Freelancefolder

David Allen’s “Getting Things Done”: Is It Relevant to Freelancers?

Posted February 6, 2012 in Productivity

I first read “Getting Things Done” (GTD) by David Allen in 2007. Back then, I was working full-time in UNICEF, juggling my work responsibilities with a family.

Although I didn’t implement GTD completely, it did allow me to unclutter my entire work area (not just my desk). It allowed me to tame my overflowing email inbox. It allowed me to leave my files neatly organized for my successor.

GTD was written for corporate executives and office workers. Is it relevant and useful to freelancers as well?

If it’s any indication, I still find myself using some of the strategies I learned from GTD. When I’m in the middle of something and an idea or to-do pops into my head, I immediately write it down in my Moleskine notebook. I still file my reference materials the way I learned to do it from GTD. And when I’m overwhelmed, I sit down and ask myself, “What’s the next step?”

Because freelancers’ productivity has a direct correlation with their income, it’s essential for us to constantly find tools and systems that can help us get more quality work done, in less time, and with less stress. There’s plenty we can learn from “Getting Things Done” to help us achieve all that.

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8 Metrics Every Freelancer Should Measure at the End of the Year

Posted December 30, 2011 in Business, Productivity

It’s the end of the year, and you know what that means…end of year reporting! Now’s the time of the year to dig out the Excel sheets, budgets, expense reports and bank statements and start reconciling. A pain, yes…but incredibly valuable.

Freelancers and independent workers often skip this critical exercise. Moving from the end of one year to the next is approached with a somewhat oozing type of existence, only slightly punctuated by a couple weeks of either reduced or insane workloads (industry dependent, for sure).

One of the best things you can do for your business – whether you’re a solo shop or a multi-national concern, is to stop at the end of the year and take a look at how things went. For freelancers and independents, you should be looking at the following metrics:
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5 Easy Tips to Increase Your Bottom Line

Posted December 21, 2011 in How-To, Productivity

Do you want a bigger bottom line?

As a freelancer business owner, you probably DO want bigger bottom line–you just may not know how to get one. In case you don’t know, in a nutshell your bottom line is the money left over after you meet your expenses. (Who wouldn’t want more of that?)

In this post I share five easy tips to help you increase your freelancing bottom line. Feel free to share your own tips for improving the freelancing bottom line in the comments.

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Why the Shortest Route Isn’t Always the Best One

Posted November 11, 2011 in Productivity

A few weeks ago, I had an appointment in another city. I plugged in my GPS, set it to find the shortest route to my destination, and I was ready to go.

Or so I thought.

Unfortunately, taking the “shortest” route used an extra hour. I wound up being late for my destination. My shortcut wound up being the worst way to go.

I hear about freelancers taking shortcuts all of the time. At first glance, what freelancer wouldn’t want to take a shortcut? Taking a shortcut might seem like a good idea, but unfortunately, many of those shortcuts wind up costing the freelancer.

In this post, I’ll explain what went wrong with my shortcut. I’ll also explain why freelancing shortcuts may not always work.

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