Reach your writing goals using this simple method [The Writerβ s Life](
May 16, 2023 "Practice the philosophy of continuous improvement.
Get a little bit better every single day."
β Brian Tracy Hi {NAME}! Yesterday we talked about the importance of doing a midyear check-in on your goals. Whether you're hitting all your targets (π ) or you need to refocus and reset (you can do it!) β¦ The critical thing is that you keep moving forward from where you are TODAY. I saw this equation online the other day β¦ Remember, there's massive value in incremental change β¦ It's not about a big burst of effort. It's consistent effort, day after day that ensures significant forward progress. AWAI Success Jen Phillips April is here today to talk about how you do that β and give you eight steps you can follow on your road to your writer's life. Jen made a serious commitment to her goals and her ongoing training when she was getting started more than 10 years ago, and she continues with those efforts even today. It's certainly working for her! She used her writing success to achieve her lifestyle goals β¦ moving from the chilly winters in the northeastern United States to living year-round in sunny Mexico, writing for the clients she chooses. One thing that will always make a difference in growing your value is training β¦ As you learn more and more, your earning power grows right along with it. Your copy becomes more effective, you have more to offer clients, and more doors open to you as a result. By continuing your studies, you can be earning while you're learning, and be incrementally increasing your value to clients. If you're ready to level-up your writing, I want to make sure you know about our [All-Access Certification Flex Pass](. It allows you to take any of our popular Certifications you want, any time you want! This is an amazing opportunity to get the knowledge and training you need to meet the wide demands in today's digital marketplace. You will be the "go-to" writer your clients turn to again and again. And you can watch your skills, earnings, and professional standing soar with every Badge you collect. [>> Get all the details on the Flex Pass here.]( And here's to your 1%-better-a-day success, Rebecca Matter
President
AWAI How to Get Free Stuff as a Writer Imagine scoring free vacations β¦ dinners out β¦ gym equipment β¦ house repairs β¦ relaxing spa getaways β¦ Barefoot Writers have a hidden avenue to land incredible bonuses β at zero cost β¦ On top of enjoying total career freedom. Discover how it's done with our special report, 130 Amazing Perks and Freebies for Barefoot Writers (and How to Get Them!) β yours free with an $11 subscription to Barefoot Writer magazine. [Click Here Now For Details]( How to Achieve Your Writing Goals with 1% a Day
By Jen Phillips April
[female freelance writer working on laptop at desk] "Habits don't change in a day. But 1% a day makes every habit work."
β James Clear, bestselling author of Atomic Habits Do you brush your teeth when you get up in the morning? Do you walk the dog at a certain time each day? Do you check your email around the same time every day? Chances are, you have dozens of habits as you go about your daily life. Everything from how (or if/when) you drink coffee to exercising is a habit. And changing them is hard. It's hard because most of us take an all-or-nothing approach to creating a new habit. Stop eating too much sugar.
Exercise every day.
Write daily. However, that approach doesn't usually stick because it's too radical. It's like those nutrition coaches who tell you to clean all the junk food out of your pantry so you're not tempted. It sounds good, but how long is it before those foods find their way back into your house? Enter the concept of continuous self-improvement over radical change. According to author and productivity expert James Clear, an improvement of 1% a day leads to 37% over a year. I don't know about you but improving 1% a day on my running performance sounds a whole lot more doable than "I'm going run a marathon next month." And improving 37% over 12 months sounds excellent. It gives me direction. 1% a Day Improvement Imagine what 37% improvement could look like for you. Maybe it's finally getting your freelance writing business off the ground and consistently bringing in income every month. It could be anything. So, what IS 1% a day? Well, James gives examples in his book and speeches online of how to make incremental changes, so each small change adds up to create a much larger overall improvement. Another way to tackle this is to think about what 1% of your day dedicated to improvement could look like. For the sake of easy math, let's make 1% of your day equate to 15 minutes. That means to experience incremental change, you'll find 15 minutes a day to learn something new or work on your business. And you can accomplish more than you think in 15-minute chunks. Next time you find yourself mindlessly scrolling social media or YouTube, put that time into your 1% improvement project instead. If you're not sure what to do during your 15 minutes? Watch this AWAI webinar on [creating your own personal roadmap](. Once you have your direction, you can start chipping away at tasks that help you reach your goals. For example, here are eight things every freelancer has on their to-do list at some point. The first two items in the list are goals and constraints. Once you define those, you have the structure you need to progress. - Define Your Goals β There are many ways to have a freelance writing career. I know successful writers who write mostly case studies for large B2B companies, and I know successful writers who focus on content for tech start-ups. The best way to become a freelance writer is to choose something to start. Preferably something you have some interest or experience in. [Want to make your first $1,000 as a writer?]( - Define Your Constraints β Once you know your goal, certain constraints can fall into place. Having boundaries helps you narrow your focus and make choices that move you closer to your goals. For example, suppose you've decided to focus on email writing for e-commerce companies. In that case, you won't get distracted by studying the case study market.
