Got an email from a budding commercial freelancer recently, asking about my business “process.” Specifically, when I do my writing, when I talk to clients, if I meet them in person, how often I have in-person meetings (he was a good 90 minutes from the nearest big city and didn’t relish in-person meetings), etc.
I’m going to address the first issues in this post and the part about traveling to meet clients (or NOT) in a follow-up post.
Regarding when to write and accommodating clients, he wrote:
“I like the idea of secluding myself in the morning and just writing, and then leaving the afternoon open for client meetings (by phone or video chat), prospecting calls, etc. On the other hand, I imagine myself as an executive looking to hire a writer, and preferring to take care of this in the morning. Is it practical to expect an executive to wait until the afternoon to speak with me? At the same time, there is a best time for writing, and that time should be devoted to writing, and writing alone. I’m thinking the executive can wait a few hours. If he can’t, then perhaps my marketing system hasn’t done its job with him — at least not yet.”
I think this gentleman has perhaps fallen prey to a common affliction of new commercial freelancers: Overthinking.
For starters, every copywriter’s process and ideal writing time is different, and whatever works for you will generally work for clients. And about the “writing-and-only-writing-in-the-morning” thing… This isn’t like a novelist who sets aside, say, four hours every morning to write – come hell or high water. You won’t have commercial projects to work on every day, and hence writing to do every day. Don’t imagine life as this rigid regimen – unchanging every day. One of the best things about our business is that every day IS different.
But hey, when you do have projects, if you want to shut off your phone and email in the morning and hunker down with your comfy “Well-Fed Writer” sweatshirt (yes, they exist…ask away…) and fave jeans, and Wes Montgomery on the stereo, go for it. You’ll figure out soon enough if the timing works for everyone, and then you can fine-tune.
My process? When I’ve got pressing copywriting projects, I’ll usually get out of the home office completely, leave the laptop at home (yes, you read that right), head to the library or coffee shop with my legal pad, pen and clipboard (I know, I’m SUCH a relic…), bang it all out longhand (okay, pull your jaw up from the floor…), and load it all into the computer at home later. And I’M most productive from about 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. See, we really all ARE different. And that’s okay.
As for accommodating clients’ wishes, sure, you want to be flexible in the beginning to a client’s scheduling preferences for meetings, but if it’s to discuss a big juicy project, I’m guessing you’ll be plenty excited and happy to indulge the client’s wishes. That said, for the most part, you can usually dictate terms of meetings (phone or otherwise) without risking major pushback.
More importantly, your job is not to be at your client’s beck and call whenever they want (unless you’re okay with that AND they’re paying you an obscene amount of money for the privilege…). Don’t be unreasonably inaccessible, but those writers at the top of this craft choose scenarios where there’s mutual respect between writer and client. And fostering that mindset is the first step to being a valued, in-demand professional.
He also was overthinking this one: Why would you assume a client would “prefer to take care of this (meetings, projects discussions, etc.) in the morning”? And as such, wouldn’t want to be put off till YOU want to talk? It conjures up an image of a client with arms crossed, foot tapping, staring at his watch repeatedly, getting more steamed by the minute. Simply put, the world doesn’t work that way.
All clients are different and all, like you, have their preferences, but few are going to be such hardasses about things like this. And if they are – Big Red Flag. You need to spend far more time thinking about how you’re going to land those clients in the first place – a far bigger challenge than determining the time of day you’ll actually interact.
But let’s hear from you in the trenches:
Do you have set times when you write and other times for client interaction, marketing, etc?
When are you most productive?
If you DO have rigid time divides between tasks, how often do you run into clients unhappy with being unable to talk to you when they want to?
When you have projects pressing, do you like to go somewhere else to get more focused and productive?
Do you shut off your email (a la Timothy Ferris in “Four-Hour Work Week”) and/or phone when you’re battened down in the creation process?
Stay tuned for the next post about client meetings – in-person vs. virtual.
