Conquer the Lazy Days of Summer
Steve Roller here again … for day 3 of The Writer's Life and "Independence Week."
I live in Wisconsin, where we only have about two and a half months of good summer weather.
Which means from the end of June until Labor Day, it seems that everyone is outside having fun. Grilling out, playing softball, going to the beach, hiking, and biking.
While I'm trying to market myself, close new clients, and meet deadlines, the rest of Wisconsin is playing.
And with four kids on summer break, along with a steady stream of neighborhood kids through the house, it gets a little hard to concentrate.
What about you? Do you find it hard to be productive in summer?
Today, I want to give you a few simple tips so you can have a profitable summer and still enjoy the writer's life. It’s what I call my summer strategy “mindset.”
Plain and simple, you adopt an approach that’s opposite what everyone else is doing.
The whole idea of summer vacation is ingrained in us from elementary school to adulthood. Three months off, kick back, take it easy, and get back to school (and real, productive work) after Labor Day, right?
Wrong!
I look at summer as an opportunity to make up ground (and pass by) everyone who is lounging around – including many freelance copywriters.
It's like the high school football player who dedicates his summer to running, eating, and sleeping right, and spending hours in the weight room. Think he might be in a more competitive position in September than his video game-playing buddies?
Well, as copywriters, I believe we can use our summer to …
- Get stronger (become better writers)
- Go faster (get more done in less time)
- Increase endurance (figure out how to write more each day)
I'm not saying I do all these things myself. It's an ongoing challenge. But here are a few tips for maximizing your productivity and overcoming the summer vacation mentality:
- Develop a summer strategy mindset. Like I described above, it's simply doing the opposite (and getting opposite results) of what most people do in the summer.
- Establish summer hours. Other businesses do, why not us? I like to enjoy the nice weather as much as anyone, so I shift my work hours big-time in summer. It's a weird schedule, but it works for me. Monday through Friday, I work from 5-8 AM, 1-4 PM, and 9-10 PM. It allows me to get my kids to their activities, enjoy a large part of the day, and still get my work done.
- Take your work with you! To me, copywriting isn't just "work" that has to get done. I truly enjoy it, so whenever I can, I bring it with me. I don't like to bring my laptop to recreational places, but I've written great copy in a notebook while climbing rocks at Devil's Lake, on the beach (yes, just like on the cover of the Accelerated Program!), and even at a Milwaukee Brewers game. Don't get me wrong, I know when to shut things off and have fun, but ideas come to me at strange times, and the beauty of copywriting is you really can do it anywhere.
- Use the summer to create a little side venture away from your normal copywriting routine. We'll talk more about this one tomorrow.
Incorporate these four simple ideas, and you'll arrive at Labor Day stronger, faster, and leaner (and with a pretty good tan to boot!).
Do you have a summer routine that works for you? Tell me about it by posting a comment below.
And just like a good athlete does better with a good coach, a little coaching can benefit us copywriters, too.
Yesterday, I mentioned Nick Usborne and told you about his 3-day webinar, How to Discover a Profitable Web Writing Niche. This mini-coaching series is included as an extra bonus this week when you get his Copywriting 2.0 program (as well as $100 off the program until July 8th).
Want to take this whole idea of summer productivity to another level?
Check out my article, "Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and … Copywriting?" You'll get some more ideas on finding profitable opportunities. Just a word of warning, though. You might get a certain advertising jingle stuck in your head for the rest of the summer.
Copywriting 2.0: Your Complete Guide to Writing Web Copy that Converts
Learn how to become an in-demand online copywriter for companies big and small. Online copywriting expert Nick Usborne shows you how to write better web copy, land more clients, and make more money. Learn More »
“That first paycheck told me I could do this. Recent paychecks and referrals are confirming that I’m on my way to living the dream.”
If yes, you could be in big demand, earning big money, writing just a few hours a day from anywhere in the world you choose to be.
Get Nick Usborne’s step-by-step system for creating money-making information websites.
In just 6 hours and 35 minutes, you can be in business earning $60 – $150 an hour writing simple resumes.
Learn the secrets behind succeeding in this in-demand career.
The work is plentiful … the pay scales are generous and the competition is scarce!
Get the answers to the hundreds of questions and concerns commonly asked in specific, step-by-step details.
Use this eight-step plan to make the leap from aspiring copywriter to professional copywriter this year.
Let your fellow AWAI members show you firsthand the easiest, most powerful way to land your first client … BEFORE you finish the program.
Writing for the web is a huge opportunity for copywriters. Let web expert Nick Usborne show you how to write blockbuster web copy in record time … even if you're a complete internet “rookie”!
It’s an opportunity to make $50,000, $75,000, $100,000 a year or more … working just a few hours a day.
A once complicated profession is now something you can do on a standard computer – even if you have little or no “artistic” ability.
It’s one thing to have a website. But if your website can’t be found by the search engines, it may as well not exist.
The Internet creates new income possibilities every day. The biggest among them: online video marketing.
Get the very techniques top-performing copywriters use to rattle off one groundbreaking control after another.
In his new book, Michael Masterson teaches you his very own formula for powerful persuasion and how to apply it to direct mail sales letters as well as online promotions.
LOL! I've been cranking out more copy than ever this summer - because my clients don't take the summer off! My problem is finding time to fit in some fun and enjoy the fine summer weather!
Guest (Deanna) – July 6, 2011 at 4:15 pm
Ha! Yes, Deanna, there is that problem, too. A much better one to have! Hope you get an R&R day soon.
Steve Roller – July 6, 2011 at 11:13 pm