I find it rather ironic that my last post harps on websites that don't use, or don't keep up with their blog, yet I've failed to write here for nearly three months. 

In light of that, I thought I'd write about options for finding more time to keep up with your own blog, but the only ideas I could come up with - or that were suggested by others, were not exactly helpful.

A few including staying up later or waking up earlier.  But losing too much sleep is a good way to kill creativity and often leads to more stress and even illness. If you're already working 6 a.m. to 10 or 11 at night, stretching your hours on either end is not going to work, at least not for more than a short period of time.

Regardless, there is probably quite a bit of unproductive time lost to meaningless web browsing or, the most common issue, Facebook. By closing out of Facebook more often, I'm sure I can squeeze at least 15 minutes out of my day to spend time writing my blog. It's all about priorities.

If I have a deadline given by a client, I'll do everything in my power to meet that deadline, but with my own blog, I have no one peering over my shoulder or telling me it must be done by midnight, Sunday.  This makes it very easy to put off, and put off the next day until before you know it, three months have gone by. 

For me, what works best is telling someone I'll do something.  First, I plan to stay away from Facebook for the majority of the afternoon, perhaps from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. which should allow me at least an extra 15-30 minutes a day to keep up with my personal blog. I've said it, so now I'll have to do it. Stay tuned. 

What does everyone else do to find more time in the day? Other than turning the clocks back an hour tonight, that is- one of my favorite days of the year! 

If you've never hired a freelance writer, and are considering doing so for either one project or on and ongoing basis, asking yourself the right questions can go a long way with creating a successful client/writer relationship for any type of writing project you might have.

Before embarking on a search for that perfect writer, ask yourself the following questions and be prepared to provide the answers to each candidate:

• What is the length of the project? Will it be a one time deal or will you need several projects completed over time? If you need an article written, for example, it's important to estimate the number of words that will be required. A basic online article is typically 350 - 400 words. 
• How quickly does the project need to be completed? Remember that writers have a busy schedule with a number of clients they're working with. Rush projects are likely to be charged at a premium.
• What is the reason for the project? Do you have a target reader? Are you trying to sell an idea or a product, or bring more traffic to your website?
• Do you have a specific title and/or keywords and subheadings that you would like used?
• Which type of writing style do you prefer? Do you want more of a friend-to-friend approach, a professional business tone or something in between? Should it be written in third or first person?
• Do you have any rough materials to provide the writer as a base on which to start from? 

Remember, the key to any good relationship is communication. If both the client and writer are open and willing to communicate, the end result is much more likely to exceed your expectations.