> Do you have set times when you write and other times for client interaction, marketing, etc?
Through no fault of their own, I find clients can’t always deliver what they hope when they hope. Some piece of the project gets delayed or they get pulled away on another project. I do schedule my time now (thanks to some one-on-one business coaching that I just started) but appreciate the need to remain flexible. I generally do all my work within a five hour window each day, working longer when necessary. Most of that time will be spent on client projects, but if there are gaps, the time is used for marketing.
> When are you most productive?
The first answer that popped into my head was, “When I’m working on a project I enjoy.” In other words, if I’m enjoying a project, I find I can be productive early in the morning or late at night. Beyond that, I’ve found that productive time is less a function of the time of day and more a reflection on how well I’ve been taking care of myself… the right diet, appropriate sleep, and removal of negative people who refuse to be negative in silence. 🙂 I suppose a healthy mind/body and an enjoyable project create an atmosphere of productivity for me.
> If you DO have rigid time divides between tasks, how often do you run into clients unhappy with being unable to talk to you when they want to?
Maybe it’s just my luck, but most of my clients don’t often want to talk beyond the initial discussions about the project, answering a few questions at various times, and wrapping up the project. This is where I think you’re correct with the “overthinking” comment. My experience has been that if there needs to be a discussion with a client, they’re very understanding that it has to be when it works for both parties. And a mutually good time can usually be found with 24 hours which is extremely reasonable.
I primarily work with clients on the East Coast (I’m in the West). But communication has never been a problem. If there’s some matter that’s urgent where a phone call is deemed necessary, we’ll schedule something. Otherwise, one of their greatest desires is to hand off the project and not have to talk to you about it any more than necessary… they’ve got plenty of other things on their plate.
> Do you shut off your email (a la Timothy Ferris in “Four-Hour Work Week”) and/or phone when you’re battened down in the creation process?
I never shut off e-mail. That’s the main way my clients communicate with me. I’ve had plenty of “STOP! WE NEED TO GET YOU AN UPDATED FILE BEFORE YOU CONTINUE!” e-mails. Checking e-mail at the end of the day could mean I wasted a couple of hours with out-of-date info.
As for the phone, it’s right next to me. If I’m swamped and can see the call is not a current client, the machine can handle it. If I see it’s a client, I’ll grab it for the same reason I check e-mail all the time.
I’m most productive early in the morning. I do my first 1K of fiction right after yoga, before anything else. Then, I switch back and forth between projects as necessary throughout the day, schedule meetings, etc. Every day is different, and that’s the way I like it. If I try to schedule rigidly, I resent it and get in my own way. The bigger swaths of unscheduled time I have, the more productive I am.
My phones — landline and cell — are almost always OFF. I loathe the telephone — you want a quick answer, email me. If I’m working — and I’m working most hours most days — my phone is off. I check for messages twice a day and return calls as needed, but 90% of the time, the calls are a waste of everyone’s time, and a quick email takes care of it more efficiently.
I check my email every couple of hours. I don’t have it on so that I’m pinged when an email comes in — it would drive me nuts. I get at least a couple of hundred legit emails a day, so I’d never get anything done if I jumped every time an email came in.
The reason I freelance is to work on MY schedule, not someone else’s. the “I’m not at your beck and call and the phone’s off” is in my contract, so a client knows ahead of time, and knows it’s inappropriate to pitch a fit if he can’t reach me, because I won’t tolerate it. If the client doesn’t like it, the client doesn’t have to hire me.
Because of the problems with the landlord trying to harass tenants out of my building, I’m often packing up and working elsewhere. The library in the next town over is great. I went there the other day to work on an essay. I arrived at 9:30 in the morning. When I left, I thought it was about 1. I looked at the clock in my car — it was nearly 6 PM. Hadn’t even noticed. THAT’S the way I like to work.
