Freelancing
Yet Another Reason Why Freelancing Rocks
Mar 11th
We will soon be moving house.
When we signed the lease the other night, I was reminded just how easy it is for me, as a freelancer to pick up and move house. My only job-related requirements include:
- Space to have my office (basically space for my desk, and a closet where I can put my shelves and filing)
- Broadband internet coverage
That’s IT.
No stress about having to drive to work on routes already crowded with other commuters. No stress about driving distances.
However, the downside of course of being the kippy that works from home, is that the majority of the household packing and sorting will be left to me, because “after all I am home all day” as if that automatically means that I have time to sit around and blog paint my toenails.
But no, plenty to do, purge, clean, de-clutter, pack, sort through all those old textbooks and decide which ones to keep for posterity and reference. I suppose it’s a good thing that I get to do this, because I am pretty ruthless with getting rid of unwanted stuff, and if it were up to the other parental unit, we’d *still* be hanging onto stuff that I purged the last time we moved and that he hasn’t noticed yet…
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3 Hours Sleep
Feb 25th
6 new clients, 8 major new projects taken on and I am operating on 3 hours of sleep right now.
Somebody hand me the caffeine please!
It really feels like I need a week in my study without interruptions so that I can just jump right in with the proper planning required for handling this kind of work load.
Tempting too, to day dream of getting a motorhome and criss-crossing the USA, as some kind of digital nomad, earning and travelling at the same time.
There are a group of bloggers out there, their name escapes me know, I think it’s termed as “Location Independent”, but it’s really interesting to read about how provided you are in a place with fast and cheap broadband, you could work from virtually anywhere. Nice idea. Not sure about the details though.
Image Courtesy of Renee V on Flickr under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence
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Spontaneous Purchase or Constant Reviewer?
Feb 17th
Are you someone who likes to buy things spontaneously? Or do you rigorously do online research, chat to friends and so forth before making a purchasing decision?
I tend to do a combination of both. When it comes to technology, I tend to be ahead of my friends and family though, in adopting technology early on, so I rely on online forums and reviews to make decisions.
How ever when it comes to things like food, new stores or diet products, I’m generally turning to friends and family for advice. Everyone has at least read up on some diet pill reviews in a magazine or online before me. So then I tend to go with their advice, and then check stuff out for myself.
I have yet to find that weight loss miracle though, but, when I do, you can be sure that I’ll tell you all about it here.
That is the only downside to being a freelancer…easy access to the fridge, and the distraction of the constant peeeeyoooo peeeeyoooo peeeeyooo of your four year old son who is off sick from school, and playing star wars on the computer next to you.
Photo By Leo-seta on Flickr under a Creative Commons Licence
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Turmoil
Feb 16th
I am exceedingly grateful to be a work at home/freelance graphic designer.
Last week, my father passed away (rather expectedly, aged 81 from cancer). His funeral was on Friday.
The ensuing family feud (courtesy of my stupid brother) took place shortly after.
By the weekend I was over it, and getting on with my life. I took it slowly, and decided to really get ’stuck in’ to work on Monday. Except that in the early hours of Monday morning Reebok started running a fever. Monday night he decided to wake up just shy of midnight with mild croup.
Today, I had a major deadline, that I managed to keep.
There is no way, that I would have coped with the stupid stresses of the past 7 days if I was in some dead end corporate job somewhere in a dingy grey building, stuck in high heels all day.
I am convinced that being able to work in my bunny slippers is the ultimate gift!
Had I been prone to breakouts of eczema due to stress, then no, last week would not have been pretty.
However, I think that the light at the end of the tunnel is drawing near.
So despite my limbs feeling like lead, and trying to curb an overwhelming desire to pack my macbook, and camera and run away to Amsterdam, I’m doing okay.
Thanks for asking.
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Baby Shower Invitations
Feb 15th
There are a number of things to note when designing things like wedding invitations, and baby shower invitations. For one, they are intensely personal items that people (particularly women) have been daydreaming about, and doodling for, for decades possibly! This makes designing them a very different experience to designing say, a business card, or a brochure.
For one, your client interaction will be much greater, and the number of proofs sent back and forth between designer and client will be much higher in number. Be careful to always embed any new and unique fonts, because it may be that what you are sending, and what the client is viewing on their computer are two very different things. Better yet, flatten your work into a basic jpg to increase the compression rate and enable quicker email speeds.
