Freelancefolder

5 Bad Work at Home Habits: Are You Guilty?

Posted February 9, 2010 in Lifestyle, Productivity

Isn’t working at home great? That’s why so many of us are either already doing it, or dreaming about doing it. We know it’s just the thing for creative types who don’t like structure and hierarchy. Working at home has its perks.

However, working at home also brings many temptations that can sabotage our productivity, creativity, sanity, happiness and even our health.

Below are what I consider to be the five most common pitfalls of working at home, why they’re bad for us, and how we can avoid or overcome them.

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Do You Recognize the Early Warning Signs of Freelancer Burnout?

Posted February 2, 2010 in Lifestyle, Productivity

You just love your job as a freelancer, but lately it seems like you really have to force yourself to get the work done. Perhaps you’re getting sick all the time–you always catch whatever illness seems to be going around. Maybe you don’t have any problems getting started on your projects, but seem to find yourself spending a lot of time on Facebook, or Twitter, or playing online games.

If you can relate to these problems, then you could be suffering from freelancer burnout.

If you’re suffering from freelancer burnout, it could be serious. Burnout, when not dealt with, can threaten your business, your relationships, and even your health.

In this post, we’ll discuss the reality of freelancer burnout and describe a few steps you can take to ensure that it doesn’t snuff out your freelancing career.

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3 Lessons Children Can Learn From a Freelancing Parent

Posted January 26, 2010 in Inspiration, Lifestyle

My children know there’s something strange about their Mom.

She doesn’t have a job, for one thing. Heck, she wears yoga pants all day. Yet she manages to pay for family vacations and surprise packages from Amazon.com. She claims that articles wake her up at two a.m., wanting to be birthed. And she’s always around. Seriously, doesn’t this woman have better things to do?

It can be strange for a child to grow up with a parent who works at home as a freelancer.

It’s rare nowadays to come home to a house smelling of brownies. Or to know that somebody will always answer the phone when the school calls in an emergency. Or, gasp, to spend so much time with your parent. What will your friends think?

But, it is precisely in living a life that is so against the grain, so counter-cultural, that I hope my children are learning lessons that will enhance their own lives.

More specifically, here are the lessons I hope they’re learning from their weird, freelancing Mom:

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How to Keep Working at Home from Destroying Your Life

Posted January 22, 2010 in Lifestyle, Managing Clients

One of the main reasons I became a full-time freelancer was the freedom I thought it would give me in creating my own hours and working at home. It’s the dream, right? Sleep late, work in your pajamas, shave far less often, and decide when you are or are not going to be busy.

Anyone who has taken on this “dream” quickly realizes that it’s not that simple. Client meetings and deadlines, the seemingly eternal pursuit of a steady income and the “other sides” of the business are a few of the elements of working at home that, if not managed correctly, can quickly eat away at your desired freedom and potentially destroy the rest of your life.

In this post, I will share some ways I have learned to keep everything in its proper priority and maintain balance, enabling both the growth and success of my freelance business along with the expansion and enjoyment of the freedoms this brings to the most important elements of my life.

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10 New Year’s Resolutions Every Freelancer Should Have

Posted January 3, 2010 in Inspiration, Lifestyle

It’s that time of year again. The time when we reflect on the past 365 days, examine our accomplishments and shortcomings, and then determine how THIS year we will make things better. Whether it’s losing weight, getting healthier, working harder, mending broken relationships or just being a better person, something about the end of a calendar year causes us to take stock and set goals for improvement.

For freelancers, this season is no different. In fact, running your own freelance business requires the end of the year assessment. I would suggest it even requires self-evaluation much more often than annually.

Each day, each week and each month should incorporate some continual consideration of where the freelancer stands in attaining their respective goals. Here are what I believe to be vital resolutions that all freelancers should adopt in order to enter the next decade with the maximum power to reach their fullest potential.

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How to Save Money While You Get Your Freelancing Business Going

Posted December 29, 2009 in Getting Started, Lifestyle

Are you struggling to make ends meet as a freelancer?

You’re not alone.

Let’s be honest. Getting a freelancing business off the ground can be really difficult. The feast or famine cycle catches many who’ve been accustomed to a regular paycheck by surprise. It’s also pretty hard to budget when your income is irregular.

You can get through those first difficult months as a freelancer, if you know what to expect and how to manage your money properly. In this post, we discuss those first difficult months and share some tips for getting through them.

We’ll begin by discussing what you should do before you start freelancing.

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21 Fun Distractions for Freelancers

Posted December 24, 2009 in Inspiration, Lifestyle

Can distractions actually help a freelancer to get more done?

Most of the time at Freelance Folder we talk about how to avoid distractions. That’s because most of us have deadlines and distractions can keep us accomplishing everything that we need to get done.

However, sometimes a distraction can be welcome. This is particularly true after an especially long or difficult project. A break can actually help by letting a freelancer relieve stress and return to work with a fresh perspective.

With this in mind, we’re sharing twenty-one fun online distractions in this post that we hope you’ll enjoy.

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A Freelancer’s Ultimate Christmas Wish List

Posted December 21, 2009 in Inspiration, Lifestyle

It’s that time of the year again — kids are making Christmas lists and dreaming about what they’ll receive on Christmas morning. I thought it was time that we shared our own version of what many freelancers might like to receive.

I’ve tweeted this question on Twitter and we’ve talked about it on the Freelance Folder Fan Page.

Based partially on those responses and also on what I would like to receive myself, I’ve created the Freelancer’s Ultimate Christmas Wish List. I think many freelancers will be able to relate to my list of freelancing wishes.

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You May Be Addicted to Social Media If…

Posted December 10, 2009 in Humor, Lifestyle, Social Media

Do you use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or some other form of social media? Do you use it a little too much?

There’s no question that social media is an important part of today’s Internet environment. If you freelance (or are thinking about freelancing), chances are that you’re already involved in social media somehow.

But social media has a dark side too — it’s very easy to spend too much time twitter, write too many comments on Facebook, or overuse social media in some other way. In this post, we’re going to help you decide if you’re using social media too much.

Here are 20 ways to tell if you are addicted to social media:

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