Hi Peter,
I KNEW you were a true old school professional! OK…I’m a little older than you, but the legal pad thing works, doesn’t it? I always concept or first draft with my clipboard in hand, whether at the home office, in a coffee shop, hotel, etc. The hand around the pen somehow does a better job engaging the creative.
Anyway, the whole scheduling thing is one of the true benefits of being in this business! (If a person happens to be an INFJ – not an uncommon type for writers, they may be guilty of “over-thinking” quite a few things related to scheduling though.) I always say to those who have a “real job” that I actually have many bosses, i.e. my clients. It makes them feel like I can relate. The truth is, most of the people who hire me / (us FLCW’s) do it because they want to get the work we are doing off THEIR own plate and on to mine. I find they are very flexible for meeting-related time frames, i.e. there are usually several options for meetings, interviews, etc. Every once in a while you get that phone call wondering why you didn’t answer the e-mail sent only 5 minutes ago, but I find that rare, and only when something is hot or someone is waiting for an answer to a question.
As to times of the day I work, I have tried a few different ways to manage that, but there is no magic, just what works for you. I currently have my day divided into 3 hour chunks (from 730am to 130am), and I fill them in as the week goes with what activities I will do. This helps me to slot writing times and other priorities to make sure they are get done, and helps me track my weekly activity. I write, meet, concept, market, do the dreaded admin work, errands etc. in these 3 hour chunks, but they really are different every day. I am married with 5 kids, so the 3 hour slots get filled in with their activities as well. I have written on many a clipboard while waiting an extra half hour in the parking lot to pick a teenager up from work, or found a good picnic table during a sports practice. I check e-mail often but never raise the expectation that I will answer right away (still don’t have e-mail on my phone, by design, and some clients have recently begun to ask why – more curious than insisting). I tell them e-mail is for the laptop and the phone is for talking…and texting the family. I usually do a little work on the weekend, but also do a little goofing off during the week, so it balances out. Oh…and about a half hour is carved out sometime each afternoon for about a 20 minute nap, usually scheduled when my eyes are heaviest…phone off. I do occasionally miss the nap.
I have done work for clients in Europe, Australia, Brazil, Mexico and others. I am currently working for clients in South Africa and Taiwan so sometimes there is early morning or evening work to be done on the phone or via e-mail. But very rare. I have even risen early for a UK morning meeting, but I’m not a morning person, so I avoid that whenever I can. No UK work at the moment anyway. I used to ask my Australian client on the phone to tell me the future because it was already tomorrow there (think he got tired of that one after a while). I try to meet these international deadlines a day or two in advance to avoid difficulty with scheduling – they e-mail me while I’m asleep, I e-mail them while their asleep.
At any rate, I find this time scheduling thing to really be a non-issue in todays culture. Many are working virtually, and all over the place these days, so most are understanding and there is really little talk about schedules. Find what works for you, enjoy, and learn how to make the most of it. slr
Peter,
I am a relic like yourself. I prefer to write long hand and then transfer to my computer. I prefer to get my marketing and client meeting out of the way early in the morning. I do this before fatigue or burn gets a chance to set in. I prefer to do my projects and writing very late at night, after 12 p.m. My juices flow better in the middle of the night. I have children and this is when the house, phone and neighborhood is quiet. I will generally talk to clients at anytime during the business hours, but not after business hours unless it is an emergency, which is rare.
Jenn
Great stuff, everyone! Thanks for the detailed responses. And yes, Mike, most clients DON’T want to talk after the first (and usually only) meeting. That’s why they hire us so they can do their job and not ours as well. I laughed at your comment about productive time being that time spent working on jobs you enjoy. How true!
I NEED to shut off email more often than I do. I should have learned my lesson when I was in Maine this summer and had to carry my laptop 100 yards to check email, and hence, only did so once a day. And no one died and the world didn’t end.
Thanks Devon – always appreciate your input! And Steve, you’re the man. 5 kids? No wonder you have to partition your day AND become a champion multi-tasker AND get your naps. My life’s a piece ‘o cake compared to that!
