workingfromhome

4 important rules of being a successful writer

4 Important Rules Of Being A Successful Writer

Posted on by The Twentysomething Social Recluse

Do you want to be a successful writer? I asked four successful writers what rules they think are important to being a successful writer – from loving your work to being persistent, check out 4 of these rules here.

1. They refuse to take ‘No’ for an answer. Every writer will experience rejection emails and letters, but successful writers will use these letters to improve their writing, rather than get disheartened.

If you are struggling to get published, consider taking a short writing course to improve your skills. If you can’t afford to spend money, look online; the internet is filled with articles filled with tips on how to improve your skills as a writer – all for free!

2. They always set aside time to write. Many people wish to become writers but already have full time jobs or families. While it is reasonable for these other commitments to be your first priorities, if you dream of being a writer you must always make time for writing.

If you are struggling to set aside time for writing, decide at the beginning of the week how much you want to achieve; would you like to write two articles? Would you like to finish off the first chapter of your book? Decide what you want to do, work out how long it will take and break the chunks down and do a little each day.

3. They write for love, rather than money. It is difficult to have a successful, full-time career in a job you don’t enjoy, whether it is writing or something else. Are you writing for money and feeling continuously frustrated and upset, or do you enjoy and feel proud of the content you create?

4. They seek out feedback. Successful writers always want to improve their skills and writing style, as this is the only way they will advance in their career. They always ask editors and publishers for feedback, and they carefully read and analyse their own work to see if they can improve their own work.

What do you think of these rules? I think they are all pretty important to being a successful – and happy – writer! Can you think of any other rules that you think are important? Comment your ideas and let me know – I may do a follow-up article if people share their ideas! Hope you’re all having a great day 🙂

5 Ways To Move Forward When You’re Uncertain About Your Future

Posted on by The Twentysomething Social Recluse

Do you feel uncertain about your future? Many people of many ages struggle with this problem, but there is no one solution. However, changing your mind-set and your daily attitude can help you to move forward and gain clarity – check out 5 ways to move forward when you’re uncertain about your future.

1. Have a great attitude. You don’t have to view your uncertain future negatively – this could be the point in your life where you discover your true passions and interests. Having a positive attitude means you are more likely to notice and seize opportunities when they pop up. Having a negative attitude can leave you dwelling on your situation, rather than focusing on how to move forward.

2. Believe in your current job. Even if you don’t want to stay at your job, focus on the positives while you’re there. From paying the bills to helping you grow as person, most jobs will give you something very useful without you even noticing. Don’t give up on your work – the skills you work on while you’re there could later help you to land your dream job.

3. Work on improving yourself. Very successful people and companies continue to work on self-improvement even when they are doing well. Instead of thinking about your uncertain future, think about you could make yourself the best version of yourself in preparation for the future.

4. Decide what you want. You may feel uncertain, but there are probably many things you are already certain about. Ask yourself; what industry do I want to work in? Where do I want to be in 5 months? Where do I want to be in 5 years? Even if you can only answer one question, that is one thing you know for sure about your future.

5. Stick it out. If you do the four things above for a week and stop, you will not feel yourself moving forward. Stay focused on moving forward and having a positive mind-set, and you will slowly but surely notice your future becoming clearer to you. Good luck!

6 Time Management Tips

How To Make Sure Your Blog Stays Successful

Posted on by The Twentysomething Social Recluse

If you’re reading this the likelihood is you already run a blog. Many people today have their own blogs, as there are many different benefits. Whether you’re a student, a business or a singer, a blog can benefit you in many different ways. For instance, it can;

 

– Help you to reach a wide audience
– Connect you to others with similar interests
– Keep your audience updated with business/personal developments
– Share your knowledge with others
– Make you money!

 

All of these things can benefit you personally, and there are various ways to help your blog be as successful as it possibly could be. Here are three ways to help your blog become successful;

 

– Write short posts. Most people who read content online are used to jumping from snippet to snippet, so they expect posts to be written in easy, digestible chunks. Posts between 300 or 600 words are great, and if you’re writing an in depth piece 1,000 words is ideal.

 

– Use bullet points. They will break your post up, making the important information immediately available.

 

– Keep the tone conversational. Blogs are often more personal than websites or newspapers, and being colloquial will help you to create an individual voice.

 

Watching your blog grow can motivate you to keep posting great content, but often people let their blogs ‘die’ without really understanding why. Here are three tips to help you to guarantee your blog stays successful;

 

– Schedule posts in advance. This will help your blog to keep running, even on the days when you are too busy to log on. If you start by posting every day, and later swap to once a week, you may notice a drop in followers.

 

– Come up with ideas for 30 blog posts. This will encourage you to write the posts later as you don’t have to come up with an idea; you already have one!

 

– Link to similar blogs. Sharing links helps your posts to become more popular, and they may return the favor, opening your blog up to a whole new audience of possible followers.

