brown style mind tricks to find out what they’re after. If you’re unsure, for god’s sake ask! It’s no good spending hours on scribing a good pitch, query or draft for the client to then turn around and say it’s all wrong, wrong, wrong! Pay attention to the blog guidelines. You will make your long-suffering editors happy and save yourself much time for working on other blogs.

              2.PLAN IN ADVANCE

              Seems like a no-brainer but those without one think that advance planning is for wimps. Slap these folks. And then slap them again, just in case their dense heads didn’t feel the first one. Give yourself time and then some if possible when it comes to planning out your blog pieces. Get a planner and mark out your deadlines and tell yourself a little lie that the deadline is much earlier than it is. Give yourself as much of a buffer as you can.

              3.EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION

              The more you’ve done your homework on your designated topic, the easier the words will come. Research using the internet, books, calling people who are serious nerds on the subject and checking previous blog posts to check that you’re not repeating something that your client has already recently published.

              4.STRUCTURE

              You’ve done your research and hopefully taken down good comprehensive notes for your post. Gold star for you intelligent peeps. You’re overwhelmed by where to begin with this monster though. Here’s how handle it like a pro. Read through your notes and decide which ideas work best for your client’s request. Lay the idea’s out as a structure and then work on fleshing the ideas out using what you’ve learnt, in the blogging style, or voice, that your client uses.

              5.KEEP A NOTE OF SOURCES AS YOU GO

              Showing your clients your sources will let them know that you’re legit. That they can trust you. That you care and that you’re taking your career as a freelance blogger seriously. Keeping track of them efficiently will save you a feck load of time later because you won’t be sat there like a lemon trying to remember where the hell you got all your fabulous info from. “Ermm, where did I read that now?”

              6.LAST MINUTE EDITS

              You know the score. You hand in your lovely shiny final draft, early! You sit back thinking you’re in the clear, life is delightful! Then a few hours before the actual deadline your client asks for some last minute edits. DO NOT PANIC. Stop running around the house like a demented chicken. Take some deep breaths and use your common sense here. READ what they want. Take a little bit of time to mull it over with a cup and tea and then get to work, staying focused on what the objective is.

              I plan to turn this into 1000 words by expanding on each point with more practical details on how each tip can be achieved and create a longer intro on why I think being efficient is super important.

              I feel like this would be a fab post for Be A Freelance Blogger because the tips are relevant to the topic of freelance blogging and will provide your audience with advice that genuinely works because the methods are tried and tested. If they utilise the advice and get results then hopefully it will make them return readers. I think I’m the right person to write this post because I feel that my blogging tone is a good fit the for Be A Freelance Blogger style and I would love the opportunity to be published on your awesome website!

              Bio:
              Howdy. I’m a writer/blogger and a huge film, music, books and art nerd. When I’m not working or feeding these obsessions, I spend the most of my time researching subjects that I’m interested in with a lovely big cup of coffee! And I’ve got the jitters to prove it! I’m really into crime, psychology, sociology, politics and philosophy. I’m also a massive lover of animals. Mostly dogs and cats but pretty much anything with four legs and a tail will do. I have my own blog @ http://www.littlemissgeeke@wordpress.com and have been published as a guest blogger on Elite Daily and the Huffington Post. I can provide links if required. I’m also on Twitter as @littlemissgeeke.

              • I forgot to say thank you for your feedback guys! I was going to post it at the top but I got all overly excited and hit post comment to quickly! *facepalm* Anyway I also just wanted to say that you’re both awesome, taking the time that you do to go through and give multiple lots of feedback like you do. I’ve learnt from your comments. You were right about the post being too simple. Hopefully this one is better! x

  27. The Shiny Cheese Syndrome

    1. The physical world is full of contrasts and so is the internet. Success depends on what works for you and not on proverbs. You will be advised by people to specialize, in whatever field you choose to work in. And then yet other people will advise you to run the maze, never stop searching.

    2. You may have guessed that the title comes from two different philosophies on what works. The first being not to be tempted by the shiny object syndrome and the second is continue running the maze until you find the cheese,. Yes, the famous story of “Who moved my cheese.”

    3. So what does a blogger choose with the conflicting advice that is offered? And both pieces of advice makes perfect sense. Specialise, and you will know more. Run the maze and you will find more.

    4. Now, what would happen if one had to take both pieces of advice an combine them? Keep running the maze, looking for new cheese and at the same time looking for that shiny object.

    .5. Sooner or later a blogger will find a niche within the scope of their interest that has enough space to move around and discover new cheese and still be able to specialize.

    6. Looking at it from afar. It means running the bigger maze looking for cheese to find a smaller maze within that bigger maze. Then running that smaller maze, searching for a smaller maze within and that can continue until the maze and the shiny object become one. And that could be where you as a blogger belong. For a while at least.

    So in conclusion, getting stuff done is not about listening to one piece of advice but in the event of a bombardment of conflicting success models, combine them until you find a plan that works for you.

    • Point 4 should read:

      Now, what would happen if one had to take both pieces of advice an combine them? Keep running the maze, looking for new cheese and at the same time, specializing in a niche.

        • Hi Lauren

          Thank you kindly for your feedback. I have reviewed my pitch and would like to submit this.

          Title: Make a Plan to get it Done.

          1. Thinking of a plan is a good thing. But it is not good enough. Leave it like that and it will float into thin air and disappear forever. It’s like those thoughts we don’t remember now. Anything not completed is still thought and it can go nowhere.

          2. Write it down in a place where it will constantly remind you of its existence. It will jolt you to wake up. It’s a reminder that when you started you were serious, so keep it up. That plan must move you into action to the next step. It must pack power.

          3. Write the actual content of the blog as a natural progression of events to the end and the timing of that end has to be spot on. As in the beginning. If you budgeted 1000 words you must get as close as possible to the 1000 words. Think like a skydiver in the championships who has to land on a target in the middle of a stadium.

          4. Conclude and end at the correct point. This is the part that moves the blog into approval territory. It’s like a cup of tea after a good meal. There must be an element of satisfaction, the kind you feel after a good edit.

          5. Documenting is an integral part of blog writing. Keep a database of almost anything of importance, from financials to timetables to submissions. Make sure you keep at least two copies somewhere. Constant updating must become a habit.

          6. Good luck for your submission. Now it is time to review, correct and restart the process once the feeling is hot and your juices are flowing. Give it another go. At least start another blog.

            • Title: Make a Plan to get it Done.

              Here is how I believe a freelance blogger should conduct their business of writing for clients.

              A good plan is necessary. But a better plan would be to have a plan that you can use and reuse every time. It simply eliminates the need to go back to the drawing board every time you have an assignment. It creates a sense of automation and eliminates time wastage. After all, time is money. so here are some tips to get the work done.

              1. Thinking of a topic is a good thing. But it is not good enough. Leave it like that and it will float into thin air and disappear forever and is never going to see the light of day on a client’s table. It’s like those thoughts we don’t remember now. Anything not completed is still thought and it can go nowhere.

              2. Write it down in a place where you can see it all the time. Let it be your guiding light in case you stray. It’s a reminder that when you started you were serious, so keep it up. That plan must move you into action to the next step. It must pack power.

              3. Write the actual content of the blog as a natural progression of events to the end and the timing of that end has to be spot on. As in the beginning. If you budgeted 1000 words as requested by a client, you must get as close as possible to the 1000 words. Think like a skydiver in the championships who has to land on a target in the middle of a stadium.

              4. Conclude and end at the correct point. This is the part that moves the blog into approval territory. It’s like a cup of tea after a good meal. There must be an element of satisfaction, the kind you feel after a good edit. Your client’s pain point has been addressed.

              5. Documenting is an integral part of blog writing. Keep a database of almost anything of importance, from financials to timetables to submissions. Make sure you keep at least two copies somewhere. Constant updating must become a habit.

              6. Good luck with your submission. Now it is time to review, correct and restart the process once the feeling is hot and your juices are flowing.

              Give it another go. At least approach another client with a pitch. And then another. And another. Someone is bound to say yes. There is safety in numbers. It is important to get into the rhythm of things and keep the energy flowing for a while. The best time I think is to write a blog is just after you have written one. If you don’t have a topic or a client, then write one just to build up writing stock.

              And within that stock you have built up are the right ideas waiting for the right client!

              • Hi Lauren

                Please use this pitch.

                Title: Make a Plan to succeed at freelance blogging.

                Here is how I believe a freelance blogger should conduct their business of writing for clients.

                A good plan is necessary. But a better plan would be to have a plan that you can use and reuse every time. It simply eliminates the need to go back to the drawing board every time you have an assignment. It creates a sense of automation and eliminates time wastage. After all, time is money.

                So here are some tips to get the work done.

                1. Thinking of a topic is a good thing. But it is not good enough. Leave it like that and it will float into thin air and disappear forever and is never going to see the light of day on a client’s table. It’s like those thoughts we don’t remember now. Anything not completed is still thought and it can go nowhere.

                2. Write it down in a place where you can see that idea all the time. Let it be your guiding light in case you stray. It’s a reminder that when you started you were serious, so keep it up. That plan must move you into action to the next step. It must pack power.

                3. Brainstorm if you want. Then write the actual content of the blog as a natural progression of events to the end and the timing of that end has to be spot on. As in the beginning. If you budgeted 1000 words as requested by a client, you must get as close as possible to the 1000 words. Think like a skydiver in the championships who has to land on a target in the middle of a stadium.

                4. Conclude and end at the correct point. This is the part that moves the blog into approval territory. It’s like a cup of tea after a good meal. There must be an element of satisfaction, the kind you feel after a good edit. Your client’s pain point has been addressed.

                5. Documenting is an integral part of blog writing. Keep a database of almost anything of importance, from financials to timetables to submissions. Make sure you keep at least two copies somewhere. Constant updating must become a habit.

                6. Good luck with your submission. Now it is time to review, correct and edit the plan. Keep that axe sharp. Restart the process for another blog now that you are on fire and your juices are flowing.

                Approach another client with a pitch. And then another. And another. Someone is bound to say yes. There is safety in numbers. It is important to get into the rhythm of things and keep the energy flowing. The best time I think is to write a blog is when you have just completed one. If you don’t have a client, then write a blog of your choice anyway, to build up writing stock.

                And within that stock you have built up are the right ideas waiting for the right client. Writing stock is gold!

                It is never over. So no need to celebrate until you get that golden paycheck in your hand. No matter it’s size, you have achieved something. But make it a small celebration. More blogs await.

                More clients await too.

                You were never promised a field of lavender to relax in. Start chopping.

                I believe that this blog is necessary because:

                It is often that we concentrate on the creativity and not on the business aspect of blogging. This blog addresses both which make up the entire business of freelance blogging. Not enough of either and a freelancer is bound to get “stuck”.

                I find too that after writing a blog, a freelance blogger (and I am one of them) waits for a response. Sometimes even obsesses over it. Writing blogs for clients as a business must be a continuous process which I hope I have addressed.

                About me:

                I am a brand new blogger in the freelance arena. The time is right to do the things I love. Writing blogs for clients is one of them. I hope to be part of the community and share my experiences and my passions.

  28. It’s a YOU thing… either you get it started, work hard and finish or you don’t. Period.

    Have you ever had a great idea one minute and then if you don’t act on it and you think too much about it you think better of it and don’t do anything? You hear those voices in your head that say, No, I don’t think so. Next idea please!

    Points:

    1. Knowledge. I sincerely hope that you are blogging about something you know well. If you have an over abundance of information on your topic the ideas will just spill out of you.

    2. Passion. You have to have it. Write about what gets you excited and show that excitement in your work. I get inspired by reading quotes and can always interpret them in a way where they have meaning for me and what I am doing.

    3. Creativity. Key. Have fun and be creative always!

    4. Pencil. Sketch out your ideas, either in words or pictures. Use a pencil and paper and don’t be afraid to doodle, scribble and erase if you have to!

    5. Determination. Visualize your day, your week, your life after you successfully complete your task, your blog, your book. Oh my the sights we will see!

    6. Belief and and a little bit of an angle. Have a secret weapon. Something you offer that no one else does. Put no doubt in your head. “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t- you are right.” Henry Ford and recently Alec Baldwin as Boss Baby.

    I am an interior designer by trade and a writer by heart. I would love to expand on my points and reach people through my writing. Just enough info to peak an interest and then get into the meat of it. Thank you!

      • Thank you for your feedback. You are correct. These tips or necessities if you will are traits, attributes,and mindsets that just about everyone needs if they are to be successful. It dosen’t matter if you are sitting at a computer and writing a blog, or a book, figuring out what gourmet dinner to make or designing the perfect wedding dress. The fact is if you follow the paths to success diligently you will make progress in that direction. Thank you.

  29. Headline Suggestion
    The Oven Doesn’t Need to Be Cleaned Right Now (and five other things to tell yourself to stay on task)

    Opening
    Sometimes getting work done is as easy as opening your computer, and then sometimes you can’t move on a project until you’re in the absolute perfect frame of mind contingent on unicorn-like requirements. Here are six things to tell yourself in order to get out of your own way and get shit done as a freelance blogger.

    1. “The oven doesn’t need to be cleaned right now.”
    You’ll always be able to find some task that seems like it is more important than what you need to do to make progress on an assignment. Put all of that aside for another time and make physical and mental space to focus on your work.

    2. “This dog video on Facebook will not help me write about (insert your blog topic here).”
    Social media is integral to running any business, but unless your editor has asked you to write up social media posts associated with the blog post you’re drafting or social media is integral to the research for that blog post, there shouldn’t be many reasons for letting Facebook or Instagram interrupt your work. Save social media time for breaks or for when you’ve completed your task.

    3. “I should ask my client about this.”
    The worst (and best) part of working for yourself is that you have to manage your own accountability. Of course you will be accountable to your clients, but only in the terms of what they require of you. Instead of communicating with the client at the beginning and end of your writing process, keep an open dialogue going. This will show the client you are engaged and working hard to complete their project, and it will keep you working steadily towards completion.

    4. “Productivity meetings are the greatest invention since sliced bread.
    Schedule meetings with yourself to review new projects, create action plans, and ensure nothing is falling through the cracks. Finish those meetings with a list of next steps to keep your momentum going. Scheduling your time is the best way to stay on task and get through projects efficiently.

    5. “I take that back. Task management apps are the greatest thing since sliced bread.”
    Task management apps like Trello and Google Keep as lifesavers for keeping you sane. They allow you to transfer all of the planning you’ve done in your productivity meetings into a concrete form that can easily be referenced. You can create reminders for yourself to check in with editors with questions or keep an ongoing list of potential business. Trello even offers a ton of project-specific templates so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

    6. “I need a break.”
    When your brain hits a roadblock, sometimes the most effective way to get past it is to hit reset. Walk the dog, run errands, do laundry. Respect the break and reset your mind so that you can return to work more productive.

    =======
    Hi Sophie and Lauren! I’m new to the world of freelance blogging, but I am not new to getting lots of work done in less than stellar office environments. Years of managing multiple projects in very distracting environments has helped me to find a great system that allows me to get my best work done. Since leaving my traditional 9-5, I keep these tips in mind to stay focused on whatever I’m working on. I think BAFB’s readers will find these suggestions useful and relatively easy to add to already established workflows. This is my very first pitch so I’m excited to hear what y’all think!

  30. Okay, so I’m submitting this but seriously have NO CLUE if it’s what you’re looking for. My husband and I adopted our miracle baby girl in December of 2017–I went from being a full-time Special Educator to being a full-time stay-at-home-mom for a baby with some special/medical needs. It has been very challenging, especially since I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I am basically Anxiety Mom. . .no worry is too small for me to panic about! I would love to blog about how the basics of parenting can be monumental struggles for women like me. As you know, mental health is so taboo that most women wouldn’t dare to reveal their insecurities. I’m not sure if this is even the type of entry that you’re looking for. I have learned so much since we’ve had our baby–and I’ve tried various approaches (therapy, naturopathic medicine, traditional medicine, dietary changes, etc.) and would love to have a way to get this information out there!

  31. Getting it Done Against the Odds

    I’ve always loved to write but I had a professional career for a long time. I built the company’s sites and did all the writing needed. I had a habit of starting blogs every so often…which I always allowed to lapse due to lack of time. I wanted to retire and ‘become a writer’ one day.

    That day came a lot sooner than expected. I suddenly became very ill. As in, I was in the hospital for 4 months. I was granted a tiny disability stipend. I was too weak to return to the workplace and desperate for money. What could I do from home? Of course, I could write…although I knew nothing about the industry.

    This probably doesn’t describe you exactly. But maybe a sudden divorce left you in the lurch or some other circumstance did. Let’s see if these guidelines can fit you somehow.

    1. Desperation: There’s no better motivator. When 40 bucks means the world to you, you get the article done. But did I go for big publications? No, I found content mills at a strange time. Within 8 months, “content” would dry up. And I learned that it wasn’t well respected.

    There may be something in your life that makes you a little desperate. Don’t forget it.

    2.Humility: Being a broke invalid for a while certainly left me open to learning anything without thinking that I knew everything.

    When I went it alone, same thing. I hadn’t had time to do much research into the larger market, and it was desperation all over again.

    Don’t be stubborn.

    3. Pride: Okay, I learned that the Mills weren’t respected but they kept me busy. I could tell people that I was a ‘Freelance Writer’ because I honestly believed that’s what I was doing.

    Every time a client loved my work my self esteem glowed. Value that!

    4. Setting a schedule (and being willing to break it): I set a schedule that matched my partner’s, except when I had to work all weekend. I learned to consider my chores ‘breaks’ which got me out of the house and helped clear my mind.

    Whether your chores are managing the kids or going out to fancy lunches, see them as a work break, rather than distractions.

