I’m the first to admit that this is my biggest problem…

A few months into my freelance copywriting career, I became jaded. I had clients falling into my lap with hardly any marketing on my part, and I was earning enough money to be “comfortable”…

Don’t get me wrong, ALL of my clients get 100% effort out of me, but I’d lost some of my drive…

It used to be I’d get a new project and that same night I’d sit down, do some market research, and try to bang out a rough draft… I was EXCITED to be working on any new project that came my way.

Lately, it’s been more like “It’s not due for about a month… I’ve got plenty of time to get around to it.”

I’m not lazy. I’m human.

I’m also 27. I still run around with a lot of the same people I did in High school, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, BUT it can kill my productivity… Why?

My best friend is a foreman on a roofing company… He makes good money for where we live, and he worked his ass of to get there…  And aside from grabbing a cold beer after work from time to time he’s one of the most responsible guys I know.

However my best friend is the exception… (And no offense to anyone who may be reading this).

Most of my friends are always wanting to go out and have some fun, even if it means staying out until 3am on a Tuesday night…

I love having fun, but my days of treating life like a full time party are over. So I’m going to slowly be cutting ties with a lot of these people, because they’re not helping me to become the person I want to become.

I’ve been doing some serious thinking about where I want to be a year from now, and I’m FAR from it at this point.

Here’s a few steps I’m taking to help me get there…

Identify Your Time Leeches… Here Are Mine..

Television: This is a big one for me. I’m not saying to give up your favorite shows, I have my fair share… I also record them on DVR so I can watch them on MY schedule, not the other way around. So if you’re not game for throwing out the “idiot box” completely, consider using DVR or even Hulu to watch your favorite shows on your time.

Video Games: I used to be an addict. Not as bad as some, but probably an hour or so a day. As much as it hurt to do, I sold all of my video game systems. I miss them, but when I’m at the point in life where I truly want to be, I’ll be able to afford them again… Until then I can’t afford the wasted time.

People: I’ve already talked briefly about cutting ties with those who aren’t helping my life. But I’m taking it a step further… Even for my clients I’m no longer going to be accessible 24/7… I’m not going to jump when my phone rings for anyone (I have voicemail for a reason) or return an email the second I get it… I will still communicate, but it’s on my terms.

Time Wasting Websites: Forums, Facebook, Twitter and others can be VERY helpful for your business… But only if you’re using them the RIGHT way… Browsing forums all day long can be addictive, but it doesn’t put much money in your pocket… For me personally websites like Digg.com and other fun but time sucking sites are on the “block list” on my computer. (To block sites, use Leechblock for Firefox (free).

How To Be Passionate About What You Do.

I mentioned earlier that when I’d get a new project, I’d lose sleep over how excited I was to get started… I think I’ve figured out how to spark that passion again.

Here are a few tips to help “light that fire”…

• Only take on projects, whether they’re your own or a clients, that get you EXCITED… The “I can’t wait to finish this, we’re going to make a TON of money” type of projects.

• Don’t take on more work than you can handle… I’ve been guilty of this in the past and nothing burns you out and kills your motivation like biting off more than you can chew.

• Only work with people you like…  I can’t stand negative attitudes, I want my clients and partners to be EXCITED about their projects… That energy and excitement is contagious.

• Set yourself an ultimatum…  “If I don’t earn $x in the next 2 weeks, I’m getting a part time job as a waiter for a month”… I don’t know about you but going back to a minimum wage job were no  one values your time and people treat you like crap is a pretty strong motivator for me.

• Set realistic goals that get you excited… New car, family vacation to Disney World, Backpacking trip across Europe… Ask yourself what you’d rather be doing more than anything else right now and use that as fuel for your fire.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading, most recently Kennedy’s “No B.S. Time Management” and Craig Garber’s new book “Make Maximum Money With Minimum Customers”… (non-aff)

They’ve both already inspired me…

Mainly, because I have a “magic number” that I believe an hour of my time should be worth… And if I’m not doing an activity that directly contributes to that “magic number”,  I need to STOP immediately and either get off of the computer or get back to work that directly puts money in my pocket.

I find that I work best when I write down specific daily goals on a checklist… I also estimate the time the goal will take, set a timer, and do nothing but work on that goal during the duration of that time.

I personally use The Action Machine (non-aff) but to be honest, aside from the reports and a few bells and whistles  pen,  paper and an egg timer works just as well.

Another VERY cool (and free) tool is Rescue Time… It tracks EVERYTHING you do on your computer, from the apps you have open to the websites you visit, and shows you some neat charts and graphs so you can see where you spend the majority of your time on the computer.

I HIGHLY recommend you grab this… It’s free and the information it provides about your work habits are extremely insightful.

If you can add one more PRODUCTIVE hour per day to you schedule, that’s 5 hours a week, or 20 hours a month…

If you value your time at $100 per hour that’s an extra $2,000 a month, and it’s not THAT hard to squeeze an extra hour of productivity out each day.

Your Time Is Your Most Valuable Asset…

Time is one thing money can’t buy, and you’re constantly running out of it… So you NEED  to use it as wisely as possible…

And if you set daily goals and schedules you’ll be A LOT more productive during your working time… So you can either make more money or spend your time doing something that you enjoy doing…

THAT’S freedom… I don’t know about you but that’s EXACTLY why I went into my business for myself. It’s the ultimate freedom.

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh