Freelancefolder

What To Do When It Seems Like You Can’t Do Anything At All

Posted September 24, 2008 in Inspiration, Lifestyle, Productivity 10 Rockin' Comments »

“I’m stuck!”

If you’ve ever been a kid (or if you’re currently a parent) then you’re probably already familiar with those words. Those words seem to come out of a child’s mouth automatically whenever a problem seems too difficult to tackle.

Freelancers don’t usually say anything aloud, but we can get stuck just as easily.

You may have reached a point in your business where you can’t figure out what to do next. Maybe you’re stuck because you’re facing an exceptionally challenging task. Or, maybe you’re stuck because you’re dealing with something unfamiliar.

Whatever the cause, the result is the same. You’re… well, you’re “stuck” and you need a little push to get your business back on track.

Here are a few things that can help you get unstuck:
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Freelancers: 3 Principles That Can Change Your World

Posted September 18, 2008 in Inspiration, Lifestyle 12 Rockin' Comments »

Most freelancers I know didn’t start out freelancing. They worked in a corporate office somewhere, stifled by the buzz of fluorescent lights and surrounded by paper-thin cubicle walls. They calculated profit and loss statements, they managed networks, they sold condominiums.

At the end of the day, they went home and forgot about their job until the next morning, when they dutifully rolled out of bed and went to work.

Work was good, of course. It paid the bills. It put food on the table. They found joy in other places, outside of work. They worked hard, and they played hard. But the only joy they got from work was the joy of a paycheck.

Sensing a need to make a difference in the world around them, they volunteered at rescue missions, they worked with Habitat for Humanity, or they read books to kids at the local library. Their job, of course, was totally disconnected from these efforts. What they did at work they did for “The Man,” not for humanity.

Freelancing is different, though. When you freelance, there is plenty of joy to be found in your work, as long as you know where to look for it.

There’s also plenty of purpose, too. As a freelancer, you have the power to change the world. The things you write or create have an impact on peoples’ lives, sometimes a significant impact.

Yes, there are gigs that seem banal. There are times when you’re little more than a gun-for-hire, hawking someone else’s wares. We take these gigs because they pay the bills, and we don’t need to feel bad about that.

However, with a little effort, you can turn your freelance career into a positive force for change.

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Open Thread: How Do You Stay Motivated?

Posted September 15, 2008 in Inspiration, Open Thread, Productivity 11 Rockin' Comments »

Life as a freelancer is often filled with ups and downs. Some days are fantastic, others can feel like an eternity where nothing ever gets finished.

The result of this is that most of us freelancers are self-starters. Being a self-starter is a common trait out of necessity — if you can’t motivate yourself as a freelancer it will be very difficult to maintain the workload and drive needed for success.

So this week’s question is: How do you stay motivated?

Leave some specific actions or tips in the comments, and next week we will feature the best ones in a follow-up article called “The Art of Self-Motivation”.

Are You Too Shy To Succeed?

Posted September 12, 2008 in Business, How-To, Inspiration 12 Rockin' Comments »

When I was small, I was somewhat shy. I remember that once, when I was in first or second grade, my mother attended a conference at the school. The teacher felt that I was too timid and that some kids were taking advantage of me by getting me to watch their coats during recess while they played. I was too shy to stand up for myself and tell them that I wanted to play too.

I still remember how fear gripped me when I thought that I might have to confront someone publicly. It was a physical thing! My muscles tightened up, my stomach was in knots, and sometimes I even felt like I couldn’t breath. Once, I was actually so nervous that I got dizzy and almost fainted.

Fortunately, I outgrew much of my shyness by junior high, but even now I still feel slightly uncomfortable when I realize that I will have to contact a new individual face-to-face, or even by telephone. I’d much rather use e-mail to communicate.

Shyness is painful for anyone, but if you are a freelancer, being too shy can be a serious problem. Shyness can damage your freelancing business — because being a freelancer requires a certain amount of customer contact and self-promotion if you want to succeed. A business owner who is too shy could pay a steep price.

Luckily, for most people it doesn’t have to be that way. Shyness doesn’t have to hold you back. If you’re shy, you may be able to overcome it. Here are some ideas:

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How to Find Joy in Your Work

Posted September 5, 2008 in How-To, Inspiration, Lifestyle 9 Rockin' Comments »

If you don’t have enough happiness in your day-to-day freelance work, you’re not doing it right.

The fact of the matter is that whether you’re a writer, designer, or other sort of freelancer, there are plenty of different types of work you can do to keep your days from becoming too monotonous.

Still, there are times when you’ve got to do some mundane tasks. You might have a design gig for a client with no imagination. You might have to write 150 pages of SEO content on household cleaning. We all have to keep our books, deal with clients, and pay our bills.

I’ve found that one of the best ways to get through a drudge of a day is to insert some creativity in the process. Here are some things I’ve done to find more joy in my work, and make those everyday tasks just a little bit more enjoyable:
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What I Learned About Freelancing from Lucille Ball

Posted August 26, 2008 in Inspiration, Lifestyle 11 Rockin' Comments »

I have a confession to make. As a child, I grew up watching repeats of I Love Lucy.

One thing that I could count on every time I watched an episode is that I would end up laughing. Little did I know that I was also picking up on valuable truths that would serve me for a lifetime.

As a daffy and zany housewife, Lucille Ball’s character would seem to be the last place that a freelancer could find business tips. Well, if you’re thinking that, then you are wrong. Not only are there lessons to be learned from the I Love Lucy television series, there are also lessons to be learned from Lucille Ball’s life. Here are a few of them:
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Who’s Really In Control Of Your Freelance Business?

Posted August 22, 2008 in Business, Inspiration, Lifestyle 13 Rockin' Comments »

The ideal of freelancing is to be your own boss, to set your own schedule, manage your own creativity and be responsible for your own budget. Sometimes though, the freelance life seems to do the opposite — you end up working for multiple bosses who don’t care about your personal world, yet still want to micro-manage your creative work.

At the end of the day, it can feel like you don’t really run your own business — your business runs you.

Freelancing comes in many forms and sizes, whether you’re a writer, designer or you just like to sell knitted scarves on eBay.  Whatever you do, you’ll have to make some compromises, but you’ll be happiest if you can find ways to take advantage of your flexibility and freedom.

Here are some tips for transforming your job from a worker bee’s cube to the desk of the CEO:
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Interview With Adelle Charles From Fuel Your Creativity – Design, Blogging And Business

Posted August 20, 2008 in Business, Graphic Design, Inspiration 24 Rockin' Comments »

Hey everyone! Today we have an interview with Adelle Charles of Fuel Your Creativity! Adelle is awesome, I’ve known her for some time now and have been an avid reader of her blog since the day I found it. I hope you enjoy the interview! :)

Jon: Hi Adelle, can you please tell our readers a little about yourself, where you’re from, what you do?

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The Long And Winding… Path (Musings Of A Lifelong Learner)

Posted August 7, 2008 in Inspiration, Lifestyle 16 Rockin' Comments »

Continual learning is a vital trait for a freelancer. We live in a world where new technologies and new methodologies are constantly being introduced.

The freelancer who refuses to learn, who refuses to adapt and update his or her business, is the freelancer who goes out of business.

I consider myself to be a lifelong learner. My habit of lifelong learning has taken me down some interesting and unusual paths that I never could have foreseen. It has also saved my writing business on more than one occasion. (I wouldn’t even be blogging here if I hadn’t decided a few years ago to learn everything that I could about blogging.)

Here are five crucial concepts that you should remember as you make learning a lifelong process: [Click Here to Read More...]