 

– Stay active. Don’t just share your own posts – interact with fellow bloggers to stay successful. Being an active blogger helps you to feel like a valued member of a community, which will help to motivate you to keep posting.

 

Of course there are many other important factors to consider; if your content is poor you will still struggle! Do you have any blogging tips of your own? As a new-ish blogger I am always grateful for tips and advice from my fellow bloggers 🙂

4 Ways People Mess Up Telephone Interviews

Posted on by The Twentysomething Social Recluse

Have you ever had a job interview over the phone? Most people have been through a few, but there are many pitfalls to phone interviews that most people don’t consider.

Check out 4 ways that people mess up telephone interviews.

They Are Unprepared

Many people answer the phone to interviewers when they are halfway through cooking dinner or looking after their children, making the interview stressful for everyone involved.

It is better to not answer if you are busy, and to simply call back later. Interviewers will leave their name and number, so hold off if you are busy and give them a ring back when you can give them all of your time and attention.

They Forget The Important Details

This has happened to most people at least once – they have answered their phone to a job interview, and because they have applied for so many jobs, they have no idea who they are actually speaking to.

This can be tough to deal with, but a good way to do so is to keep notes on all of your applications. Note down important phone numbers, and when you get the call, it is much more likely you will know who is on the end of the line without having to ask.

They Sound Disinterested

As the interviewer cannot see your outfit or face over the phone, you have to use your voice to seem interested, enthusiastic and professional.

Many people struggle with either sounding disinterested or fake and over the top – a good way to deal with this is to take a deep breath to calm you down before you answer. Focus on being clear and coherent, rather than agreeable or excited.

They Don’t Do Their Research

When people first apply for jobs, they often do some research into the company and what they do. In interviews, they use this knowledge to make themselves appear interested and keen – but many people forget to do this during phone interviews. While phone interviews often seem much more casual, it is still important to seem like you are interested in the people you may be working for in the future.

Try to do some research into the company you are working for, and write it down. This way, if you receive the call, you can simply pick up the piece of paper with all of the information you need on it. Good luck!

Do you have any tips to help people improve their telephone interviewing skills? Thank you – as always – for checking out my blog and reading my posts! 🙂

4 Ways To Advance Your Career

Posted on by The Twentysomething Social Recluse

Many people feel like they are not advancing in their careers; that they are just going through the day-to-day motions. If you are feeling frustrated and want to start advancing your career right now, check out these 4 tips.

Learn To Earn

Are there any skills your bosses have that you don’t? Could you learn these skills? If you want to work your way up, look at the job you want and consider the skills you need to have to get that job. There are many online classes and courses that cover important skills, such as how to programme or how to learn to manage a team.

Work On Important Goals

Be a great team player, don’t arrive late to work – these are vague goals that we all have. Focus on a specific few goals that will move you forward in your career, and put some time into working on these goals every week.

Teach Yourself To Manage Conflict

As you move up the career ladder it is likely you will face conflict. Many successful people can successful deal with conflict effectively by being confident, open and honest. Focus on being all three of these things to help you to avoid and manage conflict.

Be Aware Of Your Achievements

When did you last achieve at work? Doing day-to-day work is something we all do, but occasionally you will excel at your work. Be proud and aware of your achievements; they will motivate you to work harder, and you will likely learn something from all of your personal achievements.

Can you think of any other ways to advance your career? Thank you for reading my blog post! 🙂

Can you think of any other ways to advance your career? Thank you for reading my blog post!

5 Well Paid Jobs You Can Do From Home

Posted on by The Twentysomething Social Recluse

Translator

If you speak two languages, translation is a job option for you to consider. You can set our own hours and choose your own work, but the work can be a little monotonous!

Skills you need: You need to know a second language – and you need to be able to speak and write in this language to a high quality level.

Being fast at typing is also a useful skill for this job. As you are often paid by project, rather than by the hour, typing quickly means the same amount of money for less time.

Statistical Analyst

This job is perfect for anyone who has worked with data. You can choose your clients or just work for one company. You will interpret data for research purposes, and it is helpful for you to have a specific area to specialize in, such as health or economics.

Skills you need: Proper statistical training. This job requires some qualifications, or at least previous experience analyzing data.

Travel Agent

There are more and more home-based travel agents joining the workforce. You can work for many travel companies from home, dealing with customers and solving their queries.

Skills you need: You need to have previous experience as a travel agent, or have experience in a similar area.

Writer

If you are skilled with words, there are many magazines and websites that are willing to pay you to write for them. A good way to break into writing is to blog or to write for free initially as a hobby – once you have proof online that you’re a great writer, you won’t struggle to find paid work.

Skills you need: You need to have a good grasp on the English language, as well as punctuation and grammar. It is helpful to have an area of expertise to write about too, such as travel, finance or cooking.

