Balancing Writing Jobs

I asked my fellow Plurkers what they wanted to know about freelance writing. JHipkin asked: how you keep a balance between looking for the next job and doing a good job on the current assignment? I gave a short answer to that question (due to the 140-character constraint), but thought I would answer it in more detail here.

Every writer has the problem of how to devote enough time to getting new work while not letting existing work suffer. I handle this simply, by planning time for looking for new work into my day.

I subscribe to several RSS feeds for job sites. I go through the job feeds in the morning as a way of easing into my day, opening any jobs that take my fancy in a Firefox tab. They stay there until I have dealt with them. I usually check again towards the end of the day. I also get some job leads by email or through my site. I try to start writing by 8.15, then when I reach a standstill, I look at the job feeds again in case anything new has come in.

When I get to the point where I can’t do much more, such as half an hour before pickup time or when DH is doing bedtime, I send out queries. I open my portfolio site in one tab, and quickly respond to all the job leads I have found that day. This takes no more than half an hour a day, and I manage to stick to this schedule most days.

I consider this time well spent. It still leaves me the best part of the day for writing, and it ensures that there is always the possibility of new work. And if I get more work than I can handle, I’ve got lots of freelancing friends who can help me. :)