- Create Those First Samples β If you already have writing samples, excellent. Take 15 minutes to pull them together into a Google folder if you haven't already and clearly label them. If you don't have samples, then think about the [type of writing]( you want to do and create a couple of written samples to show. Spend 15 minutes a day until you've got a few solid examples for prospective clients. [Need more ideas? Watch [How to Create a Winning Portfolio of Samples If You're Just Starting a Freelance Writing Career (Even If You've Never Had Any Clients!]()] - Develop a Website β Every professional writer needs a website eventually. You don't have to complete it before you get writing work, but you do want to get it done. AWAI has a [website building program]( to help to build yours quickly. (You can also check out this free Inside AWAI webinar: [How to Attract Freelance Writing Clients via a Magnetic Website.]()
- Update your LinkedIn Profile β LinkedIn is an excellent source for networking and finding clients. But first, you want your profile to look its best. If you haven't filled out your profile completely, this is an important thing to do. Add skills, request testimonials from colleagues and clients, upload your samples, and fill out the work history. I update mine with new samples every couple of months. (If you need some help, here's an Inside AWAI webinar: [How to Write a Professional LinkedIn Profile.]()
- Invest in Learning Applicable Skills β There's always something new to learn. But active learning always beats passive learning. I mean that everyone learns by doing. For example, if you've studied [The AWAI MethodTM](, you want to put it into practice right away before moving on to the next thing. That way, you'll feel how the technique works instead of simply reading about it. Better yet, if you try it and realize you have no idea what you're doing, then you can study a little more and ask yourself what's confusing. That's real learning.
- Check-in With Yourself β Take time for reflection every week or every month to assess your learning and progress. Not only does this serve as an accountability tool, but it's also a way to notice areas for improvement. I have a Google doc where I write down five things every week that went well, five that didn't, and areas for improvement. It's astonishing how much more I learn when I take the time for reflection. ([Watch this]( for information on doing a midyear goal check-in.)
- Market Yourself β Most beginning freelancers don't market enough. By that, I mean they make one or two efforts and get discouraged. But that's not enough data. It takes consistent outreach to bring in business β daily or weekly outreach. (Check out this Inside AWAI webinar, [26 Ways to Find Freelance Writing Clients](, if you need ideas!) It's easy to get overwhelmed when you're learning something new. But when you break it down and think continuous improvement via just 1% a day, that puts it within reach. Can you imagine yourself 37% better this time next year? You can get there if you improve just 1% a day! If you're looking to watch your value soar with your prospects and clients, you should check out AWAI's All-Access Certification Flex Pass, which gives you full access to the Mastery & Certification Training programs AWAI offers all year long. [Check it out today!]( What's Hot at AWAI β¦ π Newly Released: [Our most extensive Mastery & Certification Badges lineup EVER!]( π Did you miss this week's Monday Morning Jumpstart? [Catch it here!]( π€ [How to impress and win over web writing clients with Certifications.]( π Looking for the perfect niche for new writers? This might be the answer. [Watch this interview today.]( π Will you be there? [Check out the BIG NEWS about Bootcamp.]( π€© [Ex-Army Major finds life-changing purpose in copywriting.]( You don't have to be perfect, you just have to start β¦ [Social media post about taking action] Congratulations to you and your son, Anita! This is proof that the dream writer's life is truly possible. Every writer gains from taking action β¦ even by starting with 1% improvement each day! Have your own story to share? Email us at mysuccess@awai.com, or [post it over in the Facebook group](, so we can celebrate your win too! Free Training:
A New Model for Making Money as a Writer in 2023 and Beyond Friday, May 19 at 12 p.m. ET π [Access Instructions Here]( Your ALL-ACCESS Key β Just $1! Get instant access to this exclusive B2B writing community and ALL their private resources, including β¦ All the success roadmaps β¦ All the writing templates β¦ All the articles β¦ All the how-to videos β¦ All 150+ training webinars β¦ The Forum, the Job Board, the tutorials, the tools β¦ And much more! [Go Here for More Details]( Featured Jobs You can find these jobs and thousands more on [WritersWanted.com](: --------------------------------------------------------------- Copywriter β Brunswick Corporation Full-time, Mettawa, IL Creative Services is a growing team, and you'll collaborate with a talented crew of designers, copywriters, project managers, partners, and clients to encourage consumers to get on the water with Brunswick. --------------------------------------------------------------- Copywriter β Robert Half Full-time, Miami, FL Write strong, motivating content, including social media, printed materials, TV, radio, e-mails, and other content, within the brand's style and tone. --------------------------------------------------------------- Part-Time Copywriter β Mojenta Part-time, San Diego, CA Write copy (web, social media, email marketing, blogs, e-books, etc.) for a variety of clients in the telecom, IT, and/or cloud industries. --------------------------------------------------------------- Trouble viewing this email? [View in your browser, here](. For questions or requests: [contact us online](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Β©2023 American Writers & Artists Institute Do you know of someone who would benefit from reading The Writer's Life? Simply direct them [here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- American Writers & Artists Institute
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