Transcriptionist

Transcriptionists type up audio files for clients, and they can either work for a company or as a freelancer. You can transcribe medical, law or general files.

Skills you need: You need to be a very fast typist – many companies are interested in people who can type between 60-100 words per minute. You also need to be great at spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Can you think of any more well-paid jobs that people can do from home? Thank you for reading! 🙂

HOW TO STOP PROCRASTINATING

4 Signs That You Need To Leave Your Job

Posted on by The Twentysomething Social Recluse

You Are Not Learning

You do not learn or advance at your job, you simply do the same tasks over and over again. While this can be pretty standard, it is important to find a job that mentally challenges you and can teach you new things. If you have felt this way for over a year, it is likely you will continue to struggle to learn from your job.

It Doesn’t Challenge You, It Stresses You Out

Challenging work has a solution, and when you figure it out your work will be easy. Stressful work often means you are overworked and/or have limited resources. Be aware of the difference, and know that while you can overcome challenging work, stressful work will often remain stressful.

It Is Only A Job – Not A Career

Can you see yourself advancing and moving up in your work? If you can, great! It is important to progress and feel like you are achieving. However, some jobs come with no chance of a raise or promotion, so it is important to assess which kind of job you have.

If you can’t progress and you love your job, this is less of a sign you need to leave your job. Ask yourself – would you be happy doing the same work in 3 years? What about 10?

You Do Not Feel Passionate About What You Do

You have passions, hobbies and interests, but none of them relate to your work. You do not feel inspired by your work, and you are normally bored at work. In this case, it is unlikely your job stresses you out – you just see it as a way to make ends meet. This is not a reason to quit immediately, but it may be time to start the job hunt.

Can you think of any other signs that mean it is time for you to change jobs? Thank you for reading! 🙂

15 Things Independent People Don’t Do

Posted on by The Twentysomething Social Recluse

Hey guys! Today I thought I would share another article I wrote for Lifehack called “15 Things Independent People Don’t Do.”

I think it is really important to be independent in some aspect of your life. It is nice to know that you are in control, and you only have to rely on yourself!

Read it here :- http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/15-things-independent-people-dont.html

What did you think? Do you think you are independent? Thank you (as always) for reading! 🙂

How To Make Sure You Work When You Work From Home

Posted on by The Twentysomething Social Recluse

Do you ever struggle to motivate yourself to work? Working from home means you have to push yourself to start your working day, which many freelancers occasionally struggle with.

Here are four ways to help you to get motivated and working.

1. Recognize The Voice Of Resistance

Realize that a part of you is making excuses, and acknowledge it. If you have bigger projects that could advance your career, you may notice you are feeling more resistant. This is mostly nervousness and fear – and knowing this will help you to overcome it.

2. Celebrate Your Victories

Be proud of everything you accomplished yesterday! Think of how you managed to keep your career on track while making some money to pay the bills. Be proud of everything you do – even the little jobs. This will help you to move past the resistance.

3. Be Sure Of Your Vision

Work out exactly what you want from the next year of your life – then work out exactly what you want from the next ten years of your life. Having a clear goal and vision will help you to realize feeling resistant is pointless and temporary – your goals are what you REALLY want.

4. Be Prepared To Go Off Track

There will be days when you don’t get much done, and there will be days when you don’t feel like working. This is normal, and everyone feels this way sometimes – don’t feel worried when it happens, just stick the kettle on and power through – good luck! 🙂 🙂

How To Start A Successful Freelancing Career

Posted on by The Twentysomething Social Recluse

Are you trying to break into freelancing? More and more people are becoming their own boss and setting up work from home.

No matter what kind of freelancing you want to do, here are four useful tips to help start a successful freelancing career.

1. Check Job Boards Every Day

Often freelance work is snapped up straight away, with good work offers disappearing almost immediately. Give yourself an advantage and check job boards every day – multiple times if you have the time!

2. Apply, Apply, Apply!

The bigger your net is, the more fish you are likely to catch. Break down the time you apply for jobs so you don’t become disheartened; spend half an hour every morning sending out a few applications.

Don’t pin all your hopes on one application – there are hundreds of jobs available for freelancers, so keep looking for something similar!

3. Be Flexible

You may only want to write about music, business or travel, but it is beneficial not to be picky about the work you take on to start with. Every piece of work you take on will advance your portfolio, give you a reference, or put some money in your bank account – so try to be willing to write about anything initially!

4. Respond Quickly

Respond to job leads and emails straight away; companies expect freelancers to always be on hand, and you can seem unprofessional if you don’t reply, and in a worst case scenario you could even lose the gig. Reply straight away to anyone who seems interested in your work – the interest could pass in a matter of minutes!

Can you think of any other useful tips for people who are starting their careers as freelancers? Comment your ideas below J