Lastly, get your clients signed approval on the final proof before going to the printer, and remember to give the printer any new and unique fonts too, the last thing you need is 500 invitations with the incorrect font going out! Believe me it’s happened more than once. (never to me thankfully!)
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The Ultimate Freelancers Distraction
Feb 8th
I have been able to pinpoint several things which send my procrastination points through the roof.
Some people say that if there are things which distract you, that you should completely cut them out of your day, in order to be more productive. But I’m one of those inclusive types that thinks that all distractions are welcome, just not all the time.
Everything in moderation.
So facebook, is a highly valuable tool, brilliant at generating business leads and showcasing work etc.
Farmville is an activity on facebook which neither brings me visitors nor sales generation, but an activity that allows my mind to drift while I’m wrestling with a logo concept, and sometimes it’s just what I need. Ditto for Bejewelled Blitz. What I have to do is limit myself to a certain amount of time per day to do these activities. In the case of Farmville, I will only plant crops in the morning before “work hours” that will be ready for harvesting “after work hours”. Bejewelled Blitz I allow myself 10 games (each game is 60 seconds long) all day. I can choose for myself whether I want them all at once or spaced throughout the day. If I hit a high score before my ten games are up, then I stop immediately.
The other thing I tend to do, is day dream about planning vacations. Again, this is fine in moderation, and I have to keep browsing for Florida Keys rentals to the minimum or else I end up fantasizing about picking up and working from an exotic island somewhere (all I need is my iMac and high speed broadband).
Interestingly enough there are some bloggers out there who specifically fund their travels through blogging, and at times, it’s sorely tempting to do the same.
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Decking Out a New Office Space
Jan 23rd
We may have found a new rental today! After months of searching this new area that we like, we have found one that totally suits our purposes for the next 12 months at least.
But it does mean one thing.
The ‘M’ word.
You know.
“Moving”.
I don’t mind moving *so* much, in fact I wholeheartedly welcome the opportunity to ‘purge’ all unnecessary stuff that just seems to accumulate when you live in one place for more than a year. The good thing is also, that although we will be moving our home office as well (if we get the house) but that the room we will be using for our home office already has roller shades installed, so at least that’s one less thing we’ll have to worry about. In fact we have enough curtaining, and such to suit the new place, but I am seriously considering ditching our old furniture in favour of something a little more updated.
But first, I suppose we have to wait and see if our application is accepted! Fingers crossed!
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Working on Your Own Projects
Jan 23rd
I’ve been developing a website on a subject that is very close to my heart.
Being a freelancer, or more particularly, a work at home mom that is a freelancer seeking to support other wahms.
No one can fully understand the stresses that work at home moms go through, aside from other work at home moms! Nearly ever task of every day comes with a beautifully wrapped present which turns out to be first class tickets to Guilt-ville. Not spending enough time on that crazy hectic project that requires so much of your closest concentration? How about not finding the time to strap the littlest one into his Bob stroller when the weather clears and actually take that walk, because the project is calling you? How about not getting all the household cleaning, shopping or cooking done? Or more likely, getting only parts of each of your tasks done, leaving you feeling guilty about absolutely everything.
Yes, being a work at home mom is extremely tough, and it takes a very special breed of person.
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Drawing the Line
Jan 19th
Drawing the line between me-time and work-time can be really difficult as a freelancer and a wahm.
Particularly if like me, you’re planning on embarking on a work out program.
Just today I was looking at the website of a company that offers thrice-weekly workout groups locally. Their meeting time is 8h15am and it would be perfect for me to swing by there right after the school run. But naturally the temptation is to come home to get straight to work. Time is money. Time is productive.
One has to factor in post-workout shower and changing time as well, and all that eats into the few hours that I have available to work. However, I have to consider that working out will keep me sane and healthy and keep stress levels down too, and the website I visited had really inspiring weight loss stories, so I’m sorely tempted to sign up.
How do you balance work vs work-out time on limited hours?
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Personal Budget Software
Jan 16th
What do you use for personal budget software?
With the economy being what it is, people are no longer spending their money at will, but rather accounting for every last penny, nickel and dime.
One of the best ways to do this is to use a software package on your home computer or those available online that can help you see where you’re spending your money, and help you to set limits to prevent accidental overspending. Once again, people are looking to save money, invest and live within their means as the economy slowly warms up again.
Not only is this important for a household, but of course also in a small business, particularly when you are a wahm, or an entrepreneur who operates as a sole trader, because finances can become confusing very quickly when business and personal transactions are combined, and using personal budget software is just one way to help you succeed at your endeavours.
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