And hey, Steve and Jennifer, two more relics! Love it.I’m almost afraid to admit that sometimes. Seems so irretrievably outmoded, but it works for me. Something about the pen on paper – it’s a physical connection
between mind and paper, whereas typing right into the box doesn’t give you that. That’s MY story, anyway. Thanks again, all!
PB
I keep East Coast hours–and because my vision goes downhill as the day goes by, usually quit around 2 P.M. I start, dressed, at the desk, at 6:45 A.M. I do email, comment on a ton of blogs, fight and fuss with people over politics, cruise job boards, call prospects, etc until 11–then work. Well, the other is work, but you know what I mean. I am a morning person!
Peter,
I have been researching, reading your books, and basically over thinking this entire writing process for a very long time, so I appreciate your post. I feel like I am ready to go but still can’t seem to really start the marketing process. (Don’t they say that we aren’t afraid of failure but success?) In any case, I now have a website and new cards. What has helped me is a schedule. My issue is that I have two kids and a huge volunteer commitment, so no two days are the same but I have started writing out when I’ll update my blog, when I’ll market, etc. Though I don’t have many clients yet, I feel that I at least have the framework to build upon. Thank you for all of these great comments!
Thanks Star and Ann-Marie, And A-M, glad this is striking a chord with you.
FYI, something you might find interesting. I plan on launching a group coaching program soon. Still working out the parameters in my head, but thinking along these lines: I’d gear it to people starting out or early in their business, and who don’t want to pay the $150 an hour for the one-on-one coaching I offer. We’d meet once a week by phone for an hour for four weeks, running. Limited to 12-15 (probably 12).
We’d discuss whatever people wanted to discuss, but I’d be happy to “coach” on any subject people wanted to hear about. We’d record the sessions for download by all participants after each call, in case you had to miss a session or two. And I’d charge, I’m thinking, about $150 for the four weeks. Much smaller investment, so no one-on-one but just the sharing of ideas and early-start-up-energy with folks in a similar place could make it a pretty rich experience. And I might even charge less for the first one since we’d be making it up as we went along…
Let me know your thoughts. NOT trying to change the subject here, and if you wanted to weigh in on this main subject at hand, please do!
PB
Hi Ann-Marie,
Something you said struck me which I’ll get to in a moment. But first let me say that I can appreciate the “two kids” part. Right now both my kids are sick. It has played havoc with my schedule. However, I’m so happy I work from home and don’t have to go through the “find someone to take care of the kids” or “call the boss and tell him/her I won’t be in today” issues.
We can just add that to the “Why freelancing is so great” list.
What stuck out was your “huge volunteer commitment.” Obviously I don’t know if your situation is like mine was, but here’s the story…
When I first started freelancing, I joined groups like the Chamber, BNI, Rotary and even joined the board of kids’ organization. From there, I was either on committees for those groups or involved in their related volunteer activities. I loved every minute of it. If money were no object, I could have easily made a “career” out of volunteering.
But I soon realized I was spending more time in those meetings and activities than I was in front of the computer. And the computer was where I made my money. Slowly, I started dropping out of the groups where I didn’t think I was getting much business value even though the “personal” value was high.
I was amazed that with each group I dropped, I started getting more clients and making more money. It didn’t make complete sense until I realized that I was spending more time where I needed to be… in front of the computer either working on projects or marketing myself.
I would never tell someone “don’t volunteer,” but I toss out the story just in case there are any similarities between your situation and mine.
And PB… as someone who just started coaching and has been very happy with the progress thus far, let me encourage anyone reading this to either encourage Peter to get this up-and-running, or find someone else you think is a good fit. Having someone with experience to talk to a bit more intimately, or someone who can be more objective about what you’re currently doing and giving suggestions to improve it is pure gold.
Thanks Mike. Always appreciate your contributions. And I WILL get this thing going soon. I’m guessing it’d be a winner….
