Tag Archive: Lifestyle


What to Do When You Have too Much Work

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March 23, 2011

We all strive to be there–we want to have so much work we never really have to advertise or cold call or do much marketing ever again. We want enough clients so that we can pick and choose the best ones with the best projects. But what happens when you actually make it there?

Personally, I have a tendency to overschedule myself–which is normally a good thing because clients usually take longer than they think they will to get the project to me. However, every so often it seems everyone does decide to start their projects on time and I end up working 15 hour days with little sleep.

No one likes working overtime, least of all a freelancer, so what do we do when we have too much work? How do we get our schedules on track?

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Confessions from Inside of a Freelancer’s Own Family

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March 1, 2011

“Honey, I love you but….At times you really @#&% me off.”

At least that’s what one freelancer’s family member recently told them.

Did you ever wonder how your own family members feel about your freelancing? This guest post takes a look at freelancing from the perspective of a freelancer’s own family member.

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Are Freelancing Expectations Keeping You from Your Ultimate Success?

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February 18, 2011

No matter what your freelancing specialty is, I think it’s fair to say that we all entered freelancing with a certain set of expectations. Of course, your expectations were most likely different mine.

If you’ve been freelancing for any significant length of time, you probably already realize that there are some differences between your expectations before you were a freelancer and your actual experience as a freelancer. In the past, we’ve done a really good job at comparing common freelancing expectations with the reality of freelancing.

In this post, I’m going to do something different. I’m going to explain why your freelancing expectations may be keeping you from success and why you should let those old expectations go.

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Learning When to Refuse Your Community

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February 9, 2011

Aside from your clients, your community is the second most important thing to have as a freelancer. The community includes your Twitter followers, blog commenters, Facebook fans, or any other website where you interact with fellow freelancers who often do something similar to what you do. This can also include your physical community like the business events or conferences you may attend.

To be seen as an expert in the community, it’s important to take the time to help others out. This can be done by helping them with issues, supporting one of their causes or just giving them some advice. People will remember that it was you who helped and will be more likely to return the favor and even to refer clients to you.

But what happens when the community asks for too much? When one person in the community is too demanding or rude? When your schedule is genuinely filled up? Sometimes you’ll find it necessary to decline the requests for help, and it isn’t always pretty.

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RSI Injuries: What They Are and How to Avoid Them

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January 5, 2011

As freelancers, we don’t often worry about work hazards.

After all, most of us work in the comfort of our homes, doing what we enjoy and love. We don’t operate dangerous machinery, or get exposed to toxic chemicals.

So unless you’re a freelance journalist, which is one of the most hazardous occupations, you probably don’t think freelancing could cause you harm.

However, there is a health hazard freelancers should watch out for.

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Six Things to Do Instead of Working Today

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December 29, 2010

Some days are just not good days for working. You’ve got a million things distracting you from your work: the dogs are whining, the kids are crying, you’ve got too much on your mind, or you’re so eager for a package coming in the mail (that’s me) that you simply can’t drag yourself to your desk.

Fortunately for us, we’re freelancers which means we don’t have to work Monday thru Friday, eight to five. We can take off on Tuesday at 11 am. And you should–you deserve it.

Instead of feeling guilty for it, enjoy it, there are a ton of other things you can be doing today instead of client work that will not only be enjoyable and fun, but will actually help you along as a freelancer. See, you can have fun and grow your business at the same time!

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Six Character Traits Needed for Freelancing

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December 17, 2010

Before starting a career as a freelancer (this advice also can be applied to any other career), it is a good idea to compare the qualities required for the respective job with your own mentality and way of working.

If somebody is very creative, fun, and spirited, then it is a complete mistake to choose to be an employee. Changing jobs is a challenging event, but if somebody really doesn’t like their job, they should make the change without any regret. Here are the six ideal character traits necessary for freelancing.

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The Importance of Thinking Outside the Box

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December 2, 2010

Rules. Standards. Doing things the way they’ve ‘always been done.’ There are good reasons to rely on and follow these things, but we often forget that they all originated somewhere. There is an inherent danger for a freelancer who only ever strives to maintain the status quo and stick to proven methods, and this choice can not only impact the freelancer’s future but also has the potential to affect countless others.

In this post, we will look at how stepping outside of the norm and doing things differently could be the best possible approach for modern day freelancers.

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Six Dilemmas That Freelancers Face Over the Holidays

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November 24, 2010

It’s the holiday season!

At least it is the holiday season for North America and many Western European nations. For a lot of folks the months of November and December are an exciting time. It’s time to get together with family and friends. It’s also a time of celebration.

For a freelancer, however, the holidays can be very stressful. The holiday season presents the average freelancer with a number of confusing dilemmas.

In this post, I’ll address some of those holiday dilemmas directly and explain what a freelancer can do to prepare for them.

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What Type of Freelancer Are You?

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October 25, 2010

There are many different reasons that individuals go into freelancing. I’m sure that every freelancer reading this blog has their own reason for starting a freelance business. If you’re reading this blog hoping to get some tips about freelancing, I’m sure that you have certain expectations that are causing you to look into freelancing.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that there tend to be a handful of common reasons that draw individuals into freelancing. The reason that drew you into freelancing is likely to determine what type of freelance business you own, how you run that business, and what type of freelancer you become.

In fact, I’ve narrowed the list down to four types of freelancers, based on motivation. Of course, any time we print like this it is generalization. Some readers will find that the list fits them to a “t,” others of you will see aspects of yourself in each description. Still, I think that we can learn from such generalizations–a bit of self-examination never hurts.

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