    5.Keeping a journal in down times: Those content mills didn’t dry up overnight…it took about 4 months, during which I got depressed. I needed advice again. Just write, the great writers all say. It keeps you going and something good may come out of it. While ghostwriting helped me understand article formatting and pleasing clients, that journal helped me find my natural voice again, which I applied to my blog.

    6. If none of this applies to you in any way, consider why: Do you live with Mom and Dad and have little need for an income? Don’t you ever want to move out? Do you genuinely want to be a writer? Are you ready? Get started as early as you can!

  32. 6 Tips From a Successful Freelancer OR
    Zen and the Art of Life as a Freelance Blogger

    Freelance blogging is as enjoyable as riding a bike. Don’t you love the exhilaration of coasting down a long hill as the words flow effortlessly onto the page? But if you don’t watch for potholes and other obstacles in your way, you might find yourself in the ditch or worse, walking your bent-rimmed bike the long way toward that missed deadline.

    Six points
    1. Watch for potholes – Potholes are the subconscious obstacles we place in front of ourselves. Are you a procrastinator? Do you have trouble focusing? If you know where/what the potholes are, you can go around them.

    2. Pace yourself – Biking and writing both require effort, just of different sorts. Understand your writing stamina and plan accordingly.

    3. Anticipate squirrels rushing into your path – Planning for and reacting to sudden changes in your life can avoid the shame of catapulting over the handlebars and missing a deadline.

    4. Plan your route – Few of us set out on a bike ride without some idea of where we are going—a plan is essential. I use a bullet journal to plan and track my time, prepare invoices, and monitor progress.

    5. Perform regular maintenance – I devote a specific amount of time each week to marketing or updating my skills so I am not derailed if a client heads in a different direction. This gives me confidence and creates a better writing environment.

    6. Switch gears when necessary – If I’m stuck in a writing rut, I try something else for a short while and then get back to it. I can do this because I’ve done #2 and #3 above.

    These 6 tips are pearls earned in my five-year freelance career. I often share these ideas with wanna-be freelancers who ask me how I have the guts to earn a living as a solo professional editor and writer.

  33. Simple Ways to Maximize Your Blogging Productivity

    The mind-body connection is more important than most people realize—and this is especially true for those of us who use our wits and creativity to make a living. The better you feel, the more productive you are. Here are six simple tips to help you “up your energy” and keep it high.

    Hydrate. You need lots of water to feel your best and do your best work. Coffee and sodas don’t count!
    Sleep. In our busy lives, something’s gotta give. Too often, we sacrifice sleep time for work- or play-time; instead, get the amount of sleep that works best for you long-term.
    Take your breaks. You need time to clear your mental circuits and recharge. Take your daily breaks, full weekends, and your annual vacation.
    Eat right. Dragging fat around isn’t going to help you feel more energetic. Maintain a healthy diet and portion control.
    Exercise. Even simple things like doing leg squats while talking on the phone, running upstairs to go to the restroom, and a few laps around the atrium at lunch will help you feel better in the long run.
    Stay sane. Spend time with your friends and family. Find ways to dissipate stress and remind yourself why you do what you do.

    Freelancers often forget to take care of our most important tools: ourselves. As a full-time freelance blogger/writer/editor for 12 years, I’ve learned this the hard way. I’ve been writing about productivity on a weekly basis for a decade.

    • How will these tips help freelance bloggers specifically? Also, how do you intend to stretch out your points to 1000+ words with no filler? I’m having a hard time imagining “hydrate,” for example, being any longer than what you’ve written here…

  34. 6 Steps to Doing Cold Email Marketing As a Freelance Blogger

    Cold emailing is one of the most successful methods for freelance bloggers to get better paying clients, but it does require technique to make sure that:

    – You come up with compelling subject headers in order to get your emails opened
    – The copy of the email inspires action
    – Email addresses are for the right people
    – You don’t only send one email, but rather a few

    To get this right, these are the foundational steps:

    1. You must know the persona of the people you are targeting
    2. Emails must be addressed to decision makers
    3. The campaign needs to be planned
    4. Good copywriting skills are needed
    5. Use personalization to boost results
    6. Use a cold emailing tracking tool

    This is a good blog post for freelance writers whose primary need is to get more clients, and better paying clients. In addition, freelance bloggers need to know what makes cold emailing effective.

    I am the right person to write the blog post because I am an expert in the first steps to online marketing, and I also help freelance writers with their marketing.

      • Thank you! I was thinking…be more efficient in cold email marketing or marketing in general? Or do you want a more conventional approach?

          • Well, here’s the thing…the one big problem freelance writers have, is not seeing their services as a full-on business. It’s why so many struggle to push out of the “getting jobs on freelance boards” thing. So they have to start thinking of themselves as a business, finding work just as any small business needs to find customers, and cold emailing is one of those initiatives. So I would bring it across in a way that freelance writers specifically understand it (because I understand them), and the methods would relate strictly to freelance writing.

  35. Headline: When Shit Isn’t Getting Done: Six Strategies to Push Past the Dip.

    Opening: There are many challenges in a writer’s life that can’t be accomplished with only grit. Like trying to break down a wall, simply banging your head against it will only leave you beaten and broken. Luckily, with these six strategies, you’ll be able to tear down that wall one brick at a time.

    Strategy 1: Timebox it
    Procrastination is the greatest enemy of all freelancers, and by creating time pressure, you cut off its power. To create said time pressure, you must limit the time working on a problem/project (Ex. 30 minute pitching challenge).

    Strategy 2: Break it Up
    The most common frustration when working towards a goal is a lack of progression. By taking large writing assignments or business goals and breaking them into bite-sized chunks, you can encourage yourself through consistent progress.

    Strategy 3: Brainstorm Everything!
    Sometimes solving a problem takes new ideas. Take 5 minutes and write a list of all possible solutions to a problem. Then, take your 5 favorite solutions, and experiment with them.

    Strategy 4: Use Your Network
    Whether it is asking for guidance or having people hold you accountable, fellow writers are a perfect asset in making progress to your goals. Preferably use close colleagues and mentors as they have a better understanding of your goals.

    Strategy 5: Take a Break
    You can’t do everything at once, and sometimes you need to walk away to clear your head. Take a small break and do something completely unrelated to writing. With a little rest, you can turn you productivity around.

    Strategy 6: Quit
    While this may seem like admitting defeat, sunk-cost fallacy can leave writers banging their heads against a wall with no avail. When progress is not being made due to a lack of knowledge or the problem solving is stealing time from other tasks, walking away can give you the freedom to achieve other writing goals. Don’t worry, you can come back to some goals after you have grown and prepared as a writer.

    This article gives writers tools to take on roadblocks and achieve their goals. While grit and punishment are useful tools, a more expansive list allows troubled writers to experiment and problem solve without wasting their time.

  37. Headline: A Musician’s Guide to Freelance Bloggers

    So you want to become a free lance blogger, but you do not have time? No worries, these six artist with out knowing has just gave us the ultimate guide to stop procrastination.

    Fifth Harmony- “You don’t gotta go to work, work, work!”

    1-) Many freelance bloggers when first starting off, do not have a fancy office or work space. Some free lance bloggers simply work from home. Fifth Harmony clearly expresses that it is ok to work from home. However, it all depends on where in your home you work. Do the space that you work in make you want to work, or do it make you want to snuggle and sleep? If it’s the latter, you should choose a space that works better for you. Remember as a blogger, we thrive on inspiration. If your space does not inspire creativity, then blogging will really feel like work!

    Jasmine Richards-“Make em listen,Cause there is no way you’ll be ignored Not anymore, Say here I am”

    2-) If you want to accomplish getting work done more successfully for your blogs, you have to know your audience. Before you can decipher your audience, you have to have your own voice. In order to do this, you have to write for yourself. When you start writing for yourself, you will write more. In return, you will eliminate pressure and worry about finding your audience because your right audience will find you. So, you have to put yourself out there. Let your voice be heard.

    Tamia-“The question everybody asks, is how we make it last, I tell them I still, he still, we still”

    3-) In Tamia’s song “Still” she talks about the reason why her and her husband is still together. Her answer is simply commitment. As a blogger, your relationship with your reader is very important. Bloggers aren’t superheroes they are regular people. So yes, we tend to get lazy. However, consistency is one of the most important things that bloggers tend to forget. It is so much easier to lose your following than it is to build it up, so make sure you consistently blog. Tip number four will help you with this task.

    Bloc Party-“Wake up Dreamer, We make plans for big times Get bogged down, distracted”

    4-) If your like me, then you have a limited slot through out the day where you actually have time to blog. Then, you end up forgetting and getting distracted with all the interruptions life so graciously throws at us. That’s why schedules are your new bestfriend. I know who has time to write down a list of things to do. No worries just set an alert on your phone ( catch up to the 21st century my friend). You can even use that extra T.V time you have reserved for your favorite show (missing one episode of the Bachelor will not kill you but make your writing stronger;).

    Kelly Clarkson-“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger Stand a little taller”

    5-) Just like Kelly Clarkson we have all had a road block in our life that made us stumble a littler. For many bloggers, that my friend is writers block. It feels like we can’t get anything done. Now there are many cures to this one problems. One solution is to talk or get advice from experienced bloggers. Most of us do not like for others to give us constructive criticism on our work because we feel like they are criticizing us. This solution also introduces you to other bloggers, so now you have a connection. That my friend is what you call networking. Although, you can also get writing ideas from your audience. Now you have insight on what topics people would most like to read about, which will help your blog grow.

    Monica-“Ring ring ring (ring) Let the phone stop (oohhh)”

    6-) We have reached the final stage. Thank you Monica, but I will take it from here. Eliminate every distraction that is keeping you away from meeting your goals. Whether you have to put your phone on silent or delete your Facebook. Remember unmet goals lead to regret. If you are looking for a cheat code to free lance blogging, the truth is that there is none. You have to work really hard and if that means giving something up you enjoy to get your perfect blog post then do what got to do. I can’t promise you a speedy success story for your blog, but if you use these six points you will find yourself will success down the line. Not to mention you will be getting work done. 🙂

    In the words of The Week’nD, these points are “worth it” if you really want to beat your procrastination habits and actually become a successful freelance blogger.

    • I love that you picked a theme and stuck to it. Bonus points for including quotes and whatnot!

      The problem I’m having is that it feels like, from what you’ve pitched, that you’re writing this with bloggers in mind, but not specifically freelance bloggers… As in, bloggers who write for clients, not themselves.

      • Thanks for the feedback, this was my first pitch and hopefully it will only get better from here.

        • For a first pitch ever, it’s REALLY good. But it’s my job to be EXTRA nit-picky (especially when it comes to these contests…).

          If you’d like to tweak your pitch a bit and resubmit it as a reply to this comment thread, please feel free. Just make sure you do so before 12am 7/8/18!

  38. Procrastinate like a Pro
    There are the planners who have everything jotted down to a tee.
    And…
    There are the procrastinators who tend to mosy along slowly then go into a panicked frenzy when a deadline quickly approaches.
    Whether you are a hardcore business person or a more chill creative, we all have one thing in common.
    We Procrastinate..sometimes.
    1. Self-Care
    Yes, you read this right. You have to take care of yourself before taking care of anything else. Take some time to yourself to recharge.
    2. Find a Hobby
    This is pretty much similar to self-care. We all do something we love. If you don’t, find it whether it is crocheting, fish, or meditating.
    3. Use a Planner
    Ok, here is a twist. If planners are not your thing and you tend to misplace to do list, why not opt for a bullet journal? It is more interactive and it can double as self-care once you get into it.
    4. Research
    Refreshed yet? Now to get down to research. Instead of finding sources for your project online, why not go old school and head to the library?
    5. Ask for Help
    Get a second pair of eyes or ears to read your piece or hear out your ideas. It will help get your gears into motion.
    6. B.I.B. Method (Begin In Bits)
    Whether it is two weeks before or a day before, (more power to you if it is), start your post or project in bits. Take a breather when needed (you will need it). Have healthy snacks and hot tea on hand.

    This is a unique take on how to get things done from a procrastinator/creative’s perspective *ahem raises hand. It is a bit unorthodox since all deadlines are fast paced and this post takes on a turtle like approach. I feel this post can give a new sense of inspiration to get things done with a bit of humor mixed in.

  39. Play Hard, Blog Hard.

    What’s your favourite hobby? Perhaps it’s watching or playing sports, listening to music, practising yoga, reading or a spot of salsa dancing.

    Well if you want to get stuff done then do more of the above.

    1. Self-Care. Self-care is important, it’s easy to get caught up in the busyness of life, but what about you? How do you ensure that you are being kind and nurturing to yourself?

    2. Support. Finding like-minded people, perhaps other bloggers. People who can support you, encourage you and inspire you to be your best.

    3. Clear mind. Having time out from work allows you to clear your mind, take a break and to be reflective. Perhaps a new idea will spark, you’ll have more energy or you’ll see things from a different perspective.

    4. Self-development. Through practising the above and enjoying your passions and hobbies you can grow, learn and expand upon who you already are.

    5. Plan. Being organised is important to getting work done and ensuring that you’re on schedule and deadlines are met.

    6. Purpose. Through the above steps, it can lead to you fulfilling your purpose. Often people blog as they want to help people and this purpose can be strengthened through taking care of ourselves.

    As a blogger, I understand how overwhelming it can be to meet deadlines, thinking up new concepts and ideas. Blogging is meant to be fun, after all, we are writing about something we are passionate about. So sit back and re-evaluate, are you getting enough play time in order to write better posts?

    I believe people will find this idea interesting as it is refreshing and offers encouragement and a reminder of how important it is to enjoy ourselves on this journey.

  40. Suggested Headline:

    1) The Only Way We Humans Should Start Getting Shit Done
    Opening Lines:
    This is not a blog post. This is not a (World Wide) Web Log—weblog—blog—log, of anything. It is an article with the primary purpose of providing you with both objective and subjective information on how to get shit done (i.e. how to become a writer that earns, at the very least, a sufficient income). It’s secondary purpose…
    The Requisite 6 Points:
    1) Preamblatory clarification on “evil” words and terms – In this day and age of post-enlightened thought, education, ostensible intelligence, acceptance, humor, and, hopefully a tad bit of wisdom, these are no longer words to be shit upon, but to be cuddled and fucking appreciated!
    2) Clarify the term “blog” – A Web Log, abbreviated to Blog, is a Log; a log is a journal or diary—most often, unfortunately, some person’s diarrhea about how they wish their boyfriend could be a vampire too—you know, so loving and caring and sucks the way men should, rather than all the ways we, genetically, can’t help but suck. Blogs used to be this absolutely useless shit, but Yay! They are now mostly very useful articles—I say again: ARTICLES–Nu Shit! So sit down, read, learn, and bitch! (: We Articlists Love comments 🙂
    3) Clarify the Primary Objective – Getting from Point A to Point B is a straight line, yes; however it comes with several side roads and T-junctions you must go down, make the right choices, and return to Point A2B Street before arriving at Point B-loved paycheck. Analysis paralysis is a very common and determined monster you will have to battle—and defeat—numerous times along this highway and its byways. You will learn ways to succeed at these adventures in this article.
    4) Clarify the Secondary Objective – Articles, formerly known as blogs, are a fairly new and highly popular iteration of an ancient means to an end: Spread information to incite the masses to action for some purpose. Sad to say, blogs are hardly used for non-inane purposes. Articles should and shall be from now on. If you are on board, then let’s get some real shit done.
    5) A not utterly prosaic flowchart – Different people learn—and succeed—in different ways—and some take more time than others. Not everyone can sustain this period without sufficient income. I plan to cull and curate the best methods for what I call ASAPS (i.e. As Soon As Possible Success) and give it to willing pupils in a way that the path becomes visible, runnable, and remunerative as soon as possible.
    6) Exceptions to the rules and summation – This section is just for preemptive strikes on questions that always end up on the FAQ page anyhow. However, more importantly, it gives clinically impatient pupils a pill meal version if they so wish (cringe). Inadequate attention spans are subjects for other articles……
    The 3 Sentences:
    This post, in one fell swoop, will revolutionize posting on several levels:
    Aspiring posters will know what the fuck to do now—plus, be proud of the non-shit that they work so hard on and publish! Readers will also begin reading the good shit we Articlists put out rather than the crap they have known and been forced to love.
    I am the Only writer for this article because I have the rest of it in my mind and will take it to an awesome completion—as well as being quite a good writer in general.

      • Hi Lauren,

        Um, if this is your only concern (reply–unless I am not seeing the other replies…lol….I’m not good at foruming…), may I just reply with a few more (over 6) points that I would add to target it to freelancers? …Tweak the title and subheadings as well then? If so, kindly confirm. i will prolly just do this anyhow over the weekend and see your reactions, yours and Sophie’s on Mon or Tue…Have a great one, ladies! See ya on the flip… –Darius

  41. How Productivity Can Help You Unleash Ideas to Your Readers

    In order to influence your readers as a freelancer, your projects have to get written. Here are some superb ways to get your writing done. This is not just another productivity article. These ideas can be aligned with the many responsibilities of the life a freelancer to maximize time for the next right thing you need to accomplish.

    Freelance bloggers usually have another job – or several other jobs. It may be your side hustle. To be able to get it all in you have to have a bag of tricks to juggle all that needs to be done so your brilliance can come through in all aspects of your life.

