Two Freelancing Myths and The Need For Self-Discipline
Posted January 6, 2009 in Lifestyle, Productivity 34 Rockin' Comments »
Envy filled my friend’s voice as she spoke, “I wish had it like you. Since you’re self-employed, if you wake up and don’t feel like working you don’t really have to. I have to go to work every single day, whether I want to or not.”
The volunteer coordinator at the children’s school huffed impatiently, “You work for yourself. You must have a lot of free time every day. Surely, you can make time to chair this major committee for us since you can control your own schedule.”
Both statements indicate a common misconception about freelancing. Both statements also totally ignore a key factor that every freelancer must master if they are to succeed. That factor is self-discipline.
First, Let’s look at these two misconceptions:
How To Stay Focused: 7 Ways To Keep On Task
Posted December 10, 2008 in How-To, Productivity 22 Rockin' Comments »
Do you sometimes feel as though your current task is the very last thing you actually want to be doing?
Do you put off necessary tasks for something that’s less important, but more interesting or amusing?
If you answered yes to either of those questions, know that you’re not alone. Procrastination and loss of focus is something that all freelancers must deal with at one time or another.
When you work for an employer you may have a supervisor checking in on your progress at regular intervals. If you get behind on your work, then he or she is going to let you know about it.
However, as a freelancer staying focused is solely up to you. It is easy to get distracted to the point where you can’t meet your deadlines. Yet, as a freelancer, you can’t allow this to happen or your business could fail.
To help you stay on focused, and keep your mind from wandering, here are a few simple tricks that you may not have thought of:
The Art of Self-Motivation
Posted December 2, 2008 in Inspiration, Productivity 26 Rockin' Comments »
Motivation is one of the most important traits a business owner can have. We are constantly called upon to set our own work schedules, create our own goals, and stick to deadlines. Without motivation none of this would work.
But to be very successful you need more than just casual motivation — you need to be able to motivate yourself on your schedule. A self-motivated person can focus better, be more creative, accomplish bigger goals, and many other things. People who are really self-motivated produce the quality of work that only a passionate individual can, and they do it whenever they need.
So how do you motivate yourself? How can you be the type of person who is excited about work, goals, and other projects?
Here is a simple process that will help you master the art of self-motivation:
3 Time-Tested Ways to Kick It Up a Notch
Posted November 27, 2008 in Marketing, Productivity 9 Rockin' Comments »
As a freelancer you’re probably always looking for ways to take your business to the next level. You not only want more business — you need more business to succeed.
The desire to ramp your business up a notch may be especially intense during these challenging economic times when the freelance marketplace may be more competitive than ever.
The good news is that you can do it. You can ramp things up, and you can grow your business. Almost any business can do this by making a few simple changes.
Here are three “tried and true” techniques that you can use right now to grow your freelancing business:
A Health Blueprint for Type-A Entrepreneurs
Posted November 19, 2008 in Lifestyle, Productivity 31 Rockin' Comments »
Maintaining a healthy physical and mental routine every day is crucial to remaining productive and hardworking on a regular basis, especially if you want to perform at a high level.
The stress of being an entrepreneur is enough to take a huge toll on your life and business if left unchecked. On top of that, it’s impossible to avoid burnout and even depression without properly taking care of yourself.
With that dire warning behind us, let’s move on to some health tips that you can use to remedy the situation and keep yourself working at peak performance physically and mentally.
Here’s a simple-yet-powerful health blueprint for entrepreneurs:
35+ Social Media Tools That Make Life Easier
Posted November 14, 2008 in Productivity, Tools/Resources 97 Rockin' Comments »
Millions of people use social media on a regular basis, and many more are joining the ranks every single day.
With the number of people involved, and the enormous amount of time we all spend using social media, it’s only natural to try to save some time and make life easier on yourself.
We’ve compiled this list for just that purpose — over 35 tools that can help you do more with social media in less time.
Social Aggregators
EventBox is a mac-only program that integrates the top 5-6 social networks into a single program. From the looks of the site, it’s pretty too.
7 Tips for Making Email More Effective
Posted November 7, 2008 in How-To, Productivity 24 Rockin' Comments »
E-mail. If you’re a web-worker then this is probably your primary means of communication with your clients. Even if you aren’t a web-worker you probably use email very frequently.
Getting e-mail communication right is important — no absolutely vital — to the success of your business.
In fact, for today’s business owner, an e-mail contact can be as an important as a face-to-face contact. That’s why smart entrepreneurs strive to become email ninjas that make the best possible impression on their clients.
In this post we’ll offer a few few pointers on how to improve your e-mail communication skills to make the best possible impression.
Here are seven tips for creating more effective e-mails that you can use right away:
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7 Freelancer Stress-Busters You Can Use Today
Posted October 29, 2008 in Lifestyle, Productivity 11 Rockin' Comments »
Freelancers often give the “traditionally employed” plenty of grief about the downsides of having a boss: long hours, uncertain opportunities for advancement and being under the thumb of “the man.”
But freelancing isn’t always a bed of roses, and in a lot of ways can be even more stressful than working for an employer.
We’ve all heard the stories about hard-working freelancers burning themselves out (and in some cases, we’ve been the subjects of those stories). But it doesn’t have to be that way. Before you burn out, tune in — and use — these time-tested tips to keep freelancing stress to a minimum.
7 Daily Time Wasters and How To Get Your Time Back
Posted October 22, 2008 in How-To, Productivity 22 Rockin' Comments »
No matter what job or business you have, time is always a critical resource. And most of us could use a little more of it.
Do you know how much time you waste every single day?
It may not be much, but it probably adds up over the long run. For those of you looking to improve your system, here are 7 common daily time drains and what you can do to get your time back.
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