PB
Hi all,
Great comments. I had to laugh because I first read Peter’s post as a break in the middle of the night while I was working. A four-hour day? Are you kidding? Just yesterday I had worked about 9 hours and then gone to bed. However, I awoke in the night thinking about the project and, because I could not get back to sleep, I got up and spent 4 hours working (and reading Peter’s post).
I seldom work a four-hour day. I have ongoing monthly business which keeps me pretty busy, but I also do large projects intermixed with these monthly assignments. Usually they take large chunks of time, but are very creative and fun. When I don’t have a large project, I am prospecting.
However, I will take a day or two off to go with my husband on a short trip or outing some place – and I love the fact that I can do it on my schedule! It is a great life and I am in charge.
Just do it. It will not be what you think. It will be better. You can never plan it out – and it would not be as much fun if you did!
Thanks Sally,
Actually, I think you meant the “Four-Hour Work WEEK” if you’re referring to the book I referenced…Check it out…;)
PB
I often rough out my copy — both marketing stuff and human interest feature articles — long-hand first. There’s something about letting ideas come to life within the context of long legal pads and pen-on-paper that allows the creative process to emerge more effectively than the comparative strictures of keypad and computer screen. It’s ineffable, but it’s there. So call me a relic, too.
Paul
I can relate to the overthinking. When I started my writing business two years ago, I tried to schedule and plan every hour of every day…then I realized that was the kind of structure I hated in my old corporate job! Why was I trying to recreate THAT kind of workday?? Once I relaxed a bit, I found my rhythm and things fell into place.
Mike – Good points about volunteering. I had been writing/editing a monthly newsletter for a non-profit for a while, in addition to other writing tasks for the group’s marketing committee. Nice folks, but the environment became increasingly “corporate” with its meetings, personality conflicts, demands, etc. (again reminding me of my old job!) and I finally had to give it up as it was taking time away from my business…and earning a living!
Peter – I’m a relic as well – I always use pen and paper…gotta love those legal pads! I rarely “write” on the computer
John Paul
Hi everyone,
I’m just getting started (or, actually, overthinking it too much to get started) in FLCW, and–I don’t want to hijack the thread–but this one’s brought to mind one of my most persistent questions about this particular line of work, and one that seems to rarely, if ever, get addressed directly. I wonder if you can all explain a bit about what a work week tends to look like. I know there’s no such thing as a “typical” week, but are you all consistently early morning and/or late night people? Obviously flexibility is one of the hallmarks of the business, but does that flexibility mean you’re all consistently pulling 12…14…16 hour days, including weekends? I’m just trying to get a realistic feel for what it’s really like making a living this way. I can handle hard work, but I’d like to hope that it is possible to set fairly consistent boundaries for when it gets done.
Thanks,
Susana
I’ll see your Wes Montgomery and raise you Dexter Gordon and Wayne Shorter…
Obviously being a cube monkey by day, I’m limited to night work when working on a project. I’ll have a little grub, fire up the laptop, never turning on the evil teevee machine, and get to. I usually listen to jazz or classical, usually streaming. I studied jazz guitar in college, so it’s a great distraction for the left (overthinking, overediting) side of my brain while my right side takes over. I’ll go for it until I think I have a first draft, then I hit send and see if the client is still awake. If we need revisions, I’ll longhand it in the Cube (shhhhh), always using a legal pad. As a part-timer, it’s work whenever and wherever you can.
My 40th birthday is 9/12/12 (1,058 days to go, not that I’m counting), and I plan on making that the first day of the rest of my life as a FLCW. I would imagine that I’ll try to keep normal business hours for a while, as I get used to the discipline of self-scheduling. Once I get that down, world’s my Pemaquid oyster…
Great to see how you all are doing it! Another great thread as usual.
Peter:
Luddites unite! Yet another vote for pen-and-paper first drafts. In fact, I’ll go you one better: I do it with fountain pens! (For those who care about such things, my favorite pen is a 1949 Parker “51” first year aerometric filler).