    1. Think about what you are writing about – all the time – Take advantage of the times when you are waiting. Use that time to think about phrasing and ideas so when you get to the keyboard you can maximize the writing time to get more done. More done means more projects completed and more exposure and/ or money.
    2. Keep a notebook with you at all times. If you are more tech-minded even for notes and brainstorming have a note taking app on the HOME screen of your phone. Not only does this help with the current project but if lightning strikes for a new idea it can be a pitch you work on for another time. All great ideas must be captured!
    3. Use a dictation function for when you cannot get to a pen or a keypad so those brilliant ideas are not lost. I find this especially helpful during a commute or any time in the car or train.
    4. Deadlines are deadlines. As a freelancer, you have to turn your work on time. Google or another calendar app can help block schedule time with a specific purpose so you get the work done.
    5. If you are working on multiple pieces at a time you need to plan. Using a simple formula and knowing your word count and estimate time to write a piece. If all the ideas are fresh in your mind then even 15 minutes at a time in between other responsibilities can make a big difference. Knowing how much time you really need gives your readers and clients better writing faster.
    6. Don’t spin your wheels

    Make sure you are following the guidelines for your project. Notes for each project or an outline, even a loose one can help you focus. If you are working on several pieces at one time it is helpful to have a quick reference to remember what you are striving towards. I like to have notebooks for different projects with sections for each project. If you are all digital you can put the notes at the top of the doc so you always can reference it. The more focused you are then it will come out in the writing and your readers will get more about of the article.

    This is a great post for a freelance blogger because it addresses time “in the edges” to be able to get work done. Being intentional is important and effective.

    • Good advice, but I’m not really seeing what makes your pitch unique. It lacks personality (no offense). It feels very generic and like anyone could have written this pitch… What makes YOU special, and how do you plan to implement your personal specialness into your post in order to help our readers?

      • ROUND TWO…

        Every Writer Needs A Bag Of Tricks

        As a writer, I am scattered a lot of the time. Partly, it is my personality. Partly, because as a freelancer you have to be – different personality traits tend to work on different jobs within your life. Luckily, there is usually some overlap but quality work comes from focus. If I am having a hyper focused period I can get a heap of work done and I feel on top of the world. Other times I am drudging through trying to find more time. In order for writing to be read, it has to get written.

        I love hearing about other writers’ processes. I always think there is going to be a magical idea that will make the difference. I change processes always trying something new. It if works for you, keep it or modify it for you. Pay attention to what speaks to you.

        As a writer, we distract ourselves with all kinds of activities but that can cost us. You are probably reading this blog as an aversion right now. So read the post and get back to work. Let’s maximize our time and get more done with some tips.

        Put these tricks in your bag of brilliance.

        Trick 1: Don’t spin your wheels
        Don’t get in your own way and waste time with silly mistakes. Make sure you are following the guidelines for your project. Make notes for each project to focus and remember where they are! Keep notes, research for the same project together. I often need to remember this myself. I have started writing short reminders at the top of the doc for the current project for quick reference that includes word count, graphics or not, research still left to do, and special instructions for this project.
        Keep notes on the contacts for who you are writing for as well. You don’t want to send the wrong pitch accidentally to the wrong blog. It is unprofessional and won’t get you hired again.

        Trick 2: My pitch ideas and interesting sentences come to me mostly at the wrong times – when I am in the shower, or driving or waiting in a line. Yesterday I had to wait for about 3 hours over the course of the day. Instead of getting irritated I researched and got some planning done. I have to think about what you are writing about – all the time. There is no perfect time for ideas to hit you. I am able to get more words on the page when I sit down to write then. I use the time to think about phrasing and ideas and work it out. More time thinking away from the computer means more completed projects. The magic doesn’t happen by accident even though we want our readers to think so.

        Trick 3. Going back to the idea of being scattered – Keep a notebook with you at all times. I like paper for notes ideally but I spend a lot of time on the go. I have the Google Keep app on my home screen. I can write and send it to my drive easily. I don’t have to waste time rewriting those notes. You never know when lightning strikes and you have to be ready. There is nothing more frustrating than a great sentence floating away into the sky because you didn’t have anything to write it down with. As a juggler of life and time, we have to take advantage of time in the edges. Write it down immediately! Ideas fly away fast when they aren’t captured.

        I like the KEEP app because you can open different notes for different projects and label it. I have a list I keep of 10 writing ideas, 10 is the magic number. even for notes and brainstorming have a note taking app on the HOME screen of your phone. Not only does this help with the current project but if lightning strikes for a new idea it can be a pitch you work on for another time. All great ideas must be captured!

        Trick 4. My thoughts run a little wild sometimes. You too? I have to use a dictation function when I cannot write, usually in the car or on a run for me. This one takes some getting used to. If you do not speak clearly sometimes you get some pretty weird word combinations. It isn’t all bad, sometimes I work the weird phrase into a piece!

        Trick 5. No one wants to lose potential jobs because you cannot remember the date. Yes, we get busy but deadlines are deadlines. As a freelancer, you have to turn your work on time. Google or another calendar app can help block schedule time with a specific purpose so you get the work done. I schedule a lot into my calendar. In fact, I do this first thing in the morning. Then my phone alerts me to what I had planned to do that morning. Nothing calls a scattered mind to focus like an alert from yourself on your phone.

        Trick 6. I am a pantser no matter what I am writing. I DO NOT LIKE TO PLAN, but I get more words done in a shorter period of time if I do. I make a lot of lists. I use a formula to figure out words per 15 minute chunk and allot timeframes for myself. Then I put my ass in the chair so I write better, faster.

        This will be a great post for a freelance blogger because it addresses time “in the edges” and ways to keep organized as a guest writer. Planning ahead of time can help fill the bloggers personal gaps so they can market better.

  42. Here’s How to Magically Make More Time in Your Day

    I’m in the business of squeezing as many tasks as humanly possible into the space of each 24 hours–because the more you hustle, the more $$ you make, right? Even if you think you’re too busy to devote much time to your blogging career, with a few adjustments, you can get more done, too.

    1. Social media is important to advertise yourself and your business–we all know that. But we also know it’s a huge time-waster. Luckily, most social media platforms have a way to schedule your posts (Facebook lets you schedule in-app, Planoly works for Instagram, etc.). Spend half an hour on Monday scheduling your posts for the week, and you can save time every day afterwards.

    2. Multitask. It’s important to educate yourself about the craft of writing and blogging–but when you’re busy all day every day ACTUALLY writing and blogging, who has time to learn about it? Listen to a podcast as you fold laundry or drive; on your lunch break, read articles from gurus in your field.

    3. You may be tempted to work until the wee hours of the morning. Don’t. Because of my medical problems, I sleep 12 hours a night; it may seem counterproductive, but getting a good night’s rest will help you be alert and ready to go in the morning.

    4. Be strict with yourself. Being self-employed and working from home means I technically could be available anytime something else comes up or my friends want to go out–but when I started treating my writing as a real job (because it IS my real job) and working for eight hours every weekday, my earnings began to shoot up.

    5. Figure out when you have the most energy and then use it well. For me, this is the 10 AM – 12 PM time slot, and I use it to do the most difficult tasks on my list and/or the things I’m looking forward to the least.

    This is a great post for BaFB because all bloggers want more time in their day, and I’m the right person to write it because I’m a full-time freelance writer who also happens to be a dork about schedules and planning my life.

      • Oh no! I missed the cutoff date, didn’t I? This happened last time there was a Pitchfest, too–I checked the box to be notified by email of follow-up comments, but I never received any emails, and it was too late by the time I thought to come back and check. 🙁

  43. Be Your Own Hero

    This year has been the blockbuster year for Marvels hero movies coming to the big screen one right after the other. Watching these movies really got me thinking, they all have the same plot in common. There’s the introduction to the story plot, the plot twist that challenges the storyline, the overcoming moment, then the end. The problem in every story arises in the plot twist. In your own life when faced with the plot twist how you handle the situation determines your outcome. We could easily say when it comes to blogging “this is too hard”, “I’ve been turned down too many times for my writing”, and then just let it end there and stop trying. If we stop trying then we are no longer the hero in our story but the person who let the enemy push them down.
    In six easy steps, we can push through the No’s and rise up to our own occasion.
    Step 1 Fail Until You Don’t
    When someone tells you no, ask why to find out the critique so that you can grow and try again. No is a minor bump in the journey to success and every person who has made it big with their successes was told no countless times but they persevered.
    Step 2 Seek Out a Mentor
    Seek out people and advice who came before you and were successful. Don’t be ashamed of the help. Someone else’s advice can give you a fresh perspective you couldn’t see on your own.
    Step 3 Take Risks
    Without risk, there is no reward. Dive into a writing style that may push you but would broaden your portfolio could be the big break you were looking for.
    Step 4 Tackling the Lazy
    This is a personal BIG struggle for me. I find that for me it is easier to grab a pen, journal, laptop and go sit in a coffee shop to write. I don’t get as distracted in a new environment as I do at home. Find what works for you. Walk away from all distractions.
    Step 5 Finding the Time
    Time can be it’s own distraction, for we tend to tell ourselves we have none. Set an alarm to write for a minimum of 30 minutes a day and take yourself out of the distractions so that you have no choice but to do it.
    Step 6 Write From the Heart
    When people read something they want to hear a personal touch. People want to know what makes you who you are and find that they feel they can relate, or escape. When you write what you feel then people will find it interesting and crave more.

    When I write I hope to positively change one person’s life. If I know that I have influenced, or motivated one person to grow into something more then I have more than done my job. I write with purpose, passion, and meaning. I feel that I could bring that as a freelance blogger to your page if given the opportunity.

      • 1. Fail Until You Don’t- Being told no when submitting your writing to a blogger will happen often. Take their critiques into consideration so that you can grow and try again. Don’t ever stop trying because the moment that you stop trying you are failing.

        2. Seek out a mentor- Find someone else who has had great success in freelance blogging and see how they are doing it. Use their examples and guidance to find your own way.

        3. Take Risks- Try freelance writing for all kinds of blogs. Do your research and write about something that will only push you to grow and be dynamic in your writing skills. The more you change it up the more doors of opportunities will open.

        4. Tackle the Lazy- This is a personal struggle for me. It is hard for me to find the motivation to write when I am at home. I grab my laptop, notebook, and a pen, leave my house and find somewhere else to write.

        5. Finding the Time- Time in itself can be a huge distraction because we all tend to tell ourselves we don’t have enough of it. Push yourself to take a minimum of 30 minutes a day and search for a new freelancing opportunity. Do the research and prep to write. When you focus in on what you’re striving for the time seems to find itself.

        6. Write from the Heart- If you find that you are writing on a topic you may not connect with for a blogger. Stop, take some time, research, and find a way to put your own personal touch on it. If you were to just write to write the material would not be as interesting. Remember you chose to do this because there is passion in you, now we have to show that passion to someone else who needs to buy into your product for their blog.

        I revamped the 6 bullet points to reflect how it targets freelance writers in general instead of just writers. If you would like I can also add more to it. Please give me details on your thoughts of other ways I can tailor this and improve. Thank you so much for your feedback and I look forward to more!

  44. [Headline Suggestions]

    Pushing Through the Pain: 6 Ways Freelance Bloggers Can Get their Work Completed

    6 Foolproof Ways that Freelance Bloggers Can Discipline Themselves (not *necessarily* in a sex dungeon kind of way!)

    [Opening Paragraph – first 60 words]

    You know how some people are jealous that life is easy for you because you work from home? I think my friends assume I just sit around in my pyjamas all day drinking tea. OK, sometimes it is that, but as a freelance blogger there are different clients to juggle, contrasting projects to manage, not to mention finding new work…

    [6 Foolproof Ways]

    1) Finding your personal motivation – This will be different for everybody but the trick is to remember your particular motivation when you’re being stared at by a seemingly impossible deadline. Find it and remind yourself of why you are writing when you feel the fear.

    2) Cut out distractions – This one is easier said than done, by the way did you know crocodiles can’t stick out their tongue? As you can see I have a dreadful inability to concentrate, which for me means I have to turn off my internet connection and put my phone out of reach. Find your weaknesses and ban them.

    3) Lie to yourself – Bring your deadline forward a little and stick to it if you can, then you have leeway if it all goes a bit wrong. I make a broad estimate of the hours that a project should take and work backwards using post-it notes. I mark each with the parts of a project and estimates of the time it will take, then move them around until they fit in the hours I can work (keeping the deadlines a day before they are actually due). I find it easier then to slot in other projects that come in later.

    4) Do your worst – Literally. Do the worst job that you are dreading doing first thing in the morning but keep a time limit on it. You might find once you start it isn’t as bad as you thought but even if it is, you only have to do it for an hour or however long you have chosen, then you can get on to something else.

    5) Split big projects up – If you are overwhelmed by the size of projects and that is preventing you from even starting, try splitting into smaller tasks. An introductory paragraph, an overview, a conclusion etc.

    6) Soothe your anxiety – Sometimes panic just takes hold. Too much to do, too many projects to juggle, a client on the phone, an invoice to chase up, and you need to take a few minutes to breathe and calm yourself enough to actually do some work. (I have a favourite Youtube video I play in the background with British summer meadow noises on it – weird, but it works for me.)

    I think this would be a great fit for BAFB because the reasons for prevarication apply to both new freelance bloggers and more experienced ones. Everyone needs help sometimes to get past the ‘I’m not good enough’ as well as the ‘I don’t have time to finish everything’ worries. It has practical tips on how to get through those times but also reasons why we all suffer from the same issues. This post will give your readers an actionable way to get over their overwhelm and finish the day with jobs done and a list to work through on the following day.
    I have used all of these tips myself as in the past year I have written a novel as well as working on my own blog and freelance writing (I even fed my children occasionally too). Therefore, if I were lucky enough to have a shot, I will even be able to deliver an error-free post to you within your deadline (obviously by lying to myself about when that is!)

    Full Disclosure – I have no knowledge of sex dungeons

      • Thanks Lauren, and I am tempted to say “**** me gently with a chainsaw, I’m not Mother Theresa” but that only works if you’ve seen the film! Plus, it’s not totally accurate as of course I would add a link – the world can always do with more zen bloggers.
        I can also add a swipe file of the template that I use in step three for ordering my time if you think it will be useful as well?

  45. Your Mind Is Your Foundation: Build On It

    Wanna be a freelance blogger? Think about this: whatever skills you don’t have, are essentially underdeveloped. You aren’t lazy. You know you’re own work ethic. You’re probably intelligent, too. I mean, you’re reading this blog, aren’t you? What sets us up as different from anyone who already has the skills and the mindset to make it down this career path?

    1. Encourage Your Own Growth

    Your mind is a child: It is the one part of you that is always trying to grow, always looking for fun, excitement, and positivity, and always begging for more. Your body will hit a peak at some point, but your mind can be developed every day for the rest of your life.

    2. Forgive Your Own Mistakes

    If you refuse to do this, you will guilt trip yourself into giving up somewhere along the line. If you want to be a productive freelancer, you have to believe that getting what you want is morally acceptable, even if you’re telling yourself a different story.

    3. Don’t Let Intrusive Thoughts Control Your Actions

    Intrusive thoughts used to eat up most of my day, until I was taught that you’re essentially having an exhausting and useless argument with yourself, filling your head with unnecessary questions like, “Am I doing the right thing?” You know right from wrong, so just go with your gut and get it done!

    4. Train Yourself And Be Honest About Your Performance

    Yes, you should be kind to yourself, and give your mind the freedom to adapt and grow strong, but if you know where you stand as a writer, then you’ll know which challenges you’re able face… and you won’t have to worry when it comes time to face them.

    5. Get Excited By Your Difficulties.

    When ‘bad’ things happen people tend to respond with negativity, but this only reinforces the negative response. By getting excited when things go wrong, you can become a junkie for problem solving, and bypass the kind of thinking that causes people to give up on their dreams.

    6. Set Microgoals, And Ramp Them Up

    Nothing in the Universe is made of one single piece, but of billions and trillions of other, smaller pieces– and you can look at your freelance writing career the exact same way. Set extremely small, easily achievable goals for yourself each day (and exceed them if you like), and over time they will create a sense of success that will increase your desire to achieve even more.

    I am using these techniques as a matter-of-course, and the scope of my day-to-day life has increased immensely. I’m passionate about this stuff: I wanna see other people succeed. I want to see other people become happy, but sharing what works for me, helps me believe I can have the things I in life that I want, as well. I think that honesty will shine through in my writing, and make people want to know more.

    [I noticed no one seems to be posting bios here, even though the pitching guidelines clearly say that we should. This is different than a normal pitch though, I’m guessing? I don’t know, but please tell me whether I should include one in this pitch, and I’ll attach it in another comment, if necessary. Thanks, Sophie!]

    • How will your post be tailored to our very specific niche/audience (freelance bloggers), and not just be general tips that ANYone can use?

      And, yes; please post your bio! You’ll get bonus points for following the contest guidelines if you do. haha.

      • Alright, I’m back with my revisions, and this is crazy, because I didn’t realize you were the writer for Littlezotz.com. I read your article “Why I’m a Hardass Pitching Editor” when I first started researching (I think it was linked through elnacain.com), and I asked you if I should post my bio here, exactly BECAUSE I read this article! It may be the most useful thing I’ve come across as a fledgling freelance writer.

        Hahaha, that’s awesome! Great to meet you, Lauren and thank you for your (obviously) very, very good advice! =D

        And here’s my pitch (numero dos). Hopefully it applies a lot more to your audience now:

        Your Mind is your Foundation: Build on It!

        Wanna be a better freelance blogger? Think about this: whatever skills you don’t have, are essentially underdeveloped. You aren’t lazy. You know you’re own work ethic. You’re probably intelligent, too. I mean, you’re reading this blog, aren’t you? What sets us up for success or failure, and what sort of mindset does it take to stay productive as a freelancer?

        1. Encourage Your Own Growth

        Connecting your niche to other subjects increases your capacity to learn new things, all the while broadening your scope and your client base.

        2. Forgive Your Own Mistakes

        Freelance blogging is hyper-cerebral work, with a diverse list of clients, multiple subjects to research, and writing, writing, writing till your fingers go numb! How are you supposed to maintain focus, if you can’t stop brooding on the smallest mistakes?

