BITW 150: 11 Keys To Long-term Success As a Travel Writing Freelancer with Rachel Cavanaugh (Part 2)

Today’s episode is a follow up to my interview with Rachel Cavanaugh. This is part two of our conversation about 11 Keys To Long-term Success As A Freelancer. Check out part one of the interview to learn Rachel’s step by step process to set yourself up for success as a freelancer and travel journalist, how to develop a niche and how to generate income as well as the keys to networking.

In our 2nd episode, we chat about creating a work-life balance as well as keys to writing faster and how to prioritize your workload and stay on track. 

Rachel has been in media and journalism for 14 years. She started her career as a print newspaper reporter. Today she is an outdoor, travel and adventure writer with a focus on outdoor sports and adventure destinations, particularly skiing/snowboarding, kiteboarding, kayaking, hiking, and road-tripping. She is a staff commerce writer for Bustle Digital Group which includes Bustle, Elite Daily, Mic, and Inverse as well as a freelance writer for various outlets including Men’s Journal, MSN, The Hollywood Reporter, 57 Hours, Matador Network, Digital Trends, Gear Junkie, and KimKim.

In this episode we focus on:

~WRITE FASTER (drop the perfectionism, use a timer, “get it on the page,” outlines vs no outline — practical tips on writing quickly and more efficiently)

~STAY ON TRACK (tools, resources, etc, to maximize daily productivity, how to stay on track, quit procrastinating, keep focused, etc)

~PRIORITIZE YOUR WORKLOAD (when you are juggling multiple clients, stories for 10 different mags, communication with various editors, a list of timely pitches you don’t want to lose, etc, it can be hard to know what to prioritize. here’s how to create an effective task management system and deal with multiple editors )

~OPTIMIZE YOUR SCHEDULE (outline of resources, tools, strategies to manage your schedule, create an effective routine, calendars, etc.)

~MAINTAIN WORK-LIFE BALANCE (how to prevent burnout from the hustle, avoid working at midnight and on weekends, force yourself to quit at certain times, take a walk, relax, make time for yourself, etc)

And tune in for the 2nd episode where we’ll be chatting about creating a work-life balance as well as keys to writing faster and how to prioritize your workload and stay on track.

My favorite quote from Rachel Cavanaugh from this podcast episode”

Simply ask yourself, “Am I writing right now”? When you find yourself off track or procrastinating about finishing or starting an article. 

Full episode >> listen to today’s episode

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