Freelancing comes with flexibility - in what, when and who you work for. But that can also mean a lack of routine and focus - especially for those of us who previously had a staff job.
At FFJ, while we do tend to stick to a 9-5 (and then those extra evenings and weekends), we also take the time to do exercise, pop to the shops or meet a friend during the working day. To get this balance right (and most freelancers we speak to say they are still working on it), planning is really important. Knowing what you have coming up, what your day and week looks like and how you will fit it all in means you can also build in that time to do other things.
For our intern Minreet Kaur, quitting the corporate world of marketing to make a fresh start in freelance journalism was a bit of a culture shock. This week she gives her top tips on what strategies she has found most helpful in structuring her week.
“I have found certain things work for me and wanted to share them as it’s not always easy to motivate yourself when you’re at home.”
I get up an hour earlier than I need to to reflect on the day ahead, have a cup of tea and then make a list of what I need to complete.
I will go to the gym or for a walk because that 30 minutes of exercise and meditation just sets me up for the day.
After breakfast I start working. I try to work straight through for a few hours, but allowing myself a short break.
I like to complete my work ahead of a deadline, so I will always work to a day before. So if the deadline is Friday, I aim for everything to be completed on Thursday.
I also find using my iPhone calendar and my laptop diary helpful as reminders for things I need to do, as well as using a notepad with the list of items I need to complete that day.
Planning ahead for features I’m working on is key and I carry out interviews in advance where possible with case studies and transcribe them straight away.
Extras like photos can by easily forgotten so I also sort these out a day before the deadline.
With every article I write, I try and break it down into sections. So if it’s 1,000 words I will have a rough idea of how long the introduction will be, how long the case study comments will be and then a line in between to make it flow and an ending. This planning also helps me to brief people I speak to beforehand.
I like to know in advance what I am doing so I do plan for the week ahead as well as that day which means I can tick off my list as I go and if I get ahead, I start to complete the things for tomorrow.
For me, planning my day and week ahead of time, means I feel more productive and there is less anxiety and stress about the workload.
I never leave anything too late, or last minute if I can avoid it. Sometimes it can’t be helped but this way I have time to deal with problems that may arise.
Freelancing can be quite isolating and I also find speaking to other journalists on how they organise their day is helpful and means you can pick up new techniques and tricks.
We love to hear from our community. Come and share in our Facebook group, your tricks for making sure you get everything done. Are you a 9-5 person or a night owl? Google calendar or posh notebook for keeping track? Do you get things finished early or prefer working right up to that deadline? Tell us all about it!
What’s coming up
Loud klaxon alert noise!! Series 6 of the Freelancing for Journalists podcast is launching NEXT WEEK and we’re very excited to bring you some really great topics and guests. In the meantime you can find all our past episodes below including those fan faves Imposter syndrome, Working outside London and Should you ever work for free? at the link below or just search for us in Apple, Spotify and all the other directories.
Triumph of the week
Finding an expert in Fiji to talk about climate change and health.
That feeling when…
You’re having a very relaxing, smoothly running day but you know it can’t last... Don’t jinx it now.
We love to hear your feedback on everything we do, so feel free to drop us an email anytime at freelancingforjournalists@gmail.com
Bye for now!