        3. Don’t Let Intrusive Thoughts Control Your Actions

        Freelance bloggers are often imbued with an incredible capacity to let the mind wander, because that’s how we tap into our creative potential, but beware of the little voices that say, “You shouldn’t try this pitch,” or “What if I don’t make it?”; it can only fill your head with doubt and distraction. Ignore these little demons, and they will not harm you.

        4. Train Yourself And Be Honest About Your Performance

        Freelance blogging is like an impressionist act, because you’re lending your own small voice to an entire website, which has a louder voice and carries more weight. When your writing can be recognized through various tones and subject matter, you know you’re getting closer to coming into your own.

        5. Get Excited By Your Difficulties.

        Maybe you weren’t in the right mood, so you didn’t write with passion, or you weren’t enthusiastic, so you didn’t sound sincere… or maybe all you did was pitch to the wrong editor. As a freelancer, your rejections can come from a slew of different sources, so USE that wisdom to improve in MULTIPLE ways!

        6. Set Microgoals, And Ramp Them Up

        Information overload is a major threat to productivity, and opportunistic bloggers have responded to this by creating “easily-digestible media” (like this numbered list), which provides the simplicity that users crave. You can use the same principles in your career by setting goals for yourself that are easily achievable (work on a pitch for 90 minutes, write 200 words for your book, etc.), and watch how quickly they progress into habits.

        I love encouraging others to work hard at their dreams, not to mention, sharing these tips strengthens my core beliefs and will help me elevate my way of thinking. I can’t conceal my passion about the subject matter. I think that honesty will shine through in my writing, and entice the truly driven subscribers (your most important customers) to learn more from your website.

        Steve Lyon is a freelance writer for hire, and enjoys talking about human interaction, sharpening your mind, and showing love to yourself and others. He’s also a bit of a social media Luddite for the time being, so send him an email if you wanna chat at fluxgradient@gmail.com!

        • Awesome! Much better. Love it. 🙂

          And, yeah! I’m Little Zotz! lol. I actually accept guest posts on my own site now as well, if you’d ever like to pitch to me personally: http://littlezotz.com/write-for-me/

          Just be sure to read my 1000% RANT MODE article about pitching first (lol): http://littlezotz.com/2017/10/perfect-guest-writer/ (<-- this was actually the last post I wrote on my site before I just gave up and turned the blog over to the readers hahahaha). Anyway, I'm so glad my "Hardass Pitching Editor" post was helpful for you. Sometimes it feels like NO ONE has read that thing. *sobs quietly* It's tough being an editor sometimes. I actually work FULL-TIME at Syed Balkhi's Awesome Motive now -- as a real employee, not as a freelancer -- as a Content Editor. 😀 So I'm a VERY busy lady these days! 5am - 1pm PT, Monday through Friday. (Thankfully, that still leaves me with a little time for BAFB in the evenings!). I also created MuseHub, if you're ever interested in getting listed on there: http://musehub.biz

          And I write guest posts for Knarf’s Clouds (a vaping site) every Friday: http://knarfsclouds.com/

          I’m all over the place! hehe.

          Great to meet a LittleZotz Writing reader! Small world! 😀

            • No problema, amiga! It looked fine to me! (You shouldn’t have said anything.) =)

              And thank you very much for your kind words, and the positive feedback. It ENERGIZED me this morning to keep dewin’ what I’m dewin’! *You’re* awesome!

              I would be VERY interested in pitching to your website. Let me read around, and see if I can produce something of value for you. And YESH MA’AM! I believe I will read that article before posting. Haha! =D

              *Hands you a tissue* Sorry Lauren, but not everyone can be as rule-crazy as you or I. It’s sad, actually: I think a ton of people have fooled themselves into thinking that rules and discipline make you unhappy, but I think the opposite is true. If we don’t see the results after working for 5 minutes we’re often tempted to give up. What a bummer. I DO understand it though– I’ve been there plenty myself!

              Thanks for all the links to your work, as well. I love the aesthetic on the vape site, and I am *really* intrigued by the MuseHub idea… just the whole concept, really. So I guess you snagged a hell of job with Awesome Motive, huh? I’d never heard of them before, but they look to be doing a lot over there! Congratulations!

              And while we’re talkin’, do you have any suggestions for good beginner/intermediate WordPress resources? You can just email them to me if you want, provided you have the time. I’d really appreciate it. Thanks. =)

              It is a small world, indeed. Great to meet you, my friend! If this one isn’t published, hopefully I’ll get a chance to work with you in some other capacity!

              And, as you can see, I’m a wordy bastard, so I better stop typing now! Peace.

              • I just wanna take a moment to WOW at the coincidence that after you ended your pitch with “Peace” the very first word in the *next* pitch was
                “Peace” too, because it’s the pitcher’s name!

                • Hahaha! I literally laughed out loud at this!

                  Hey, I’m a big fan of synchronicity and it plays positively into the significance of my reality, so thank you for pointing this out! =) Haha!

  46. Headline: 10 Proven Ways To Complete Any Freelance Blogging Project

    Opening lines: Are you suck at completing any blogging project? It’s natural to feel uncomfortable facing this challenge despite successful completion of projects in the past. Accept the discomfort believe you can do it. A newbie using these tips will join six figure bloggers in the near future because time management is crucial for financial success.

    6 points (1-2 sentence summary):

    Belief: Blogging involves problem solving, I’ll give advice on how one’s belief affects efficiency in completing a project recommend books.

    Evaluation of Work: The success of any project depends on its objectives, spend valuable time to research key points. Saves time, and pains of repeating work.

    Clarity: Set clear priorities to determine highest priority of your work, then create a checklist that helps you work on them.

    Checklist: Write out the aforementioned priorities in sequence according to the steps you’ve chosen to meet deadline.

    Start with difficult tasks: Highest priority of any project is the difficult part. There is a consequence or failure if you didn’t complete it before other tasks.

    Prepare A To-Do List: Review your checklist daily to work more faster. Use it to write the next day’s tasks at night before you go to bed. You’ll wake up in the morning fully prepared for work without distractions.

    Why? Because many newbies use valuable time to repeat projects instead of acquiring new clients. Readers’ll confidently pitch, complete any project, and be rewarded with more gigs. These are proven ways successful six figure entrepreneurs run projects.
    I write about starting six figure business from scratch, though I’ve not been published anywhere. LinkedIn post (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-step-process-start-writing-business-30-days-peace-chibueze/). Twitter: (@Nwakaoby

    I love Pinar Tarhan’s post “Plans B, C, D, and Beyond to Keep Sane and Prolific as a Freelance Blogger”. Plan F has great impact on my current project.

  47. Critical Focus – Sharpen Your Vision for Crystal Clear Blogging

    Choices, choices. There are so many great things to write about! Where do we begin? It can be overwhelming. This embarrassment of riches may leave you paralyzed with indecision, uncertain of where to start or which way to go. Take a tip from photography. Narrow your focus for sharper writing.

    1) Know thyself – Define your passion –what fascinates YOU about the subject? Learn your personal “creativity cycle” and what time of day writing is most productive for you.
    2) Be clear –Communicate with your client to get a clear picture of their vision and what will be most helpful for them. Like a photographer, narrow your focus for a sharper blog.
    3) Keep it moving – Do something every day to help you reach your goals. Schedule, follow through, hold yourself accountable – but allow some flexibility because life happens.
    4) Put on the blinders – don’t let distractions overwhelm you. When it’s time to write, write!
    5) Focus on today, but don’t forget tomorrow…. Keep the pipeline flowing by scheduling time for marketing and networking.
    6) Lighten Up! – Remember – it’s all practice, not brain surgery! Don’t forget to have fun with your writing. Your readers will appreciate it!

    I believe this blog will be helpful for many of your readers who get paralyzed with indecision. I know the feeling. As a freelance writer and photographer, I’ve found that many of the lessons I’ve learned about making quality images also apply to freelance blogging, and I would love to share them with your readers.

      • Thanks Lauren! Is this headline 10 Fastest Ways A Freelance Blogger Can Complete Any Project better?

        How do I place my photo on the comment section?

  48. Thank you Lauren, I hope this second pitch is better.

    Headline: 10 Fastest Way A Freelance Blogger Can Meet Deadline
    Opening lines: Are you suck at completing any blogging project? It’s natural to feel uncomfortable facing this challenge despite successful completion of projects in the past. Accept the discomfort believe you can do it, these tips will help you meet deadline because time management is crucial for financial success.

    6 points (1-2 sentence summary):

    Belief: Blogging involves problem solving, I’ll give advice on how one’s belief affects efficiency in completing a project, recommend books.

    Evaluation of Work: Evaluate your objectives by spending valuable time to research key points of your work. This Saves time, and pains of repeating work.

    Clarity: Set clear priorities to determine highest priority of your work, then create a checklist that helps you work on them.

    Checklist: Write out the aforementioned priorities in sequence according to the steps you’ve chosen to meet deadline.

    Start with difficult tasks: Highest priority should be the difficult part of the work. There is a consequence or failure if you didn’t complete it before other tasks.

    Prepare A To-Do List: Review your checklist daily to work more faster. Use it to write the next day’s tasks at night before you go to bed. You’ll wake up in the morning fully prepared for work without distractions.

    Why? Because many newbies use valuable time to repeat projects instead of acquiring new clients. Readers’ll confidently meet deadline without much stress, and be rewarded with more gigs.

    Pls give me feed back on how to place my photo here.

    • Hi Peace,

      You can upload your picture on a site like Imgur etc. and then post the link into your reply. You won’t be able to directly post the image into the comments.

      Please also note that the reply could be flagged for moderation if you include a link.

      Hope that helps

        • Interesting contest! Learnt how to upload my image on any website tonight.
          Thanks
          Peace Chibueze Photo Link [https://imgur.com/1mGlMFp]

          • Hey, Peace!

            Yes, your second pitch was much better. 🙂 As for your photo (I’m assuming you mean your photo avatar for your comments??), we use Gravatar. So, if you have your commenting e-mail address linked to your free Gravatar account, your photo will show up automatically when you comment. 🙂

  49. Stop the stoping

    Your failures are not your faults, your attempts are not wasted

    Everyone fails or tries something then stops. We think that it means we can’t really accomplish but it really doesn’t. We have mental blocks in our heads put there by whatever in life and we let it stop us. It’s time to stop the stopping.

    -It hurts, it’s always going to hurt but you can live through it.

    Some people don’t understand but when you don’t succeed what you set out to do it hits you like a sack of bricks and some people are better at dealing with it than others

    -You tired once you can never try again

    This is a personal problem I have. There’s just this voice in your head saying ‘if you failed the first try why is the next going to be any different?’ It’s very counterproductive

    -It’s been years since I even looked at this thing there’s no point in doing anything with it now

    This is another one I have trouble with. I’ve been trying to clean my room for 10yrs. At some point, I’m gonna need a floor again though. No matter how long it’s been there is always the chance to pick things back up

    -No one thinks I can do and thus I can not

    Yeah, the outside world is a bitch. You think you’re not listening to them but somehow they end up shaping your life and decisions. You need to recognize what’s important to you and not what they think you should do.

    -Even if I do finish it won’t be any good

    Who says it has to be good? Who says it has to be anything at all. As long as it makes you happy, it’s good

    -I did something and now it’s here sitting around collecting dust in my house with all the other things. I don’t need more things I’ve made too many they’re useless

    You have to stop looking at it like it’s worthless in the first place. You see it that way cause others do and you’re afraid that they’re right. You have to realize they’re not

    Doing stuff is scary yo. I think we make it scarier than it actually is though, to the point where you don’t even have the gumption to attempt doing it. I have that problem, I believe a lot of people do in this day an age. But that’s just a good way to get nothing done and be miserable all your life

  50. Helpful Suggestions for Freelance Bloggers: Increase Your Appetite for Productivity

    Your level of productivity can bring you success (or failure) as a freelance blogger, just as the ingredients you use can make all the difference to the flavour of your favourite dish. Increasing productivity gives freelance bloggers an improved portfolio and a hunger for success, hence a better chance of securing invaluable clientele. How freelance bloggers can upscale delicious productivity:

    1. Keep informed – make sure you read articles from and research the blog you are pitching to. The client’s philosophy and your content must be like caramel and chocolate (a perfect match).

    2. Keep perspective – what exactly is your new or potential client looking for? Follow that down to every full stop and comma or you will have salad without the dressing.

    3. Keep in touch – make sure you are clear about the assignment and if you aren’t, don’t guess – ask! Also, if your supreme pizza is taking longer to cook than expected, let your client know.

    4. Keep consistent – deliver your work on time every time. This way the client will know you are reliable and may even trust you with further assignments – a perfectly baked cake!

    5. Keep organised- an organised blogger is closer to having a fierce level of productivity than a disorganised one. In a crazy world, organisation means whatever you make it out to mean – create your own sweet recipe.

    6. Keep going – never give up, freelance blogger. Take it on the chin, but get up and keep moving – if you can’t stand the heat in the kitchen, adapt!

    This would be a great post for Be A Freelance Blogger because it will be on point, informative, fun and engaging. The article itself will have more tips, go more in-depth with each point and also give examples of how the tips can be used by freelance bloggers.

    I am the right person to write this blog post because I’ve read a lot about freelance blogging and am ready to take the plunge – this is a fantastic opportunity for me to use my first paid post to lay a foundation for the future success in freelance blogging that I hope for.

  51. Bag the Excuses and Get Stuff Done

    Productivity is a word that strikes negative feelings in my heart (see how cleverly I didn’t use it in the headline?). Productivity means getting stuff done, which means work, but can’t I just put it off a little longer? Can’t the bills just pay themselves for once? That’s why I became a freelance writer, right? No.

    1 – Mind over Matter: As Scripture knowingly puts it, ‘the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak’. Think yourself into action. Don’t prevaricate. Don’t reason it out. Drop that phone. Get a move on!

    2 – The Money: I remember having to depend on others for money to get food and personal stuff. The money is enough reason to get my butt into gear and work. Plus, bills never pay themselves

    3 – Your Clients: Being a freelance writer means you create valuable content for OTHERS, who then pay you. Those ‘others’ are depending on you to get stuff done for them, and they are paying you for that content as an incentive. Freelance writing isn’t your conventional office job, but it is a job.

    4 – You’ve Got Something to Prove: To yourself, that you can do this and you are killing it, and maybe to your parents, who probably think you are jobless (mine do).

    5 – Your Integrity: When applying for jobs, I state in my cover letter that I am ‘a dedicated worker, who is committed to meeting deadlines’. Not living up to that will hurt my freelance writing business. You have to get things done, and on time too, to show that you are a freelance writer of your word.

    6 – It’s Business, but You Love It: You started out writing as a hobby, then decided you could make money from it and became a freelancer. The fact that you love your job should be able to get you out of that funk and into a wild mode of creative productivity that gets you paid. Right? Right.

    Freelance writers need to see more fun articles on ‘getting shit done’, other than the usual, stodgy, ‘tips to stay productive’ that are floating around on the internet. I think this will be right at home at Be A Freelance Blogger, and I am a freelance writer with experience in extreme procrastination; making myself do stuff when necessary, and something to prove, so that makes me the writer to write this.

    I sincerely hope that doesn’t sound braggy. It isn’t meant to be. Thank you!

  52. Overwhelmed? How to get your writing projects done on a tight deadline.

    It’s Thursday afternoon and everything feels right. Your projects are on track, your clients are happy and you are looking forward to spend the weekend with your family. Two hours later everything is on fire. Your favorite client asked for an urgent favor and another client needs last minute changes.

    1) Get your mind in order

    This point will go into detail about how to clear your head when sudden events change your plans. It builds on “hands-on” techniques that can easily be copied by the reader.

    2) Break down tasks and categorize them

    This point will provide a system that can be used to break down tasks and sort them in a sensible way. It will go into detail why this helps and will provide easy examples to follow.

    3) Build support

    After the outline, this point will help people to make use of their support system in order to complete the tasks. This means proper workplace prepping, asking friends and family for assistance and get everything else in order.

    4) Asking your client for x

    This point will go into detail how freelance writers can communicate with their clients before and during projects when shit hits the fan. It will include communication examples that the writer can use to ask for a deadline extension etc.

    5) Build a network

    Most successful writers have a support network that can help with outsourcing tasks. This point will show how such a support system can be built and what to look out for.

    Why is this post relevant to freelance writer audiences and how does it fit the topic?

    I found that writers like actionable advice, so I put a lot of focus on actual examples and material that can be copied for results. The post itself covers the psychological part of being stressed and how to deal with it as well as building systems and structures to prevent future stress. I was working in a high-stress environment myself for more than 7 years and I still do everything that the post covers with much success to this day. I want to share that 🙂

    Predicted length: – 1000 – 1500 words
    Additional content: Pictures, Screenshots, possibly a downloadable file

    Bio: About Kim Steindel

    Copy and content writer with a passion for people engagement and marketing. After quitting his corporate career, he is now traveling the world trying to eat as many local specialties as possible. Find Kim online at (Website address) or shoot him a mail at (Email)

    • Not bad. I would have liked you to be more clear that your post will be for freelance bloggers specifically (rather than freelance writers in general), but, other than that, I can’t complain. (And, yes, I just said this to the person above you as well — it’s a common issue I’m seeing come up in this particular contest haha).

      • No worries, copied feedback can still be good feedback, so thanks a lot!

        As for how to make it more specific, here are my points:

        1) Headline change from writing to blogging
        2) An exclusive focus on blogging terms within the five points and examples

        Other than that I’m not sure how the theme of my topic could be tailored more specific towards bloggers, so I hope it’s what you were looking for.

        Best wishes

  53. have it in my head I need to write it down Sh—!

