Freelancefolder

Making Mondays Work for You

Posted January 23, 2012 in Lifestyle

Are you one of those people who always get the Monday Blues?

Do you have to drag yourself out of bed? Do you feel sluggish and unmotivated all day Monday? And does every thing seem to go wrong on this day?

The Monday blues are common. In fact, a study by the firm Mercer found that 35% of all sick leave is taken on a Monday. In another study, more than 25% of people surveyed said the thought of going back to work on Monday morning was enough to ruin their weekend.

These studies were done among employees, and you’re a freelancer. But I’ll bet if you could take Mondays off, you would.

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How to Set Personal Boundaries When You Work From Home

Posted January 20, 2012 in How-To, Lifestyle

Do you crave a balance between your work and your personal life?

Most freelancers do, but the challenges of working from home can sometimes make life/work balance seem unattainable. You may feel like you are constantly being pulled towards both family and work commitments–a bit like being in the middle of a tug-of-war.

One answer that can help you achieve better balance between your work and personal life is boundaries. In this post, I’ll explain how boundaries help freelancers. I’ll also list some of the areas where you should consider establishing boundaries in your own freelancing business.

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How to Deal with Freelancing Change

Posted January 11, 2012 in Inspiration, Lifestyle

Change is inevitable.

This is true whether you’re a freelancer, or not. But, because of the nature of freelancing, we freelancers tend to face change and its consequences a bit more frequently than other folks do. That’s why it’s really important to have a Plan B and to keep that plan up to date. Having an emergency fund does not hurt either.

There’s much more to dealing with freelancing change that just having a Plan B, though. You also need to deal with the emotional toll that freelancing change can take on you. Handling the emotional toll of freelancing change is what this post is all about. In it, I’ll share some practical tips to help you keep the inevitable freelancing changes in perspective so you can stay at your best as a freelancer.

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What to Do About All that Stuff

Posted December 28, 2011 in How-To, Lifestyle

You know the stuff I mean: ebooks, videos, books, training materials, blog posts you mean to read, and so on…

I have a small confession to make. I’m not new to freelancing, but I’m a repeat victim of the Shiny New Object Syndrome. Simply put, I love to try new things–whether they be ecourses, new social media tools, books, and so on.

You’ve probably guessed this about me already by reading some of my posts (especially those posts about trends).

The trouble with trying new things is that, if they aren’t managed properly, they can take clutter up your workspace and take all your available time.

In this post, I’ll discuss this problem and share a few simple tips that help me manage all that stuff.

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It Will Happen to You

Posted December 19, 2011 in Lifestyle

“That will never happen to me.”

Have you ever heard another freelancer say those words? Have you said them yourself?

Over the years, I’ve heard other freelancers use those words to describe situations ranging from family emergencies, to getting too busy, to getting sick, to missing a deadline. Regrettably, I’ve also heard some of those same freelancers take back words when the very thing that they never planned for happens.

It’s no secret that I’m a big advocate of having a Plan B (and maybe even a Plan C) for dealing with common setbacks.

The odds of lightening striking you are pretty slim. From what I’ve read, fewer than 500 people are injured by lightening each year in the U.S. It does happen, though. I once hired an attorney who actually had been struck by lightening.

Other setbacks are much more likely to happen. The truth is that no one is immune from life’s troubles. The very thing that you think will never happen to you may also be the thing that puts you out of business if you’re not ready for it.

In this post, I’ll share ten common problems that most freelancers eventually face and talk about how to deal with each of them.
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5 Reasons Why I Prefer to Freelance for Others

Posted November 29, 2011 in Freelance Stories, Lifestyle

Back when I first started as an SEO professional (and a part-time content writer) it was common among SEO professionals to get some hands-on experience and then quit their jobs to start their own online business. There were so many opportunities lingering around in the cyber world and everybody wanted to grab a piece of the pie. Back then there was a lot more earning potential in starting an online business than in working on freelance gigs for others.

Needless to say, internet marketing experts and other professionals associated with this industry used to frown upon the idea of doing freelance work for others. IMO, times have changed, and starting an online business is not as good an idea as it was a few years ago.

These days, I meet a lot of professionals (for example: SEO, writers, developers, designers, etc) who are fretting over the fact that they are doing all the work while the “company” gets all the riches and growth without doing anything. That viewpoint is not entirely wrong, but things are not easy on the client side of table either. Of course, experiences will turn out differently for different people.

However, I believe that starting an online venture is not the ultimate answer to success any more. In this post, I’ve listed some reasons why I think working as a freelancer for others can sometimes be a better choice than starting your own venture.

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An Ideal Holiday Gift List for Freelance Writers

Posted November 28, 2011 in Lifestyle

The holidays are upon us once again. Believe it or not, one of my favorite things about this time of the year is finding the perfect gifts for everyone on my list.

If you have freelance writers on your gift list, then read on. I asked my freelance writer friends and readers what they wanted that would help them succeed as freelancers and came up with this blog post. (But while this list is specifically for writers, other freelancers would love to receive some of the items here as well.)

Here are the top 10 things freelance writers want to see underneath their Christmas trees:

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The Freelancer’s Holiday and Year-end Dilemmas Revisited

Posted November 18, 2011 in Lifestyle, Managing Clients

The holiday season should be a time of happiness and joy, but for many freelancers the holiday season brings with it some freelancing dilemmas.

If you’ve freelanced through a holiday season before, you may already be asking yourself, “what am I going to do about the holidays this year?” That’s right. It’s that time of the year! We’ve reached another year-end. (I hope your freelancing business did well this year.)

I’ve written about this topic before, but these problems are real, so the topic is worth revisiting.

Even freelancers who don’t normally celebrate at this time of the year are affected by the year-end activities. In this post, I’ll discuss seven dilemmas that freelancers face during the holiday season.

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10 Ways to Overcome Cabin Fever

Posted November 15, 2011 in How-To, Lifestyle

As the nights grow longer and temperatures fall, let us remember that this is the time of year when many freelancers succumb to cabin fever.

Cabin fever isn’t a disease. It is more a malady of the spirit characterized by sadness, lack of energy, malaise, and irritability.

Many people are prone to cabin fever around the winter months, because we spend less time outdoors and get less sunlight.

However, freelancers may be even more susceptible to cabin fever than the average person. Unless you have three kids to send off to school like I do, you probably won’t have any reason to drag yourself out of bed while it’s still dark out.

We don’t get out as often as our employed friends, and when it’s freezing outside, we have even less reason to leave home.

Cabin fever is no fun for anybody. It zaps our lives of joy and happiness. It even affects our ability to produce quality work–something which is crucial to freelancers.

In this post, I’ve come up with 10 suggestions for how freelancers can avoid or overcome cabin fever.

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