When I first became a freelance writer in 2016, I found success fairly quickly. Within a few months, I had surpassed my goal of earning $1,000 per month.

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And by four months in, I was consistently earning around $3,000 per month. And then...I hit a plateau in my business that lasted for about a year and a half.

No matter what I did, I could never seem to break past the $3,000 mark. And it was so frustrating because it felt like I was always hustling for new work!

But no matter how many new clients I found every month, my monthly income always stayed the same. The turning point finally came when I joined a networking group for freelance writers.

Many of the people in this group earned six-figures freelance writing. And some of them earned as much as $20,000 to $30,000 per month!

The real benefit to joining that group was that I got to see how well-paid freelancers think. I learned that successful freelance writers do things very differently than other people.

They’ve developed a very different set of habits than the average freelance writer. I’m happy to say that I’ve learned to implement many of these habits myself, and from 2018 to 2019, I more than doubled my income.

The 5 Habits of Well-Paid Freelance Writers

If your goal is to make more money as a freelance writer, I suggest your start by working on your daily habits. Here are five habits of well-paid freelance writers:

1. They’re efficient with their time

Have you ever looked at someone really successful and wondered how they manage to get so much done in a day?

Successful freelance writers accomplish a lot because they’re very efficient with their time.

They don’t spend five hours making one 1,000-word blog post perfect for their client.

They don’t agonize over getting their proposals just right before hitting “send.”

They don’t research their articles endlessly to avoid doing the hard work of writing. And they don’t need the perfect working environment in order to write and stay focused.

They know what they need to get done in a day, and move efficiently from one task to the next.

2. They’re prolific writers

If you want to make money as a freelance writer, then you should expect to spend a lot of your time writing. Now you may be thinking, “Duh, Jamie, I WANT to spend a lot of time writing!”

But hear me out on this point. Personally, I’ve been a writer since I was a kid. I journaled and wrote short stories, as well as some really terrible poetry.

But here’s the thing -- I rarely had anything to show for all that time I spent writing. I was a hobby writer, so I rarely finished anything I started. As a result, my writing skills never improved much either.

In comparison, I’ve written and published thousands of blog posts over the last three and a half years since I started freelancing. As a result, my skills and knowledge have grown exponentially over that same time frame.

New writers often hear that they should “practice their craft,” but what does that really mean? In my opinion, it means that you aren’t writing for the sake of writing, but that there should be a purpose to your writing.

It means you have to be willing to write some really boring articles in the name of making money and improving as a writer. And it means you have to force yourself to finish those really crappy early drafts and put them out there before you’re ready.

It means instead of just spending time more writing, you sit down to write with an end goal in mind.

3. They prioritize self-care

This next point doesn’t just apply to freelance writers. If you look at anyone who’s been really successful, you’ll find that most put a high priority on self-care.

I know, I know. Self-care has turned into a huge buzzword, but I’m not talking about taking baths or getting your nails done. I’m talking about doing the boring and tedious work of taking care of yourself and meeting your own needs.

For me, self-care looks like:

Drinking half of my body weight in ounces of water every day
Working out at least five days a week
Limiting the amount of added sugar in my diet
Taking supplements
Staying on top of yearly doctor’s appointments
Getting routine lab work done
Getting eight hours of sleep every night

Freelance writing is hard work, and it’s even harder if you’re not taking care of yourself. I’ve found that the more I prioritize self-care, the more money I make.

4. They’re always looking for new work

I often receive emails from new freelance writers who are frustrated that they aren’t finding any new clients on Upwork. And they usually say something like this:

“Hi Jamie,
I’m just wondering how I can find better-paying jobs on Upwork. So far, I’ve sent 15 proposals but haven’t gotten any good offers!”

Sending 15 proposals is a good start, but that effort alone isn’t going to give you the results you’re looking for. You must be prepared to keep sending proposals every day without seeing an immediate return on your investment.

Here’s the thing -- for every amazing, well-paying job on Upwork you’re going to have to weed through 20 dead-end jobs to find it. So successful freelancers are always in the habit of looking for new work

5. They diversify their income

Most successful writers I know make their income from a variety of different sources. They may be fully booked with freelance writing clients, but offer a variety of other products and services like:

Coaching other freelance writers
Selling e-Books
Selling courses
Speaking at conferences
Participating in Medium’s partner program
Earning affiliate income through their blog, etc.

You can earn an amazing living as a freelance writer, but it’s going to be unpredictable at times. The pandemic is proof of this -- the personal finance industry wasn’t hit too hard by the shutdowns, but I still lost a few clients and saw a dip in my income in April.

That’s why it’s always a good idea to start thinking about how you can diversify both your client base and your income over time. That’s exactly what’s I’m doing with my freelance writing course.

Final Thoughts

I know it can feel overwhelming to read these types of blog posts, and it can be hard to know how to take action. I recommend that you start by focusing on sending three proposals a day.

The other skills are developed over time, but you can start sending proposals immediately. And you’ll be amazed at how much progress you can make if you commit to sending three proposals a day for the next six months.

If you download the Freelance Writer’s Starter Guide, you’ll receive two proposal templates to help you get started. You can grab your copy here:

GRAB YOUR GUIDE!