Freelancefolder

Why Online Friends are Important to Freelancers

Posted September 25, 2009 in Lifestyle, Marketing 57 Rockin' Comments »

“What a total waste of time!”

The sharp words the hung in the air between us. My offline friend had just watched me check in at some of my favorite social sites.

Of course, her sentiment shouldn’t have been a surprise to me. She’d mentioned before that she didn’t see any value in sites like Twitter and Facebook. To say that my friend didn’t get social media would be a complete understatement.

For the freelancer, online friends are not a waste of time. Rather, they are a very valuable part of a freelancer’s networking. While freelancers can always benefit from networking locally, social media sites allow us to connect with individuals and organizations that we might not otherwise have the opportunity to connect with.

Online friends are very important to freelancers.

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Letting The Cat Out Of The Bag: Is Freelancing Really For You?

Posted August 20, 2009 in Business, Lifestyle 26 Rockin' Comments »

Freelancing and working from home is a dream to many. Designers, bloggers, social media experts and many other careers that didn’t exist a couple years ago have now become a comfortable means to earn a living for some.

Freelancing sure does sound great, but ask anyone who has been doing this for a while and they will tell you that the cons are usually higher than most anticipate. Sure, you get to take a break anytime you want. Working in your pajamas sounds great, but the stakes are much higher than most imagine.

In this article I want to look at some of the downsides of freelancing, and take a sobering look at some realities that every freelancer needs to confront.

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Working Under Fire — Do You Like Stress, or Not?

Posted August 19, 2009 in Lifestyle, Productivity 26 Rockin' Comments »

Some freelancers insist that stress helps them get their work done. I’ve heard freelancers claim that they actually work better and have more creativity when they are stressed. Not only do they survive, but they seem to thrive when they are stressed.

Other freelancers see stress as something to be avoided. They go to great lengths to avoid people or projects that could be considered stressful. If asked, they’ll tell you that they do their best work when calm. They may have even left a traditional work environment to get away from stress.

Whichever category you fall into, it’s good to take a step back and examine your situation. Too much stress can be harmful to your health; but, on the other hand, it’s very difficult to avoid stress entirely. Here are a few ways to manage your stress and stay healthy and productive:

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Open Thread: What Do You Love/Hate About Your Home Office?

Posted August 17, 2009 in Lifestyle, Open Thread 69 Rockin' Comments »

Last week we got a huge response when we posed this question to our twitter followers, so this week I want to ask the same thing to everyone who reads the blog:

What do you love or hate about your home office?

As freelancers, it’s typical to spend many many hours working out of a single room in the house, often out of a single chair or couch. How much you enjoy working and being in that room will influence how productive you are — and, more importantly, it will also influence how happy you are working at home.

Does your office have a nice window with a great view, or is it boxed in at the back of a building? Is it empty and zen-like, or so cluttered that it’s hard to walk through? Do you like the color? Is your chair comfortable?

Share your story in the comments — tell us what you love and what you hate about your office, and by all means offer any tips you have for making the work-at-home experience better.

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Continuing Education – It’s Not Just For Employees

Posted August 3, 2009 in Business, Lifestyle 17 Rockin' Comments »

If you’ve ever worked in the corporate world, then you probably already know that corporate employees sometimes get perks that freelancers don’t.

One of those perks is continuing education.

While many corporate employees receive continuing education as a matter of course, many freelancers choose to “economize” by not getting additional training. I believe that continuing education is something freelancers should include in their annual budget.

Don’t be fooled! Corporations provide for continuing education for their employees because it makes good business sense. In return for paying for classes or other training, the company gets more efficient, more knowledgeable workers.

Continuing education makes good business sense for freelancers too. What you learn through continuing education may even allow your business to market additional services or products.

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Seven Lies Freelancers Tell Themselves

Posted July 30, 2009 in Business, Lifestyle 53 Rockin' Comments »

There’s no doubt that freelancing can be tough — freelancers face many obstacles. From finding clients, to meeting deadlines, to keeping skills and equipment current, all the way to being paid: freelancing just isn’t easy.

One of the biggest challenges that we freelancers face, however, is one of our own making. It’s the challenge of being totally honest with ourselves and accepting the reality of certain situations. Without overcoming this challenge, without learning to be totally honest with one’s self, it’s pretty tough to succeed.

You see, we freelancers have many excuses. Usually, we believe these excuses wholeheartedly — which is a bad thing. If we can’t recognize a problem, then we can’t take the steps necessary to solve it.

This posts lists the seven most common lies that freelancers use to fool themselves. Overcome these lies, and you’ll increase your chances for success dramatically.

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The Simple Truth About Success

Posted July 28, 2009 in How-To, Inspiration, Lifestyle 16 Rockin' Comments »

Success.

That elusive, intangible thing that we’re all searching for day after day, month after month, year after year.

What is success? How does one achieve success? How long does it take? Is it even possible?

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Ten Tips To Stay Motivated — Even When You Really Don’t Feel Like Working

Posted July 27, 2009 in Inspiration, Lifestyle, Productivity 35 Rockin' Comments »

It’s a beautiful sunny day. The temperature is just right, and there’s a slight breeze blowing. You’d love to go outside and enjoy the sunshine, but you can’t. Once again, you’re stuck at your computer because you have to meet a deadline.

(Of course, you could take your laptop outside, but you’d still be chained to work and not really free to enjoy the outdoors.)

As a freelancer, you’ve probably experienced those times when you just don’t feel much like working. Personally, I know that there are times when staring at a computer monitor is absolutely the last thing that I really want to do.

It’s normal to lose your motivation for work from time to time, even if you totally love your job. Giving in to a lack of motivation, however, can lead to missed deadlines and lost clients. To run a successful freelance business, you have to stay motivated.

What’s a freelancer to do when there’s work to be done, but work is the last thing that he or she feels like doing?

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Is Freelancing Hurting Your Health?

Posted July 23, 2009 in Lifestyle, Productivity 42 Rockin' Comments »

If you’re not careful, your freelancing work habits can make you sick.

We freelancers, many of whom rely on our computers to make our living, are particularly vulnerable to to unhealthy habits.

At first it might seem that spending long hours at the computer without a break and relying on convenience foods for most of your meals allows you to get more work done. Temporarily, these poor habits may actually seem to increase your productivity.

But that increase in productivity is an illusion. Over time, unhealthy habits will take a toll on your health and ultimately on your business. An unhealthy lifestyle over the long-term is actually a very poor business strategy.

It doesn’t have to be that way — you can make healthy choices and succeed as freelancer. Here are five simple habits that will help you stay healthy and productive:

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