    Here’s my pitch:
    You have an excellent idea for a topic. But you get busy. Then again it happens. You have to take the kids to ballet, basketball, and baseball practice the whole week.
    I have a topic.
    Then you forget about it
    I have it.
    What I got to make supper my children. Can they cook?
    Oh sh–!. They are only 10.

    What I will write a few easy and steps on how to get things done. Don’t know how many steps, but it will give some freelancers some good advice. In funny and creative advice. The title may change, but it will stay on point about the subject matter.

  54. Creating Your Superpower

    Most people who do extraordinary acts start out as ordinary people. Heroes are made, not born. I believe that you can make your own superpower, and if you want to be a freelance writer, making your own superpower comes in handy. Especially if this superpower involves a way to write a great blog post.

    1. Ordinary people have done great things. This can bring hope to us all.
    2. Freelance blogging requires practice and a few drafts. That means you must make productivity your superpower and get blog posts done when lazy.
    3. How do you make productivity your super power? Create a plan of attack.
    4. Find your flow. This could be done in several ways but can be summarized as get rid of distractions.
    5. Take short breaks. Even superheroes need to recharge, so only work for so long on creating great content before taking a quick break.
    6. Reassess at the end of every week or even every day. If you notice you are less productive on certain days, experiment and fix it.

    Many people believe that a skill they desire is out of reach. In the case of a freelance writer hit with a lazy streak, the desire to be productive is a skill that can be achieved. My perspective on how to be more productive, coming from years of being a student, is sure to make any freelancer a superhero.

    • I’d like more details about what you plan to say in each of your sections, please. Also, if you choose a particular theme (like being a superhero), we expect your sub-headings and points to be related to that theme. Like… “What to do when your power is invisibility” – and then talk about how to get “seen” by more clients. Or “how to gain super speed as an ability” and then talk about ways freelance bloggers can work more quickly. Stuff like that.

  55. TOO MANY TASKS, NOT ENOUGH TIME? MANAGING YOUR EVERYDAY SCHEDULE EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY

    According to the old adage “Time wait for no one” but sometimes, time seems too fast that within the twinkle of an eye, the whole twenty-four hours just vanish and when you look at your writing assignments, you realized you are too slow and unaccomplished. The question is; how do we slow time down?Check it out!

    STOP MULTITASKING
    Yes! Most freelancers (including me) think when you multitask you get more done. This is actually a myth. It seems that when you multitask you get more done, this is actually a lie and at the end of the day you realized you are too slow. What should you do? SWITCH-TASK! This means switching between two things. When you switch-task, you are focused and you are able to finish more work at the end of the day than when you multitask.

    OUTSOURCE
    If you know you have more to do, why don’t you outsource. Hire Freelancers online or locally to do some task for you. Freelancers like Virtual assistants can help read and reply to some emails, carry out researches and so on.

    KNOW WHAT’S NEXT
    Knowing what you have to do next means you should set up a writing calendar. With a writing calendar, you can get straight to the next task without having to stress your brain trying to decide what to do.

    KNOW WHEN YOU ARE AT YOUR BEST
    I know most freelancers like to work independently – any place at any time. Knowing when your brain works best makes, you achieve more in a short time. Are you an Early Bird or a night owl? Only you can decide this.

    WHY THIS IS A GREAT POST FOR ‘BE A FREELANCE BLOGGER’? Most freelance bloggers (both old and new) are facing one common problem and this is “how do we meet clients deadlines.” This blog post provides actionable tips for freelancers to get more done in less time without compromising quality.

    WHY I AM THE RIGHT PERSON TO WRITE IT? Like most of us here, I’m a freelance writer who has once been under the shackles of content mills – writing close to 10, 000 words a day and within tight deadlines. I learn all of this techniques and was able to make more than 80% (I think that’s a pass mark) of my clients happy.

      • Hi Lauren,
        Thanks for your comment.

        These are the two points I’d like to add.

        GO MOBILE

        This means not waiting until you find a perfect place to work. Take advantage of your daily commute. While on the move, you can do a lot of things like reading and replying emails, reading your favorite blogs and you can even do some research on your next task.

        DO SOMETHING ELSE

        Yes! I mean do something else. This may sound counter-intuitive but shutting down your computer and doing other things can improve your productivity. Other things like exercising, going for a walk or going out with friends and family (just for a short period though) will freshen up your memory and you find it easy to think.

  56. Here’s my idea for a post:

    Title/Headline:

    Jump Right In and Get it Done!

    Opening Lines:

    Ever wanted to get things done, but just couldn’t seem to get started? Does it seem like you come up with great ideas but end up analyzing them to death and bogging yourself down with details? Yes, I have this problem, too. But I’ve found out a few ways to alleviate this problem that might be useful to anyone.

    Point 1: Just get started and fix problems as you come to them.
    Simply put,. The best way to get things done is to start, and this means not being overly analytical about what needs to be done.
    Point 2: Know the big picture, but concentrate only on one step at a time.
    Don’t concentrate on all the things that need to be done, simply concentrate on the one task at hand. This makes the immediate job the focus and lets you see progress with each task completed.
    Point 3: Try not to get distracted, even by other things that may otherwise be productive.
    There may be useful things that can be done yet do not warrant immediate attention and may not contribute to the big picture, yet, you may be tempted to do them and these can prove to be the worst distractions.

    This post will give tips on how to break down that “monster” task of getting everything done by showing how breaking things down into separate smaller tasks can help. Breaking them down makes each one easier to accomplish and can make it easier to get started on the first one.
    I’ve had experience with this in my own life, not just in writing but in other aspects of my life and I can see that it can certainly apply to the theme here.

      • Hi Lauren! Thanks for reading my pitch!

        I’ll taylor my idea to the freelance writing audience by adding examples of what a writer can do. For instance, where I say to just start, I will add a statement such as,
        “If you are stuck thinking about how to write a specific post and just can’t seem to get started because of it, just start writing about the subject. Just start. The pieces will form and the answers as to how to write the post and what corrections to make will come to you as you see the post actually develop.”
        I’ll add supporting statements as required.
        Please let me know your thoughts.
        Thanks!

  57. Calling All Night Owls! Nothing Good Happens After Midnight…or, Does It?
    by Kasey Wenz

    My entire life, I have loved the night. As a small child, I would find every excuse to get out of bed, because I was literally not sleepy. When I got to college and embraced the nightlife, being a night owl was not a new concept for me. For me the night provided a recharge from the day, and I can honestly say I was then and am now most productive at night. My friends would get so annoyed with me because I wouldn’t start my papers or studying until well after dark. I am not sure if it was the thrill of the deadline, the quiet of the house, or I needed last-minute pressure. In college, I went to school full time, partied my ass off, worked, did theatre, and made excellent grades. As an adult with a full-time job, family, and freelance writing business on the side, I can say not much has changed.

    Listen to your internal clock! 6 Ways to get shit done at odd times.

    1. What time of day works best for you? I am a night owl, but there are plenty of early birds out there who thrive before the sun even peaks it’s head over the horizon. Just because you “should” be sleeping by most people’s standards, it may be your most productive hour. It can be hard to go against the “norm,” especially if you have demanding schedules of work and family. However, it can be done!

    2. What time of day works best for your family? I think I mentioned I like the night, but I am usually up very early in the morning. That’s right folks, I go to bed long after my family, but I am up long before them. Now, I do not do this with a smile on my face and only after several cups of coffee do you want to speak to me, but again, I am able to get shit done before I start to hear “Mommy!’” I may get in three hours-worth of work before my family is even awake, but trust me…I plan my naps.

    3. Binge! We can binge watch episodes of Game of Thrones or Westworld, and sometimes you have to “binge work.” I know this may not seem ideal, and you do have to have a strong support system. For me, if I know I have a deadline (which I am usually up against), I will have my husband take our kids off for the day (or weekend, if such a luxury of time is available). When I know I have exactly X amount of hours to meet a deadline or deadlines, I make it happen. Make sure you don’t have too much planned after. Give yourself something to look forward to after you finish your binge work, even if it’s just a family movie night.

    4. The beauty of the “small chunk.” When I was in college, I was an English major. In a given week, I could be reading 6 novels for 6 different classes. I always carried all my novels with me at all times, and if I hit a red light, I would pick up one of the novels off the passenger seat and read. My friends and family would make fun of me, but hey, I was 2 pages further along than I was before. I needed every minute, and I was okay with 1 or 2 pages of progress at a time. I do this now if I find myself with a small chunk of time available. For some, it may feel like you waste your time just starting up our computers, but I am happy if I am a paragraph ahead.

    5. Use your voice. I wish I had this option in college. With so many voice to text apps these days, it’s just wrong to not utilize this technology. There are some glitches, and there may be errors and not perfectly typed as it would be by hand, but I spend so many hours in the day in my car, it is time I could be writing. The voice to text is not perfect, but it is a great way to help get ideas started, work on pitches, and even get writing assignments started. Once you are able to give it your full time and attention, you have already built the framework.

    6. Do nothing…nothing at all! This may not be an odd hour, but it is an odd concept. If you’re trying any of these tips and it’s just not working, then stop. I can’t tell you how many times I have started writing something, but it wasn’t working, so I literally closed my computer. Instead of slopping something horrible down on paper, just walk away. I have had “scheduled” time to write, and I ended up surprising my family when they were off on their “out of the house adventure so Mommy can work time.” Even up against a deadline. It’s much better to let it flow organically. Maybe you sit up out of bed because something came to you. Perhaps you are in the shower and have an epiphany. Either way, at least you didn’t waste precious time staring at a blank screen.

    Trying to make in the freelance writing world is not easy, and I do hope to make it my full-time career in the near future. However, I am still working at my job, as I am sure many of your readers are, especially just trying to start out. I am in a constant state of feeling like I am all over the place, completely disorganized, and a total flake. Like you, I have never missed a deadline, never forgotten to pick up my kids from activities and don’t let it interfere with my other life responsibilities. Somehow, I just always get it done! Even if I am not your pick for Pitch Fest, I hope your readers might catch a glimpse of this in your comments, and it helps even one person trying to making it as a writer!

    Thank you for taking the time to read.

  58. ONE EFFECTIVE WAY ENTREPRENEURS AND ARTISTS USE TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS.

    One thing common to successful entrepreneurs and artists is that they work with goals. Over the years they have come to understand the importance of setting goals in the pursuit of their life work.

    The method we adopt in working out goals will determine how effective we are able to realize those goals. And, one effective way to go about in small jobs.

    DIVIDING YOUR GOALS INTO SMALL JOBS GIVE YOU SO MANY ADVANTAGES.

    1. For one it enhances your belief in the achievability of your goal. A small part looks like something within reach. You can easily wrap your hands round a small job compare to the whole thing.
    2. Successful entrepreneurs and artists use diving their goals to focus their energy where it matters most. They are not doing everything. They are doing a few things that matter.
    3. Successful entrepreneurs and artists know that working with goals divided into jobs it gives context to your preparation. When you know exactly what you want your preparations are specifically guided towards its accomplishment. You know what t’s to cross and what i’s to dot.
    4. Working out your goals in small jobs helps you overcome the problem of initial. Working out your goal in small jobs gives you serious momentum. This is so because your goal has been broken down into manageable size.
    5. Maybe you have not noticed it progress is about overcoming obstacles. And the bigger the job you have to deal with the bigger the magnitude of the obstacles that will stare you in the face. This can easily take you off course.
    6. Diving your goals into small jobs let you know where the bottleneck is so you can address. You easily become aware the problem stopping so you can solve it.

    END NOTE.

    When you look around you will discover that nature does most of the things it does in small jobs until it becomes something massive. It is bit by bit.

    ————————————————–

    I believe the audience of freelancer blogger will benefit greatly because everybody has one goal or the other he is pursuing. I am in the best position to write this article because it is my idea.

  59. Proposed Topics: 3 Ways To Stay Ahead As A Freelancer
    Or How To Get Things Done As A Freelancer

    Introduction: With freedom comes a lot of responsibilities and pain and it takes more than just determination to get things done as a freelancer. The excitement of getting started is not enough to pull through and complete the task at hand. Freelancers need to find a lasting solution to this problem so that life as a freelancer can be truly worthwhile.

    Points:
    Pictures: pictures are very powerful to create and execute any plan of action. When the time comes to satisfy the demands of freelancing, simply find a spot where you can think and conceptualize and spend time creating pictures around the task at hand.

    Presence: Imagine sitting with a good posture either on the floor, cross-legged, or in a chair after a yoga practice and releasing your soul out in meditation. See the force, the power, energy, dunamis that will be activated around you to help you achieve whatever task is at hand.

    Product: After the energy has been created, just go ahead and get it done. Activate the force field that has been created around you and release the energy into getting that task done.

    Accountability Party: Be accountable to someone before you start this process at all and harm this person with the necessary authority to reward you or punish you at any stage of the process. This provides the external force; most times in the form of extrinsic motivation that will help you get things done.

    This will be of interest to readers of Be A Freelance Blogger because getting things done as freelancers is not as easy as it seems. Most times, a lot of freelancers get frustrated and they do not know how to get out and move on with the ever increasing demands of their clients. As an experienced freelancer, I have learnt the hard way ‘how not to go about getting things done’ and I can write you a post which offers real and practical ways for freelancers to stay ahead and easily get things done without the fear of losing the things that matters most to them- time.

      • The life of a writer is pretty solitary, both by design and necessity and it takes more than content ideas, determination or will power to succeed. This post acknowledges the challenges and frustrations of freelance bloggers and profers tested solutions based on the everyday life of a professional freelance blogger.

        • The life of a writer is pretty solitary, both by design and necessity and it takes more than content ideas, determination or will power to succeed. This post acknowledges the challenges and frustrations of freelance bloggers and profers tested solutions based on the everyday life of a professional freelance blogger. The post explains how freelance bloggers can finish their writing tasks from start to finish generating the right amount of energy needed to complete writing gigs. Three major processes are explained and the fourth point is an execution strategy.

  60. Hey Sophie/Lauren,

    Please find my pitch for Pitchfest below:

    As freelance bloggers, we’re all used to hustling at one time or another. For most of us, this often involves working 60-hour weeks as we feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day. The trick to getting sh*t done as a freelance blogger isn’t about how many hours you work; it’s about making the most of the hours you work.

    1. Planning and preparation are key.

    My Dad always taught me that the six P’s are instrumental in business (“Planning and Preparation Prevent P*ss Poor Performance.”) As a freelance blogger, it’s important that you plan out your weeks, set realistic deadlines, and know exactly what you’re doing in the days ahead.

    2. Forget multitasking, mono-tasking is your new best friend.

    Establishing core priorities and working on things one step at a time will narrow your focus and help you to concentrate better. And when you’re bossing it in terms of concentration, you get sh*t done. Fact.

    3. Categorize tasks and assign them to different days or times.

    Group tasks according to their category and then book out a whole day or time just to focus on that category. For instance, need to get ahead with creating blog posts? Book out Monday to write. Need to market yourself on social media? Assign these tasks from 10-11am daily.

    4. Outsource where you can.

    The secret to growth as a successful blogger and business owner is reaching out for help when you need it. If you class yourself as absolutely useless when it comes to blog design, there’s no shame in passing over these types of tasks to expert web designers.

    5. Change up where you work.

    Everybody eventually gets bored of looking at the same four walls. To stimulate your brain and help you be more productive, get out of the house and change up your work environment every once in a while.

    6. Don’t burn yourself out.

    For a freelance blogger, the burnout struggle is real. Hustle to get sh*t done and fulfill your vision, for sure, but don’t sacrifice yourself.

    Why is this a great post for the publication and why am I the person to write it?

    This post provides useful and actionable advice for fellow freelance bloggers and the BAFB core audience. Being a freelance blogger and writer, I have the experience to offer value in this topic. Also, I’d like to think that my personality will come through my writing to engage and entertain the reader!

    I look forward to hearing from you!

    Thanks for the opportunity, guys 🙂

    Katie

  61. HOW TO OUTMANEUVER A CHRONICALLY DISTRACTED BRAIN: 6 WEAPONS TO USE AGAINST THE DIVERSIONS, ANXIETY, AND OVER-EDITING THAT THREATEN TO RUIN YOUR FREELANCE BLOGGING SCHEDULE

    Do you so worry about displeasing clients that you can barely concentrate on writing? I do.

    Do you edit and re-edit blog posts until the text blurs in your brain? I do.

    Do you let unimportant tasks keep you from writing at your peak creativity times? I do.

    Do you, nonetheless, consistently finish projects well and on deadline? I do …

    OUTLINE

    (1) Keep your writing-skills rifle clean and oiled: read a lot, network with other writers, keep a journal, write something every week just for fun.

    (2) Put on the body armor of good health: get your sleep, take your breaks, exercise, eat healthy, don’t overdo the coffee.

    (3) Shine your boots: when you feel stuck, count “Ready … Set … Go” and sprint forward by “just doing” some writing.

    (4) Put up a shield against distractions: turn off your phone and email, hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door.

    (5) Put on a helmet of positive thinking: when “that little voice” tells you you’re a third-rate writer and never get anything good enough, remind yourself of past successes and compliments–and of how much you love writing.

    (6) Lob a grenade of honesty at your fears: go ahead and be open with your clients (also your readers, if you do bylined posts) about your anxieties, weaknesses, and struggles. So long as you focus on “coping and improving” and don’t dwell on “hopeless,” people will respect and like you better for it.

    WHY THIS POST? WHY THIS WRITER?

    I’m a born perfectionist and nit-picker–which is both a liability and an asset for a freelance blogger. A liability when I let it control me, an asset when I take control of it. I know from many a writer’s blog and social-media exchange that more writers than not struggle to believe in themselves, so this post will share my best tips for coping–and will help readers find courage to break new ground in their careers.

