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How Much Did You Earn Today?
by Steve Slaunwhite
The garbageman who picks up my trash every Thursday morning has an advantage over me. He knows exactly how much he’s going to make that day. All he has to do is show up and do the work. When he goes home at night, he knows he’s earned a paycheck.
Not me. As a freelance copywriter, I know (firsthand, I admit) that it’s possible to fritter the whole day away and not make a dime.
I remember a few years ago, during dinner, my wife asking, “How was your day?” I answered, “Very busy. I worked on my website for a while. Updated my portfolio. Cleared up some bookkeeping and . . .”
Then it hit me. I didn’t make any money! Not one cent.
So the next day, I put “Make money” on my to-do list. And it has been there ever since.
The best favor you can do for your writing career — and your bank account — is to set a daily income goal. And then strive to reach that goal before you go onto anything else.
Let’s say, for example, your goal is to earn $400 a day. To achieve that target, you need to give your paying jobs priority and do $400 worth of work BEFORE you surf the blogs, chat online with colleagues, or sip coffee at Starbucks. (My wife calls it Fivebucks.)
I’ve been at this for a while, so my daily goal is relatively high compared to many freelancers. Yours doesn’t have to be. Even if your goal is a modest $200 per day — an eminently reasonable target for most copywriters — that’s $1,000 per week; $4,000 per month; $48,000 per year! And a four-week vacation!
The most important thing is, by setting a daily income goal, you’ll sleep better. You’ll know that, by the end of the day, you’ve made money. And that’s a damned good feeling.
“But what if I don’t have any billable work to do today?” you might be asking. Then you know EXACTLY how to spend your day: prospecting and marketing.
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