Working With The End In Mind

“One forges one’s style on the terrible anvil of daily deadlines.”
– Emile Zola, author

In Issue #149

Editor’s Note: A lot of people ask for tips on meeting deadlines, so today’s article is an update of a non-archived article I wrote in early 2006. I hope it helps!

Working With The End In Mind by Krista Jones

One of the most stressful things about the freelance copywriting life is dealing with all the deadlines.

The first year or so was especially hard for me. Juggling four or five projects at a time wore me out. I’d frequently skip work outs, get by on four hours of sleep, and work six-hour days on weekends to keep up.

When a deadline for a big project passed, I would absolutely hit the wall. For the next 24 hours or so the most energy I could ever muster was tinkering with an article or two while I recuperated for the next round of deadline madness.

And so it went for the first 12 to 18 months of my career.

Thankfully, as I gained experience not only could I do the work faster, but clients were also more flexible with setting deadlines. Instead of just saying, “It’s due in two weeks,” they started asking me when I could have it done.

By then I had developed a pretty good system for hitting my deadlines. One that I’ve refined over the ensuing years. I share it with you today with the hope that it will help reduce some of the stress you feel as your plate begins to fill.

Here’s the nine-step process I follow when I land a new project:

  1. Make sure the client sends me all the background information I’ll need to complete the project.
  2. Put the deadline on a one-month dry-erase board I keep in my office. I glance at the board every day to remind me of all my commitments.
  3. List all the projects I’m working on and prioritize the tasks for each project, working backward from each project’s deadline.
  4. Make a list of all the tasks I need to complete that week that will allow me to ultimately complete every project on time.

    This might be challenging for you in the beginning, but hang in there. It will get easier over time once you get a better idea of how long each project and each phase—writing headlines and leads, offers, body copy—will take. (See CP Issue No. 131 for details on how long I spend on each phase of the project.)

  5. Create a daily schedule from my weekly list. I usually work on 2-3 projects a day so I might do research for one project, write an order device and envelope teaser for another, and revise a sales letter for another.
  6. Take 10-15 minute breaks when I get stuck or tired. If I’ve been really busy for a couple of weeks and I’ve been working so hard that I’m exhausted, I force myself to take longer breaks. For instance, I’ll take an evening off or a day off on the weekend to allow my mind time refresh itself. In the end, the time off is always well worth it.
  7. Work as many hours as it takes to meet my daily goals. That way I stay on track with the schedule I set up in Step 4.
  8. Write the next day’s goals/tasks in my Franklin Covey planner or Yahoo! Calendar the night before. I schedule each task in a specific block of time and use a timer to help me stay on track. I work in one- to two-hour increments to complete the items on my daily task list.
  9. Try to complete the first draft of big projects several days before the deadline to allow time to do at least 3-5 rewrites/revisions.

That’s what I do to stay on track. Of course, there are countless things you can do to make sure you don’t miss a deadline.

To give you a different perspective, I asked newcomer Laurie Cauthen for tips on how she is handling juggling multiple writing projects. Here’s what she shared:

“My method for meeting deadlines is first I write the deadline on my wall calendar and my small wallet planner which I carry with me all the time, so I can jot something down as it arises…..

I already know in advance my CP deadline and my newspaper deadline, and I usually have one or two articles for each in reserve in case I get really busy.

Other things pop up here and there, and then I place them on the calendars as well.

On Sunday, I write my schedule for the coming week. I follow your [Krista’s] pie chart example and break my day up into small chunks of time….

Say from 8:00 to 9:00, I take my brisk walk at the park.

From 9:00 to 9:30, I eat a light breakfast.

From 10:00 to 3:00, I research, write, make phone calls and answer emails.

The rest of the afternoon is devoted to family time, in between, making dinner, doing household chores and running errands.

In the evening after dinner, if I have some extra free time I’ll read, research, or I might edit or rewrite what I have been working on.

Also after my children are in bed, I devote time to writing my book. This is a pet project and I am following Michael Masterson’s advice about writing at least 100 words a day towards a book project.

Before I go to bed, I meditate for awhile with Holosync CDs to relax and clear my mind.

That’s my routine so far….and it works quite well for me.”

I hope some of these ideas help. Whether you use any of our ideas or not, I recommend that you come up with a system that works for you. It will help you feel calmer and in more in control of your time.

Resource Referral: Sit With This for 30 Days

Laurie mentioned that she meditates with Holosync CDs to relax and clear her mind. I occasionally listen to that program too.

I also listen to the Gateway Experience®. The programs use similar technologies to synchronize the right and left sides of your brain. What I love about the Gateway Experience is it is a guided meditation that allows you to choose the kind of experience you want or the problem you would like to solve.

It’s impossible to describe this program. It’s just one of those things you have to try for yourself. So order it and try it at no risk for 30 days. If you’re not as thrilled with the Gateway Experience® as I am, just send it back and you’ll get every penny back. But my guess is you’ll be hooked.

Quick Copy Tip: Turn Off Your Screen by Karen Martiny

Here’s a fun experiment – try it to boost your inner creative spirit!

I recently learned a trick to stop my internal critic in its tracks. I tend to edit myself as I write. Maybe that’s not a problem for you, but it constricts my creativity. Even as I write this, I’m reading the previous few sentences I’ve written . . . and I’ve already made a few revisions. It’s hard to allow thoughts to flow freely when I stop every few seconds to look back at the words on the page.

Thanks to a tip from Joe Vitale, this trick is a sure way to get your brain waves in gear whenever you’re stuck. . .

Turn off your computer screen! That’s right – just press the tiny glowing button on the bottom of your monitor, and your screen will go blank. Now start typing and let the words flow. It may feel a little strange at first, but keep going, and you’ll find yourself filling a page faster than you thought possible. Don’t worry about typos or correct punctuation – just type as if you’re carrying on a conversation with your best friend.

Once you turn your screen back on, you can edit your copy. Your words will be right in front of you in black and white. It’s a lot easier to edit and rewrite than struggle to get your ideas down in the first place. Try it for yourself – and let loose your muse!

[Karen Martiny is a freelance copywriter whose passion in life is rescuing and re-homing dogs and cats. Her specialty niche is writing fundraising copy for animal rescue organizations.]