    • I love the basic idea here! (You always turn in great pitches). But for it to go from a “Hmmmm…maybe?” to a “YES!” I’ll need you to reword it a bit so that it’s ABSOLUTELY CLEAR that your advice is intended specifically for freelance bloggers and not writers in general. (I’m a nit-picky perfectionist too!)

      • Awesome intro. So awesome, in fact, that I expected a little more WOW in the rest of the pitch. It’s clear and valid advice; I just feel like this isn’t at your usual level of impressiveness. (You’ve spoiled us, Katherine…)

          • Too bad the “WOW” element isn’t something that can be described in detailed how-to-improve instructions. I’m guessing that you sense an absence because the “points to cover” section was shorter than usual and didn’t include “quotable” items, just general lists.

      • That’s because, I suppose, “blogs” and “clients” aren’t mentioned specifically more than a couple of times, and even less often in obvious conjunction. There are times I think the official Pitchfest guidelines should include a point on “use the phrase ‘freelance blogging’ x number of times.”

        I seem to remember hearing that contest-entry edits should have been submitted by Monday, only now I can’t locate that item. Well, even if it’s late, maybe the following version will help someone else:

        HOW TO OUTMANEUVER A CHRONICALLY DISTRACTED BRAIN: 6 WEAPONS TO USE AGAINST THE DIVERSIONS, ANXIETY, AND OVER-EDITING THAT THREATEN TO RUIN YOUR FREELANCE BLOGGING SCHEDULE

        Do you worry about displeasing clients until you can barely concentrate on writing? I do.

        Do you let that worry drive you to re-editing blogs until the text blurs in your brain? I do.

        Do you let unimportant tasks, not freelance blogging, fill your peak creativity periods? I do.

        Do you, nonetheless, consistently finish posts on deadline? I do …

        OUTLINE

        (1) Keep your blogging-skills rifle clean and oiled: read, network, write something every week just for fun.

        (2) Put on the body armor of good health: don’t let sluggishness gain ground to erode the blogging OR self-marketing sections of your brain. Take your breaks, exercise, eat healthy.

        (3) Shine your boots: when you feel stuck, count “Ready … Set … Go” and sprint forward by “just doing” some writing. Even if it makes for a post introduction you’d be ashamed to show your client, once it’s edited they’ll never have to know.

        (4) Put up a shield against distractions: turn off your phone and email during your freelance-blogging hours. And hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door: if anything really drastic happens, it’ll disturb you in its own time.

        (5) Put on a helmet of positive thinking: when “that little voice” tells you you’re a third-rate writer and never get anything good enough, remind yourself of past successes and compliments–and of how much you love freelance blogging and other writing.

        (6) Lob a grenade of honesty at your fears: go ahead and be open with your clients (also your readers, if you do bylined posts) about your anxieties, weaknesses, and struggles. So long as you focus on “coping and improving” and don’t dwell on “hopeless,” people will respect and like you better for it.

        WHY THIS POST? WHY THIS WRITER?

        I’m a born perfectionist and nit-picker–which is both a liability and an asset for a freelance blogger. A liability when I let it control me, an asset when I take control of it. I know from many a writer’s blog and social-media exchange that more writers than not struggle to believe in themselves, so this post will share my best tips for coping–and will help readers find courage to break new ground in their careers.

  62. 6 Great Ways to “Get More Done In Less Time Without Much Hassle”

    The key to happiness, satisfaction, great success, and a wonderful feeling of personal power and effectiveness is for you to develop the habit of not trying too hard first thing every day when you start work.

    Here is a summary of the six great ways to not try too hard and get more things done faster. Review these principles regularly until they become firmly ingrained in your thinking and actions, and your future will be guaranteed.

    *******************************************
    1. Set the Table: Decide exactly what you want. Clarity is essential. Write out your goals and objectives before you begin.

    2. Plan everyday in advance: Think on paper. Every minute you spend in planning can save you five or ten minutes in execution.

    3. Prepare thoroughly before you begin: Have everything at hand before you start. Assemble all the papers, information, tools, work materials that you might require so that you can get started and keep going.

    4. Upgrade your ‘Key Skills’: The more knowledgeable and skilled you become at your key tasks, the faster you start them and the sooner you get them done.

    5. Motivate yourself into action: Be your own cheerleader. Look for the good in every situation. Focus on the solution rather than the problem. Always be optimistic and constructive.

    6. Single handle every task: Set clear priorities, start immediately on your most important task and then work without stopping until the job is 100 percent complete. This is the real key to high performance and maximum personal productivity.

    **********************************
    Make a decision to practice these principles every day until they become second nature to you. With these habits of personal management as a permanent part of your personality, your future success will be unlimited.
    Just do it!

    I think this would be a great post for be a freelance blogger because it’s providing the audience with simple principles for bloggers that they can do without much hassle.

    And I believe my little experience as a blogger is eligible enough to make my pitch a quite worthy one.

  63. Give Up on Motivation, and Get More Done with Routine
    We’ve all been there. You wake up early after staying up much too late to finish binge-watching your current Netflix addiction, and you can’t get yourself motivated to get any work done. That’s because motivation is an illusion.
    Main Points to Expand On:
    • Motivation is a hoax. If it was all we needed, none of us would have any bad habits we wanted to change – stop smoking, lose weight, eat healthier, stop cursing.
    • Routine is the natural habit of our schedules. We brush our teeth before bed because that’s our routine. We reply with, you’re welcome when someone thanks us because it’s routine.
    • Important things get done because they’re put on our schedules. We have the power to make our own routines.
    • Deadlines are an essential addition to our routines. They keep us working toward our writerly goals, whatever they might be.
    • Disruption and distraction are malleable with routine.
    Why I’m the right person to write this: A few years ago, I started following my dreams of becoming a published writer. I’ve since learned why motivation is fleeting and how routine is helping me create the future in writing I want.

  64. HOW TO GET SHIT DONE: A FREELANCE BLOGGER’S GUIDE TO SUCCESS

    Freelance blogging is quite attractive, and it can be quite lucrative when done right. You are your own boss, and you go at your own pace. But this often leads many to take a lot of time off. So how do you keep the momentum going as a freelance blogger? Here are 6 tips.

    1. Organise yourself. Planner apps are everywhere these days, and if you can’t get your hands on one, there’s still the trusty calendar. Jot down everything you need to get done and make sure to include the deadlines. Doing this is a good way to declutter your mind and to strategise on your goals. Create a realistic routine that you know you can stick to.

    2. Focus. Now that you’re organised, you’re going to need to focus on your goals. What is it you want to accomplish? Whatever it is, postponing is not going to help you. You need to be an active doer to get to where you’re going. My grandmother always told me, “Don’t leave for tomorrow that which you can do today.” Get on it!

    3. Pitch, pitch, pitch! Pitching is important because it’s how you get clients. You’re going to need to pitch, pitch, and keep on pitching. Whenever you get a new idea, write down a short pitch for it. That way, whenever you spot a prospective client you’re always ready to go.

    4. Deal with failure. Failures are opportunities to learn. A lot of freelancers get turned off the moment they fail. Freelancing isn’t easy. You’re going to be rejected every now and then. That shouldn’t stop you. Learn from it and grow. If you get a reason why you were rejected, take that opportunity to learn and grow from it. Better yourself in that area. Weaknesses are just strengths you haven’t worked on yet.

    5. Get your own space. It doesn’t have to be fancy. It just needs to be somewhere you can be where you get to do your writing undisturbed. A place free from distractions. A place where your creativity doesn’t feel stifled. You can even join or build a community that provides you with that extra kick of motivation.

    6. Rest. Sometimes when we go so hard, we forget that we need to rest. You need your rest days. Rest is important in easing stress and replenishing your energy. It also helps you maintain your focus. Take some time off regularly – perhaps schedule an entire day off each week – to do things that you find relaxing. Knit, dance, listen to music, go to a party…whichever works for you. Make sure your catch your Zs too. Adequate sleep is important to keep your body and mind functioning.

    Why is this post relevant to freelance writers?

    Freelance writing can be quite hectic and stressful and it often comes with numerous rejections. All these are things that demotivate freelancers leading them to be less productive. These tips are great for managing that.

    Why should I be the one to write it?

    As a writer and as a person living with chronic illness, I have to apply these tips in all areas of my life and they have helped me immensely. Chronic illness has not stopped me from following my dreams, and I hope to inspire others that they can do it too.

    • A good, clear pitch – thank you! To take it from “good enough” to “awesome”, I would really like at least one among your six points to be something I’ve never heard or thought of before. (Feel free to resubmit with a replacement point if you have a fresh insight – but do it fast, because we’re closing entries at 11:59pm Pacific time tonight!)

      • Thanks for the feedback.

        HOW TO GET SHIT DONE: A FREELANCE BLOGGER’S GUIDE TO SUCCESS

        Freelance blogging is quite attractive, and it can be quite lucrative when done right. You are your own boss, and you go at your own pace. But this often leads many to take a lot of time off. So how do you keep the momentum going as a freelance blogger? Here are 6 tips.

        1. Organise. Planner apps are everywhere these days, and if you can’t get your hands on one, there’s still the trusty calendar. Jot down everything you need to get done and make sure to include the deadlines. Doing this is a good way to declutter your mind and to strategize on your goals. Create a realistic routine that you know you can stick to.

        2. Focus. Now that you’re organised, you’re going to need to focus on your goals. What is it you want to accomplish? Whatever it is, postponing is not going to help you. You need to be an active doer to get to where you’re going. My grandmother always told me, “Don’t leave for tomorrow that which you can do today.” Get on it!

        3. Pitch, pitch, pitch! Pitching is important because it’s how you get clients. You’re going to need to pitch, pitch, and keep on pitching. Do not be afraid to take those risks. Whenever you get a new idea, write down a short pitch for it. That way, whenever you spot a prospective client you’re always ready to go. Don’t forget to take note of the clients’ feedback!

        4. Know yourself. What makes you you? Why are you freelancing? What kind of articles are you hoping to write? How are you unique? What are your strengths and weaknesses? Self-awareness goes a long way in giving you that extra spark. Be confident in yourself. Confident, not arrogant. Do not let the failures demotivate you. Failures are opportunities to learn. Learn from them and grow.

        5. Reward yourself. Give yourself a pat on the back for completing your goals. Enjoy that money you made! After all, a little bit of self-pampering never hurt anyone. Rewarding yourself makes the experience more worthwhile. Remind yourself why you’re freelancing in the first place.

        6. Rest. Sometimes when we go so hard, we forget that we need to rest. You need your rest days. Rest is important in easing stress and replenishing your energy. It also helps you maintain your focus. Take some time off regularly – perhaps schedule an entire day off each week – to do things that you find relaxing. Knit, dance, listen to music, go to a party…whichever works for you. Make sure your catch your Zs too. Adequate sleep is important to keep your body and mind functioning.

        Why is this post relevant to freelance writers?

        Freelance writing can be quite hectic and stressful and it often comes with numerous rejections. All these are things that demotivate freelancers leading them to be less productive. These tips are great for managing that.

        Why should I be the one to write it?

        As a writer and as a person living with chronic illness, I have to apply these tips in all areas of my life and they have helped me immensely. Chronic illness has not stopped me from following my dreams, and I hope to inspire others that they can do it too.

  65. Headline: Get your Shit Done with the Least Amount of Stress

    1. PRIORITIZE
    Have several projects going on at one time and your multitasking skills are poor and your mind feels clustered?? Yeah, me too (a lot of the time).
    Ask yourself: Ok, which deadline comes first? You have 3 projects all due within the month: 1st project is due August 5th; 2nd one is due August 10th; 3rd is due on August 19th
    Which one should be of highest priority right now? You guessed it, the one with the closest due date! Focus your energy on that first project and give it all your creative juices! Multitasking in these cases is not your friend.

    2. Remind yourself that it’s about the goal of client
    Everyone wants to create top notch quality content and who wouldn’t?! Release your idea of perfection and focus on the goal of the client. Your job is to make the goal of the client come to life in a creative way!

    3. Don’t just let your client set a deadline for you, set your our as well!
    Have a shit ton of emails to respond to? Need to make 12 phone calls today? Need to do some further research on a topic?
    Set your alarm for specific times to complete each task. Phone calls? Schedule an hour or two to call/answer prospective clients, family, or friends. Tons of emails? After your scheduled phone calls, you set for the day, set aside another block of time, maybe 2-3 hours, to answer your numerous emails. Need to expand on the topic your client needs but experiencing a bit of a mental block? Go off and research any further information that you think would be helpful/relevant to the content for your client; you might end up finding something unique!

    4. Give yourself a nice ambiance
    Working as a freelance blogger you’re most likely sitting in a semi uncomfortable chair, slightly hunched over, and staring into your computer. Give yourself a peaceful environment to work; A naturally lit room, a comfortable chair, a clutter free desk, and a nice a cup of coffee/tea/water will make you feel comfortable and enhance your productivity.

    5. Don’t be afraid to ask your client questions (a lot of questions)
    You secured a job, great! Don’t just bolt off and think “Awesome! See you in two weeks and I’ll have what you want!”
    Upon securing a project, ASK ASK ASK your client specifics of their vision. Let them know your style as well and get a good feel of how both will mold together. The more information you initially receive from your client, the less likely you will have to go back and make more phone calls asking for clarification.

    And last BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST

    6. Take a step back
    Feeling overwhelmed? No matter how busy you are (or you think you are) you should always take a step back, even if it’s only for 10 minutes! Chances are your back aches from sitting in your chair from typing or that you have a headache from staring at your computer screen for too long. So, to facilitate your creative process, set a specific time for yourself in your day to walk away from your phone and your computer. If all you can do is walk around your house, do it. If laying on the floor to stretch suits you just fine, do it (highly recommend this one as it feels amazing). Take a stroll outside, sip a cup of tea, or meditate. Whatever tickles your fancy, DO IT and relax for a little  You’ll come back to your assignment with a clearer head.

    Within each point I would further expand; including examples with statistics and personal experiences at university managing strict deadlines.
    I think this will interest the audience of Be a Freelance Blogger because these steps/actions would directly correlate to the daily schedule of a busy freelance blogger.

    • I like your enthusiasm and I love that you mentioned asking lots of questions as a way to be more productive! BUT… you didn’t provide an intro to your pitch, so I’m not able to give it proper consideration unless you resubmit. 🙁

  66. 6 Tasks Every Freelance Blogger Should Automate, OR
    How Freelance Bloggers Can Use Automation to Get More Done

    The key to getting more done as a freelance blogger is not trying to do everything yourself. Automating certain tasks gives you more time to focus on creating content and finding new blogging clients.

    1. Market Yourself on Social Media
    One of the best ways to find new blogging clients is to show people what you can do. Use a social media automation tool like RecurPost or Hootsuite to keep your greatest hits circulating so you can focus on client work.

    2. Respond to Leads and Inquiries
    Coming up with the wording to respond to each inquiry as it comes in is inefficient and exhausting, especially if you’re switching gears from writing in a client’s voice. Create templated responses (like GMail’s canned responses) for the most common inquiries you receive and save them where they’re easily accessible.
    (Include example templates/scripts)

    3. Create Quotes
    Productize your services (sell them in “packages”) instead of creating a custom quote for each client. For example, create standard quotes for a single blog post, bi-weekly blogging, and weekly blogging.

    4. Onboard Clients
    Using Zapier and MailChimp, you can automatically send your clients a welcome email — complete with an intake form, welcome packet, etc. — when they sign your contract. Create templates of documents you need for every blogging client, like content calendars or blog post templates.

    5. Manage Client Projects
    Use a project management tool like Asana or Trello to create recurring tasks for your repeating deadlines like weekly blogs and monthly invoicing. If you add your clients to your project management tool, you can assign them feedback on your articles (and not have to email them 4 times for a response).

    6. Balance the Books
    Use a bookkeeping tool like And Co that automatically sends invoices and payment reminders. If you always write the same number of blogs per month, you can set up recurring payments so that it’s simpler for both you and your client.

    There’s more to being a freelance blogger than just writing awesome content, but if we’re not careful, the admin and marketing tasks can encroach on client writing time. I’ll draw on my experience as a full-time freelance blogger to show readers how to be more efficient on the business side of things so they can get back to working on the client side.

  67. H1: Turning frantic files, into fast folders: The get ‘er done series.

    H2: Files, Folders, and Structure: How to fix them now.

    H3: qwertyuiopasdffghjklzxcvbnm <= Is this your folder structure?: here’s how to fix it.

    I’ve cussed and fussed and even thrown a fit due to having placed a file somewhere on my laptop only to spend hours tracking it down again. Poor file naming conventions, folder structures, and lack of organized files and folders, all cost time and can even cost us a lot more if the lost file is essential or irreplaceable.

    In approximately 1000 to 1500 words the guest blog would take the audience through the following criteria:

    1 – Using mind mapping to create a folder structure.

    2 – Setting up logical naming conventions for files and folders.

    3 – How to use USB drives to save time, space and keep folders and files tight.

    4 – Offer a quick tip or two on how to fix an already messed up structure.

    5 – The blog could include up to two screen captures to show Correct vs. Incorrect structure views.

    The take away for any blog reader would be for them to gain the ability to organize their digital media files and folders logically, one which suits their specific style. In doing so, the reader will be able to find their work faster and help them know How To Do Stuff and Get Stuff Done!

    That’s what I have, that’s my pitch, my blog idea which comes from a guy who used to lose files often yet have the same folder in twenty places on the same laptop. Now, I even found this file to send to you.