I’ve “written” with computers since my high school days. I returned to writing out my drafts longhand when I was still a cubicle dweller because I felt my writing was becoming too formulaic, and frankly because I was getting bored with what I was writing. It worked – my then-boss complimented me on how much better my sales letters had become.
It’s remarkable how less stifled I feel when I’m looking at a blank page vs. a blank screen. And it forces me to rewrite those pieces, which is a good thing. As good as an idea can seem when I draft it, it will inevitably become better after I’ve reviewed it as I type it in.
Mark
FYI, folks (Ann-Marie, you listening?), I have launched the group coaching program as of yesterday. Ridiculously low investment for what you get, and perfect for someone in the early stages of building their business looking for guidance, direction and fellowship with others in the same boat. Starts on November 2nd.
Check it out at https://wellfedwriter.com/groupcoaching.shtml.
PB
Interesting discussion. I don’t like to write longhand. I like to “design” a page as I go along so I can “see” what it looks like. But Mark’s point that the transition from longhand to computer forces you to rewrite is well-taken. There have been times when I drafted something longhand while at the car wash and came home and completely rewrote it. I might have to try longhand again … I currently, struggle with how many hours to plan on client writing / billable hours a week. It seems to kill me to get 15 to 20 hours in … that is, I’m worn out by the end of the week.
Hi Peter,
My business model is similar to commenter Mike Klassen. My most productive writing hours are 8am to noon. But since I’m in Seattle and most of my clients are on the East coast, I rarely use this time window for writing only. I’ve built a stong business around being responsive to my clients’ needs, which means I need to be flexible when it comes to things like interviews, conference calls and short turn-around writing tasks.
If a deadline is looming and constant e-mail and phone interruptions threaten my ability to complete a project on time, I will occasionally turn off those distractions. But I prefer not to leave the convenience of my home office to avoid interruptions.
I wouldn’t say that my process provides the ideal environment for optimal writing productivity, but it has allowed me to build longstanding relationships with a core group of clients that give me regular work and always pay on time!
My advice is to just “do” rather than “think” (OK, think some, just set some limits). Then, through the process of working you’ll discover your groove. After coaching with PB earlier this year, I spent several months “trying out” different writing projects to see which I’d enjoy. Peter’s advice was well worth its weight in diamonds AND gold in this area.
My discoveries: If I’m loving the work, time doesn’t matter. This was an important discovery, because I’m normally a “in bed by nine” kind of gal. So, I decided I would specialize in the area I enjoy the most (I also believe I am better at this kind of writing).
And like Mike said, I need to eat well, rest well and live well (Minus the negative folks. So Mike you hit the nail SQUARE on its head with that one).
I also found that I really can’t get going until I read and respond to a few blogs. If I have nothing important to share with my regular blogs, I will LOOK for one. Now, This was a TOTAL surprise to me! But I guess it makes sense, since you are reading thought provoking material, thinking about your take on it, and then writing out your response.
One thing I have yet to conquer: Saying “no.” I tend to volunteer too much as well–not writing projects–but just about everything else. I have a very supportive husband who can take a “no” very easily, but I still suffer from the “I need to be everything to everybody” disease. But I’m working on it and am sure I’ll get over that soon enough.
Most days I take my laptop to a coffee shop and start working at 8. Generally, I prefer to write in the morning, but my schedule is highly valiable depending on projects and deadlines. (I can’t imagine writing in long hand — I try to keep everything digital, scanning in documents and throwing away paper copies.) I try to schedule interviews in the afternoon, but since I am on the West Coast that isn’t always possible. As to the original poster’s question, executives tend to have busy schedules, and they realize that people need to coordinate schedules. I find that executives have no particular inclination to put writing projects on their morning calendar as opposed to their afternoon calendar, and I’ve never had anyone complain when I propose alternative times.