Freelance Writers, Track Your Time!

(www.thegoldenpencil.com)
Sometimes I have to relearn lessons about my own successful freelance writing career. Way back in 2006 I wrote about tracking time… I even linked to a time tracking software that was, but is no longer, free.

Somewhere along the line, I stopped tracking my time. Since I tend to charge flat fees for projects, I don’t have the same motivation people who charge by the hour do to watch how much time I’m spending on what.

Last week I was talking with a fellow writer who does bill by the hour and as we talked I realized I would really benefit from tracking my time again. It would, among other things, let me know roughly what I’m earning an hour. I think we all need to know that. It would also help me reassure myself I’m not wasting time or show me that I was so I could change what I’m doing.

This time I’ve created a spreadsheet for each client and I’m simply entering the date, start and end time, and the function, which usually in my case is either write or edit.

It’s interesting. I am mostly, as I thought, on track. I do take more breaks than I thought I did, but maybe that’s okay. I sure will be in a better place to tell when I’ve get several weeks of time sheets tracking what I’m actually doing.

Write well and often,

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Image from http://www.sxc.hu