    • Jeff, this is an awesome topic that would be very useful to our audience… But you have to make them want it. And “I really want to reorganize my info architecture and naming conventions” isn’t something we hear a lot around here. Imagine talking this over with a freelance blogger who is already in over her head with time commitments, and doesn’t have the bandwidth to start doing this unless she can see it’ll make a huge difference to her success. What would you say to her? *That’s* what we need in your intro…

      • Thank you, Sophie. You point is valid and appreciated. Going forward more work and thought on intro angle will be employed in future pitches.

  68. 6 Steps for Freelance Bloggers to Kick Procrastination to the Curb
    Procrastination is a big pain in the ass for freelance bloggers – we procrastinate so much that we don’t even realize we are doing it anymore. I procrastinated and wasted a whole year ‘enjoying my life’ when I first started freelance blogging (though I was supposed to search blogging gigs). But ever since I have become a mom, I have disciplined my work routine and NEVER procrastinate.
    In this post I am going to share my secret freelance-blogging-process that has yet to fail me, and EVERYONE can benefit from it.
    1. Choose your Niche – This part discusses how choosing the right niche can help you (freelance bloggers) become efficient and how passion can drive you to complete every blog post that you start.
    2. Choose Blogs with Deadlines – Nobody likes deadlines, but let’s face it – they make you work even when you don’t want to and stop you from wasting time on Netflix or any other unproductive hobby that you might have.
    3. Prioritize: Think about the whys and the consequences – One driving force is the answer to this question: why do you want to blog and what will happen if you don’t finish what you started?
    4. Write an Outline – What I find really helpful is writing an outline with subheadings or bullets that define the main points, giving your blog a place to start and finish. Everything in between will flow once you start writing.
    5. Optimize your Time – This part describes how I have become efficient after becoming a mother and working as a stay-at-home mom, and how others unlike me can acquire this skill.
    6. Be Desperate and NEVER Give up – The need for writing and earning as a freelance blogger should be desperate, or be fairly close to desperation – JK Rowling desperately needed to get her book published, so even after being rejected by 12 publishers, she kept going until Bloomsbury finally accepted her manuscript.

    Because freelance bloggers work in their own time, procrastination is the biggest hurdle that we face. Having experienced it myself and after having wasted precious time, I have learned how to speed things up and be less of a lazy bum. My tried and tested work process will definitely help other freelance bloggers who can’t find a way to cope with procrastination and drive them towards a fulfilling freelance blogging career.

  69. Suggested headline
    Getting shit done: Helpful tips for the millennial freelance blogger

    Opening lines
    We’re millennials, sure we do 5 things at any given time and have a slightly *cue eyeroll* unhealthy relationship with our phones. But does this mean we can’t be extremely efficient? Must we fight our inherent millennial-ness to actually get shit done? I don’t and neither should you. Here’s some tips to help YOU become a more efficient freelance blogger.

    1. Being ‘glued’ to your phone isn’t a bad thing

    Have to revise a draft in real time with a client AND be at a friend’s house? Sounds like a problem your nifty Trello app can solve. The key to getting shit done isn’t in using your phone less but in using it smarter. In this section I’ll include links to apps and articles that help/teach you to use your phones more productively.

    2. You know that little thing called a work-life balance? Destroy it

    Before you freak out, hear me out: Its 2018, work SHOULDN’T have to feel like some separate ‘serious’ aspect of your life. Things like checking work emails in bed in the morning, having lunch with a client instead of friends, reading a brief on the treadmill in the gym, following and replying to influencers in your niche in bed at night, will help you breeze through your to-do list without even knowing it!

    3. Indulge your need for instant gratification

    It’s easy to lose focus of the big picture after sending out tons of LOI’s and e-mails to your dream, high paying clients every morning… everyday….for the last three weeks. In times like these, instant rewards like letting yourself sleep in the next morning or giving yourself permission to binge-watch a Netflix series could prove to be more powerful motivators than say, the trip you’re saving up for next summer.

    4. Don’t be afraid to rock the boat

    Still can’t get yourself excited about your day to day tasks? Come on you’re a millennial, disruption practically runs in your blood! Try doing email outreach from your favorite coffee shop, write for clients completely out of your niche every once in a while, sometimes all it takes is changing your approach.

    5. But sometimes you’re just gonna have to put on some gangsta rap and handle your business

    Here’s the harsh reality of adulting, there are going to be some tasks that no amount of instant gratification or changing things up can make fun or easier. In times like these you’re just gonna have to put on your big girl/boy pants and do the damn thing.

    6. Remember to breathe, there’s no point accelerating your mid-life crisis

    At the end of the day it’s important to remember that you have our whole life ahead of you and no one moment will be the make or break of your career unless you allow it. Besides, you’re never going to get to sending a new pitch or looking for a new client if you don’t stop freaking out.

    Why it’s the right topic:
    I think this post will be great for Be a Freelance Blogger because there are tons of millennial freelance bloggers currently struggling with managing their work, families and personal lives. This post will teach them how to become efficient professionals without changing or giving up what makes our generation so unique but by embracing it instead.

    Why I’m the right writer:
    I myself am a millennial freelance blogger (22 years old) who has and still sometimes struggles with balancing my job with all the quirks and peculiarities of growing up in a hyper-connected, constantly evolving world.

    Contributor bio:
    Tolulope Alabi is a freelance blogger, writer and poet. Connect with her on her writer’s webite http://www.digitalpenman.com or say hi on twitter @lope_alabi.

    P.s I’m still working on my website so it isn’t live yet. It should be ready in a couple of days though.

    • I like your writing style. 🙂 However, your pitch feels a bit “lite” in a few places – for example, will you go further in explaining *how* to get adulting and do the work?

      • Hi Sophie,
        Thanks so much for the feedback, it means so much to hear you say you like my writing style. I’ll definitely add more detailed explanations to every section of the article and even use some research stats to back up some points I mentioned. Was trying to stick to two lines 🙂
        Thanks again so much, it feels so surreal that you actually like my writing!!!!!!

  70. Hi Sophie and Lauren! My pitch is below:

    F*** Conventional Wisdom: How to Get Shit Done as A Freelance Blogger by Breaking the Rules

    Conventional people don’t generally become freelance bloggers. It makes sense since most of us regularly deal with anxiety, rejection, distraction, and other problems. It takes a different kind of beast to make deadlines, satisfy clients, overcome introversion, and destroy the feast or famine cycle.

    Below are my seemingly irrational tips that can work wonders for freelance bloggers with flaky tendencies:

    1) Multitasking CAN work for you

    There are times when no one should multi-task. These include driving, checking if you turned off the oven or talking to your client on Skype. But not all tasks are created equal, and with so many of us having *ADHD tendencies, mono-tasking all the time is not realistic. (*will link to a reliable and recent statistic.)

    You can choose to focus on one task while keeping tabs on several other activities. As long as you can discipline yourself not to go down a rabbit hole of mindless social media for five hours, simultaneously thinking of what to write in your first draft, checking HARO if your experts have replied, and updating your Twitter bio in the midst of a creative block are totally acceptable.

    I’m a multi-tasker, and I’ll argue I’m actually more productive and less anxious because of it.

    2) Social media IS your friend

    Don’t even think about becoming a social media hermit. While I don’t recommend getting lost and agitated in political arguments, you cannot afford being invisible online. Social media is where you will do a lot of your marketing, get noticed by clients, and be reminded of niches you want to branch into.

    While I was brainstorming about this post, I checked my LinkedIn, only to find out my profile was found by H&M. I love the brand, and I’ve long wanted to write about retail and fashion. I’m not the ideal candidate for the positions they are offering now, but it was a good reminder of what to study next.

    You don’t have to be everywhere, but you need to be where your (prospective) clients are. For me, the big three are Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Yes, I found work via all three.

    3) Shake it up when needed: Routines are useful as long as they serve you

    News flash: When you work with clients from all over the world in all kinds of time zones, you cannot maintain a 9-5 even if you want to. Your deadlines, emails, and client calls come at odd hours. Sometimes a working schedule that worked wonders for you one week will fail you the next. The good news is you are free. You are your own boss. As long as you get the job done well, your client won’t care (or know) you wrote that excellent copy at 4 am or you were having ice-cream with your kids when he was stuck in his office.

    You became a freelancer because you appreciate flexibility. So take advantage.

    4) Don’t Niche Down: Having several niches will cure writer’s block

    Some job ads fascinate me: “We want a freelancer with SaaS expertise that has worked three years in the healthcare industry.”

    There is nothing wrong with being that specific in your expertise if you are paid well and are happy with your life. But some prolific freelancers are miserable with many of their boring topics.

    You can make good money and have fun at the same time. You might have to take the odd yawn-inducing job to make ends meet, but it doesn’t have to be your life. If one niche doesn’t pay that well but you can get the job done in one-fifth of the time of finishing a job in another nice, the low-paying niche might serve you better financially. And if it is fun, go for it.

    5) Separate work and play, only when you want to.

    The typical advice tells you to work when you work, and completely rest when you take a break.

    But what if you get an amazing idea for marketing your freelance blogging business while you are exercising? Are you supposed to push it out of your mind and then force yourself to remember an hour later? No. You can simply note it down or record it as a voice message on your cell.

    And if you are supposed to work for one more hour but feel completely beat and lost, it is more than acceptable to say, “Sod it!” and take that break immediately.

    Listen to your brain and body. They know you better than your client or schedule.

    *

    I’m happy to add a 6th point if requested but I believe along with some no-fluff additions and conclusion, there is a 1000+word post here. I really hope you enjoy it.

    I’m an experienced freelance blogger with bylines on Be a Freelance Blogger, Horkey Handbook, and WOW! Women on Writing. I constantly read and write about productivity, and I recently wrote 10 Unconventional Productivity Tips for Writers for Horkey Handbook. I tried to ensure my tips were unique to this pitch.

    *
    Thanks! 🙂

      • Point 6 added. 🙂

        6) It’s okay to fear rejection…a little.

        We are often told not to fear rejection so that we can go after clients and publications we want. While this is a good rule in general and we shouldn’t let fear paralyze us, there’s value in a little rejection scare.

        Being afraid your prospective client might reject your proposal will motivate to shine further. You’ll edit more meticulously. Write more creatively. You will strive to be both more professional and personable than your peers. Because you want the gig, you’ll spend a bit more effort on it. And this will make you indispensable.

        Remember to fear rejection the right amount. When you have complete and utter confidence in yourself and what you are selling, you might not be able to differentiate yourself enough. And it is a problem.

        *

        Hope you like this addition. 🙂

    • I love this pitch and I hope I get the chance to read it! I love how unconventional it is and the fact it offers an alternate view (even if it is one I personally disagree with).

  71. Film Fanatic’s Fail-safe To Freelance Blogging
    or (second suggestion)
    What I Learned From The White Queen

    “I could’a been a contender. I could’a been somebody.” (On The Waterfront). Most people say it at some point.
    Could’a been… but never was. Hmm, so how do we turn “could’a been” to “I am”? As a film fanatic I am greatly influenced by the world of moving pictures – viewing the original Robocop (1987), left me with quite an attitude…

    6 points –
    1. It’s a playground – the world of blogging should be enjoyable – like when you were a little kid, enjoyment is a must if you’re going to get into this line of work.

    2. Use it or lose it – Like Andy says in The 40 Year Old Virgin – you got to keep on writing. Getting on with it is how you get shit written – even if it is shit to start with – you can twiddle with it later.

    3. Brainstorming’s not a dirty word – Willy Wonka delivers an equivalent of the 90 percent perspiration 10 percent inspiration. Political correctness removed this word from (UK) vocabulary a while back – now it is making a comeback. ‘Scattergun’ approach to finding your themes.

    4. Plan – You don’t go on a long journey without mapping your route first, learn to plan – Like Danny in Ocean’s Eleven. Planning can prevent stalling!
    5. Write like a writer – Story writers are the example here – carry a notebook, write stuff down. Ties in with #3, sometimes you just run out of ideas, sometimes you need to listen.

    6. Sincerity – Be yourself and stop trying to please everybody – as the White Queen tells Alice. Write honestly.

    Why it would be a great post for Be A Freelance Blogger –

    People just love quotes; especially movie quotes and after some ‘research’ i.e. me watching lots of films, I selected some to inspire or advise, or aid bloggers in an applicable way.

    I’m the right person to write this post as I balance on the cusp of freelance blogging and fiction writing, which gives me a broader view of potentially useful hints and tips for readers.

    My writing style is akin to what I see on Be A Freelance Blogger and I feel, as part of the readership, that I am able to write for that same audience.

  72. Making Freelance Blogging Work – You Need to Develop Your Strategic Plan

    Freelance blogging sounds easy, right? Create your own schedule, take a holiday when you feel like it, rake in the big bucks? But the reality is time will always get the best of us unless you have a clear, strategic plan. Being effective is knowing what you need to do rather than making it up on the fly. So, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, because it’s already been invented, try this instead:

    1. Identify your goals
    This seems easy but it does take time to consider. If you’re just starting out freelancing what do you hope to accomplish in the next three months? How many projects? How many pitches? Be realistic and don’t assume you can do more than you actually can.

    2. Map out the steps to achieve your goals
    Think brainstorm. What are the actual steps you need to take in order to meet each of your goals? Actually take out a pen and paper and create a map.

    3. Put your projects on your calendar (with reminders!)
    You can’t anything done if you don’t know what you’re supposed to be doing every day. So get those steps you listed above onto your calendar!

    4. Choose an accountability or support system
    Success rarely happens in a vacuum so find your group (for me it’s two other bloggers) to keep you accountable to that plan. Does it seem like a lot of work? Not really. Just send a text about what your weekly goals to let them know and check in 1-2 times that week to see where they’re at and to let them know where you’re at.

    5. Work the plan!
    ‘Nuff said. Shit doesn’t get done without you actually doing what you planned.

    6. Revisit your goals at least once a month
    Just because you developed your first plan doesn’t mean you get to rest on your laurels now. You need to continue to update and add as opportunities arise. I habitually check my plan once a week, but I’m also an over planner. So as you’re first beginning to do this, once a month should suffice unless something ah-mazing hits your inbox, then you should probably update immediately.

    I think this is a great post because it works for wherever someone is at in the freelance blogging world. As a writer myself I need a plan and forcing myself to see it (or hear about it from my support team) naturally makes me productive. Plus, it’s easy to do and who doesn’t like easy???

  73. Hey Sophie and Lauren,

    Possible title –

    Living the fairy-tale as a freelance blogger – 6 super successful and pretty sweet strategies to help you get stuff done.

    Opening sentences –

    Freedom to organise how, when and where we work. That’s the beauty, and the beast of freelance blogging. Multiple deadlines and mounting workloads are sure signs that business is booming and our dreams are coming true. But if we don’t get that work done then that fairy-tale’s going to end. And not with the picture-perfect happy ever after we were all dreaming of.

    6 points in brief –

    1. Don’t get caught out by the midnight chimes (front loading your efforts to manage time more efficiently)

    Making the most of our time at the Ball – this section will explain the concept of front loading and how we can target our effort on new and existing assignments, the benefits this can bring to freelance blogging and link to a relevant podcast.

    2. You can be the fairest of them all (but you’ve got to get started)

    We don’t have to rely on magic mirrors but we do have to get on with the job in hand – exploring the psychology behind ‘starting is the hardest part’, sharing three methods freelance bloggers can use to start projects effectively.

    3. Stop falling down rabbit holes (determine what are the most important tasks and get on with them)

    The dangers of following white rabbits and blurring the reality and fantasy of our schedules. Getting our ‘big rocks’ in first – what this means and how to do it, links to relevant articles, possible pitfalls and how to avoid them.

    4. Always be ready for the elves to show up (harness the small gaps of time).

    Prep and cut that shoe leather – setting ourselves up for success by being prepared for the gaps of time in our days and how as freelance bloggers we can use them to our advantage.

    5. You can put all your eggs in one basket… (improve your efficiency by batching your tasks)

    …As long as they’re all golden – looking at research highlighting the benefits of batching and identifying different ways freelance bloggers can use batching to get stuff done.

    6. Slay those dragons once and for all (using habits and routines to help us live that happily ever after)

    Planting the magic beans of routine, habit, checklists and automation to support our productivity, and how freelance bloggers can take most advantage of them.

    This post will offer practical tips to help freelance bloggers make the most of their time and get stuff done, with explanations of the psychology behind the tips, links to research and other useful articles, including some fab ones from the archives.

    As a mum, home educating parent of four, and freelance blogger striving to do the best for my family, my readers and my editors, managing time effectively is a passion and a pleasure I have a ton of useful experience and insight into. I love encouraging and supporting others to grow and learn so we can all be the hero of our own fairy-tale (cheesy, but true).

  74. Suggested title: How to ‘close’ as a freelance blogger and get shit done (in 4 simple to follow steps)

    When there’s shit….

    LOTS OF SHIT

    Shit that YOU need to get done.

    What do YOU tend to do?

    Do you have a mental breakdown, paralysed in fear?

    Or do you strap yourself in, hold on tight, and prepare yourself for the crazy ride.

    Freelance blogging comes with its perks: the late starts, the never starts, the choice to create what you want.

    But anyone that’s been down in the trenches and stuck in the mud, understand that it’s more than just a stroll in the park.

    (Note to reader: I’ve gone slightly over with the word limit, but I thought you would lose a lot of nuance by reducing it to 60 words, I hope you don’t mind.)

    —————————————————————————————————–
    Scheduling

    This section will be on planning – discussing the tools, tips and advice you can use to organise your clientele and ensure you meet your deadlines. Ranging from popular calendar apps to having a rigid daily routine, we go into depth into how to take control of your time.

    Perception

    A lot of what prevents us from effective work — that paralyses us with an inability to act — is simply our perception of the task. In this section, we discuss how dissecting objectives into components and being small and consistent allows for us to better tackle the task at hand.

