On Hustling

As just about every freelancer knows, hustling for work is a large part of the business. It took me a while to figure this out. Once I had enough jobs in mid-2016, I stopped looking for more opportunities.

Big mistake.

When work dried up in November, I was left out in the cold for two months. I didn't starve, but just about every day I was mentally kicking myself in the butt for overlooking something so crucial.

But I learned my lesson, and now that I have new work, I don't intend to make the same mistake twice. It will certainly save me money and future frustration. So every day I'm on the job boards, applying to 5-10 new opportunities each week.

What's a good opportunity? Anything that pays well enough. The jobs I've applied to range from full-time telecommuting positions (with benefits) to one time gigs writing web copy for someone's flower shop in Manhattan. No job is too small or too short. It all adds up to a profitable bottom line.

Yet before I apply to any new job, I always pause to ask myself an important question: "Can I deliver what the client wants when the client wants it?" For example, I've never applied to a job asking me to write about women's fashion. Yeah...that wouldn't work. What's harder is figuring out if a job would help me get closer to my professional goals, 'getting closer to the mountain' as Neil Gaiman put it. In a nutshell, that's how I figure out if a job is a good fit.

But even after work and hustling, there's still down time. For example, I'm waiting at the Honda dealership for my Fit to get its oil changed. The life of a writer...