    Understanding your workload

    You can plan as much as you like, perceive things how you want, but failing to identify the limit of your workload is a critical error. Here we’ll discuss different ways to recognise when you’ve undertaken too much and how to effectively scale back.

    Prioritisation

    This may be the skill that’s hardest to master.

    It’s the ability to examine the task put to you by a client and instinctively estimate the required research, resources and time needed to expend on the job. It’s through this ability that you can EFFICIENTLY organise your time — as you know when and where to move from one task to the next.

    In this section, we discuss how you can start.

    —————————————————————————————————–

    Why this is a great post for your site and why I’m the writer for the job: I think it’s witty, relaxed, informative, and most importantly, in keeping with the style I’ve come across on this site. I see myself as a pleasant and approachable writer to work with who’s open to critique and yet confident in his ability – which is, hopefully, something you’re also looking for.

    Thanks for your consideration and apologies for waiting till the deadline.

  75. Conquering the time management battle to complete tasks as a
    freelance blogger.

    Managing time as a freelance blogger can be really daunting , I cannot deny it, it’s a battle that we all have to constantly fight. Though it is a gradual process, the secret is taking a step at a time and you will get there. There are several ways to tackle it which I will share with you.

    1. Of utter importance is to take into perspective your main goal of taking up freelance
    blogging work.

    It is essential to plan your work each day so as to have a sense of direction and check
    where you stand in terms of progress to reach your ultimate goal.

    1. Of utter importance is to take into perspective your main goal of taking up freelance
    blogging work.

    It is essential to plan your work each day so as to have a sense of direction and check
    where you stand in terms of progress to reach your ultimate goal.

    1. Of utter importance is to take into perspective your main goal of taking up freelance
    blogging work.

    It is essential to plan your work each day so as to have a sense of direction and check
    where you stand in terms of progress to reach your ultimate goal.

    2. Having determination and enthusiasm is one of the key aspects in attaining your goal as a blogger.

    In order to achieve your goals ,having the drive to accomplish tasks in the first place
    is essential to be able to manage time effectively.

    3. Learn to motivate your inner self in as far as managing time is concerned.

    Bear in mind that there is power in encouraging yourself as you alone know
    how much blogging means to you more than anyone else can ever do.

    4. Fight procrastination which is usually a culprit when it comes to completing your work as it can stand in your way as a freelance blogger.

    Often, because of how busy life can be, it can be really a struggle to defeat
    procrastination in order to accomplish tasks on time but it is a war that you
    can fight and win if you take a step.

    5. Learn to multi task especially if you are a work at home freelance blogger.

    It is possible to find the balance between household work and blogging in order to achieve your goals.

    6. Each day set up realistic goals that you intend to achieve.

    Whenever you get an assignment, make it a habit to list down your goals that you
    are able to follow through and which lets you be in a position to measure progress.

    This is a great post for Be a Freelance Blogger because it gives bloggers an insight into time management and allows them to reflect on ways it can help them improve on it to accomplish their goal .
    I am the right person to write it because I personally have been fighting this battle of managing time and still am. In my endeavour, I discovered and came up with ways to tackle it which is working for me and believe it can be the answer to someone in my situation.

  76. Potential Headline #1 – How to get your work done (without driving yourself crazy).

    Potential Headline #2 – The procrastinator’s guide to surviving freelancing.

    Stuck in a stuffy office, being a freelance blogger was the ultimate dream: working whenever and wherever you want. But while my old boss made sure I worked 9-5, my new boss (AKA me) seems to have no trouble with late starts and regular Netflix marathons. Sounds great, but not so good for the bank balance. Something had to change…

    1. The importance of a good morning routine
    Getting the right start to your day means different things to different people. I’ll cover different possible routines to help freelancers come up with their own personal perfect start to the business day.

    2. Eat that frog (but dice it first)
    Eating the frog (as popularised by Brian Tracy’s book) means getting the nastiest, hardest job out of the way first thing. Work out your personal frogs when it comes to freelance blogging, then take it a step further and cut ‘that’ frog up into manageable chunks.

    3. Get more done in less time
    We all have 24hr in a day, so how come some people seem able to get so much more done? Here we’ll cover techniques for more effective freelancing, including batching your blogs, distraction-free environments, ‘brain’ music and the ever popular Pomodoro.

    4. I love it when a plan comes together
    Planning is essential for procrastinators, from the long-term goals to daily tasks. This covers what to include in your plan to keep you and your clients smiling, as well as how to react when your plans hit a snag.

    5. Is it urgent or is it important?
    Sometimes the challenge is knowing which one of the million tasks on your to-do list to start with. By knowing your personal circumstances, keeping in mind your long-term goals (see above) and recognising what’s truly important (as opposed to urgent), you can make sure you’re making consistent progress on the things in your business that really matter.

    6. (Anti)hustle hard
    When you’re constantly seeing other freelancers boast of 20hr work days and ‘killing’ it, that’s a recipe for burnout and procrastination. By keeping a balance to your schedule and including time for fun, you can end up getting more done.

    Why this is a great post for BAFB and why I’m the one to write it:
    Many of us started freelance blogging as a way to enjoy more freedom but, if you’re anything like me, that freedom has a dark side. I’m a chronic procrastinator, and while I still struggle, I’ve found these techniques have helped me hit my deadlines and keep my clients happy.

    • Daniel – Not bad! I would have liked to see more references to freelance bloggers/blogging in your pitch as it feels like a lot of your advice could refer to freelancers in general, but your pitch was solid overall 🙂

      Romaine – It looks like Sophie published your comment after all. Maybe she thought it was important? Not sure. But… a LOT of these pitches have been similar to one another. It’s not necessarily because the authors are stealing each other’s ideas though. Even in my private inbox, I see pitches that could be nearly identical to each other idea-wise. The differences come in the quality of the pitch, and how the author turns that “same” idea into their own by putting their own unique flavor to it.

    • I deleted a couple of comments here at the poster’s request, then realised by doing that, I’d broken the comments thread on your pitch so you couldn’t see Lauren’s feedback! Copied and pasted below
      …
      Daniel – Not bad! I would have liked to see more references to freelance bloggers/blogging in your pitch as it feels like a lot of your advice could refer to freelancers in general, but your pitch was solid overall 🙂

  77. Not Reaching Your Blogging Goals? Here Are 5 Little Known Ways To Boost Your Productivity

    Introduction

    The primary and most important factor in reaching your goal is discipline. Research shows that 20 percent of people suffer from procrastination. It’s really scary that procrastination has quadrupled in the last 30 years. Although, it’s not only procrastination that affects bloggers. Other factors such as illness, burn out and even outright laziness prevent bloggers from reaching their targets.

    5 Ways To Boost Productivity

    1. Reduce your work to smaller chunks: If you have 3,000 word document to write. Break it down to 300 word introduction, ten 300 word sub headings and a 200 word conclusion.

    2. Take a break: yes, you have a deadline to meet. However, you need to take a break to re-energise yourself. Ensure you perform other activities. I recommend physical activities.

    3. Understand your peak performance periods: we all have different times of the day we perform best. Some are early risers while others are night owls.

    4. Planning your tasks: It is important your plan how and when you are going to work. The amount of time and resources you’d want to give into a writing.

    5. Use Tech Tools: Use tech tools such as Grammarly or a speech to text software to make your work faster.

    This is a great post for Be a Freelance Blogger because this a problem so many writers including me face every day. It would really help a lot of people boost their productivity and eventually earn more as writers.

    I believe I’m the best person to write this post because I speak from experience, I face this problem too and I suggested tools and ways I use to increase my productivity.

  78. Pitchfest Headline: Get It All Done Without Trying So Damn Hard

    You know how it feels to try, right? Try, try harder, try even harder, and then give up cuz the trying got you nowhere? Well, how about turning common “try to get it done” recommendations on their effortful, self-sabotaging, confidence breaking little heads?

    Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not telling you to give up on effort altogether.

    5 Points:

    1. Action is what makes the world go round. But . . . and I mean but with a capital “B,” in many cases too much trying creates tension which can show up in your writing, not to mention in your home or work environment.

    2. Usually when we say try, we mean make an attempt at something. That’s fine if we get it done on the first attempt. But if we don’t, the very trying can create an attitude of dismay, discouragement, or even dread.

    3. I will give you 4 helpful and easy tips to get you off the over-trying machine and into a free flowing stream of ease and inspiration. These include a 20-second mirror technique, a 2-minute meditation practice, a 10 to 20-minute in-home exercise option, and 1 lovely typing, writing, thinking, or speaking mantra.

    4. Coming to the blank page, the new client hunt, or the resume update (fill in the blanks with your own tasks) with an attitude of ease and delight instead of desperate trying will be a new and surprising experience.

    5. Deciding to cultivate this new attitude will create a snowball effect. Don’t be surprised when wonderful things begin to happen within and without your writing world. I will show you how to notice them!

    This will be a great post for Be a Freelance Blogger because most of us are walking around like over-trying time bombs, getting much less done than we’d like.

    Relieving the tension reveals the inspiration and energy we’re trying so hard to find. I’m the person to write this post, because I recently used these same techniques to get myself out of a deep and ongoing writing rut.

      • Thanks, Lauren. This is my first time at Pitchfest and I’ve noticed that your comment to me applies to a lot of the submissions. As I’ve been reading the comments, I’ve thought a lot about how my post could be written specifically to bloggers.

        The main change I’d make would be focusing specifically on writers just entering the freelance blogging world–since that’s the population I’m a part of. I’d write to those of us who’ve felt intimidated, anxious, and overall insecure about entering this market.

        I’d give more focused examples of the ways wanna-be bloggers “try” (or even just think about trying) and tie those examples in to my tips for getting off the over-trying machine.

        Thank you,
        Karen

  79. Freelance Blogging for the Young and the Wise

    As the years progress, people are becoming smarter, and along with becoming smarter, they are developing more of an ‘I don’t want to work for anyone, I want my own’ type of an attitude. That attitude brings a smile to my face.
    However, that attitude means absolutely, positively nothing without the proper steps to follow.

    1. Visualizations- . It starts out as an idea, and blossoms into an innovative endeavor that goes on to be something people didn’t think they needed until it was created.
    2. Get out of your own way- . Trust me, there are enough people rooting for you to fail. You have to be your biggest cheerleader.
    3. Understanding- I cannot guarantee when your success will come, but I can guarantee that it will never come if you give up.
    4. Patience- With all of the modern technology and conveniences it allows us, many of us have fallen short on the patience scale. You’re not alone in this.
    5. Don’t wait- . A wise man once told me that “The road to ruins is paved with good intentions.” Don’t let your intended plans pave the regrets in your future.
    6. Keep it to yourself- Your idea gives you power and ambition you didn’t know was deep within you prior to that thought, and the more people you tell your idea to, the more strength you lose each time due to it not being buried within anymore.

    I’ve been told for as long as I can remember how old my soul is and how influential I am. I talk people off of ledges all the time and into doing things they wouldn’t have done otherwise. I want to share that with the masses and reflect some of my positivity onto others. Having someone with that experience and much more will definitely benefit your team.

  80. THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!!!

    Big thanks to everyone who entered this time around! If you haven’t gotten a reply yet: never fear! You will. Sophie and I make sure that everyone who pitches gets a reply from at least one of us, even if it takes us a couple days…

    Winners will be announced on July 14, 2018. Stay tuned!

  81. OK, there were a lot of pitches at a similar level in this Pitchfest, but we’ve finally chosen just a handful of favourites…

    1st prize winner is Hayley, with a pitch on “fairytale” productivity:
    http://beafreelanceblogger.com/getting-shit-done/#comment-225523

    2nd prize winner is Pinar Tarhan, with her pitch on unconventional productivity:
    http://beafreelanceblogger.com/getting-shit-done/#comment-225511

    3rd prize winner is Chloe Brooks, with her pitch on automation for freelance bloggers:
    http://beafreelanceblogger.com/getting-shit-done/#comment-225431

    If your name isn’t among the three above, don’t go away yet! 🙂

    If you’re on the list below, we encourage you to write your first full draft and email it to lauren@beafreelanceblogger.com as a traditional unpaid guest post (or pitch it to one of the paying sites in The Ultimate List of Better-Paid Blogging Gigs):

    Jodi Ralston
    Kerry Williams
    Martine Booth
    Tolulope Alabi
    Daniel Rose
    Katie Davies
    Lauren Senie

    Congratulations to everyone who entered, and thank you for playing!

    Bonus educational moment:

    One of the things that made this Pitchfest really hard to judge was that so many people offered very similar advice… And the reason it was all so similar is because it was the same advice you can find on almost any blog that ever mentions productivity.

    After reading 100-ish pitches, I was at the point where I wanted to congratulate people for mentioning tips like “ask your client lots of questions” and “automate admin stuff” rather than the generic “stop doing something else” or “take a break” tips.

    TL;DR:
    If you want your pitch to stand out, say at least one thing that other people *aren’t* saying – and be prepared to back it up with solid logic or hard evidence.

    • Wow! I literally just jumped around my room and screamed for five minutes. Thank you soooooo much for this opportunity Sophie and Lauren, this blog was one of the first blogs I read when I decided to become a freelance blogger so this feels surreal. I will have my first draft to you ASAP. Congratulations to the top three and everyone else that was chosen.

    • What Sophie said. This Pitchfest was particularly difficult for me to judge as well. Behind the scenes, Sophie and I went back and forth for days after the contest closed, re-reading EVERY entry several times, and argued with each other and ourselves over who should win.

      Usually there are a few “stand out” obvious “OOH! We HAVE to have THAT one!!” entries that we mark down in our logs as we go along. This time? The contest finished and we still had no entries written down. lol. That was a first!! And I honestly felt a bit overwhelmed. Every entry was SO similar that we had to get SUPER nit-picky to find winners who stood out even a LITTLE from everyone else.

      I think this was a huge lesson for us, as Editors/blog owners, as well! To me, this contest was a sign that we need to be even more clear/precise about EXACTLY what we’re looking for. And that if we ask for “general” topics (like “productivity”), then we’re going to end up with a lot of general/bland-sounding pitches.

      We TRIED to keep everyone on topic and focused from the get-go in our rules. It’s clearly stated, in red, that all Pitchfest entries MUST be about freelance blogging; however, I think the “general” nature of this particular topic led to some confusion in that area…

      This puts me at a bit of a loss, to be honest. Because freelance bloggers NEED everyday “general” advice (like productivity tips!); but they need it written in a way that’s specific to their unique needs. How do we, as Editors, go about asking for those “general” topics from you, as writers, and get the results we’re looking for…?

      After this contest closed, my first thought wasn’t “Wow! What the heck is wrong with these writers?!” (though that did cross my mind for SOME of the more bizarrely off-topic pitches lol); it was “How did WE goof this one up??”

      What do WE, as Editors, have to do to get our needs across more clearly?

      We’ve tweaked and added to our Pitchfest rules over the years to more-clearly define them. To the point that now, I feel, they’re overly long (almost the length of a blog post in and of themselves!), and the majority of writers are (obviously) not reading them.

      Do we keep our loooooooong set of rules and regulations…? Hmm. Personally, I’m leaning toward “yes”… but perhaps some more tweaking is needed throughout that long bit of text?

      My OWN rules for pitching on MY website are fairly long as well – http://littlezotz.com/write-for-me/ – and that’s because I use them as a TEST to see which writers are actually making an effort. If they REALLY want to be published, they’ll put in the work to read what I’ve written. After all, why should we read what a writer has written if they haven’t read what WE have written? It’s a two-way street. And keeping our “rules for pitching” on the long side is an easy way for us, as Editors, to automatically weed out writers who aren’t putting in any effort. Plus, I have to consider the fact that our rules have served us well in all previous contests…

      So, once again, I have to turn my thoughts to the TOPIC we chose. After all, if the rules have always worked, and only the topic was changed – then it’s likely the changed element was the source of the problem, right?

      THAT’S WHERE YOU COME IN!!!

      If anyone is still reading this long ramble of mine, I want to ask YOU: what topics would YOU like to see Be a Freelance Blogger cover in the future? Be specific!

      “General” advice hits my pitching inbox every day. So asking for a “general” topic may not have been the best choice for our pitching contest. I’m thinking (and I think Sophie will agree, given the results we got this time around!), that we have to ask for something REALLY SPECIFIC during these contests. That the topic has to be 100% zeroed-in on our niche in a way that absolutely cannot allow for willy-nilly pitches about “whatever.” So… do YOU have any suggestions?? 🙂

      And I do apologize for blathering on and on. However, I know that many, if not most, of you lurk here in the comments’ section (even if you never say anything!), and that many writers and would-be writers want to know what Editors REALLY think. Because of this, I let myself go into stream-of-consciousness mode and kept this “raw” so you could know EXACTLY what I’ve been thinking/feeling.

      TL;DR:
      This contest was difficult to judge, but was also proof that Pitchfest is a learning experience for EVERYONE, even Sophie and me!

      • Hi Lauren,

        It would be awesome if BAFB could cover unusual research tips. There’s a gazillion ways to research a post but I’m sure there’s loads that myself and lots of other people aren’t aware of. It could make for an interesting post maybe?

        🙂

    • Congratulations to all who won. This was my first blog post pitch ever in my life, and getting a ‘Not bad’ from Lauren was enough cause for celebration. Will definitely enter the next Pitchfest, and take my new-found confidence to other blogs!

    • Congratulations to the winners! You’re pitches have provided me with some awesome tips! I’m looking forward to reading the finished posts 😊

      Thank you for all your feedback Sophie and Lauren 😊, I’m massively pleased that you would like me to submit a proper draft and I’m going to get on that pronto!

      Thanks again!

    • Thank you for reviewing my pitch–and for the invitation. I’ve learned a lot from your blog and from this opportunity, and I will be taking you up on that offer.

      Jodi