Of all the skills I’ve learnt and honed while freelancing, balancing multiple projects is probably one of the biggest. It’s not just the logistics of when to book in meetings and how to schedule work to meet deadlines, but the mental gymnastics it takes. Coming out of a meeting on one project to…
Category: Personal Development
The Value of Humility
I’ve recently taken up swimming and those long quiet stretches doing lengths got me thinking about the value of humility. I haven’t swum properly since I was pregnant with my first child and before that since I was a child myself. I’ve recently gone back to the pool as a fitness push –…
The Power of Action Learning Sets
One of the passion projects I’ve been pursuing over the last few months where my work schedule has been a bit more spacious is Action Learning Sets. With 5 other lovely humans from a freelance network I’m part of, we embarked on an exploration of what they involved and how they would benefit…
The Feast and Famine of Freelancing
It’s a phrase I’ve heard so many times – that freelancing is all about feast or famine. Newbies and established players seem to agree on it, there will be times when you have more work than you know what to do with, and times when you worry how you’ll pay the mortgage. It’s…
How to Have Good Conversations
Stephen R. Covey was pretty damning about people’s ability to listen and listen well – his famous quote claimed “most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” Is he right? This month I finally started my coaching qualification, something I’ve been wanting to do…
How To Freelance Through Maternity Leave
Balancing parenthood and freelancing is something I write about pretty often – it’s probably my biggest daily challenge, and one that doesn’t have a sense of an end date any time soon. A number of people I know are starting a family while freelancing, and it’s got me thinking – what would I…
How Freelancing Has Made An Advocate Out of Me
My reflection of the week this week is about how freelancing has made me an advocate in so many incredible causes. Coming into freelancing, I brought specialist knowledge in certain areas – like local government (how I tried, and mostly failed, to be part of the revolution of local government through the national…
When Your Holiday Isn’t a Break
I’ve just had two weeks off work, and it’s the longest stretch I’ve managed since I went freelance. As I returned to my projects, everyone was quick to ask the standard “how was your break? question. But here’s the thing, I’m not sure a holiday with two small children qualifies as a break….
Embracing Chaos: Life as a Working Parent
Who was it who said “parent like you don’t have a job and work like you don’t have a child?” Would anyone own up to it now, in 2023? I wonder. The pandemic, for all its horrors, did some good in re-calibrating the work/life balance expectations of employers and staff. For those with…
Why Endings Matter
This week has got me thinking about the importance of endings. I’ve recently experienced a number of endings and it’s interesting to reflect on why they matter and what constitutes ending something well. In the space of the last month, I’ve finished a contract, ended a year-long mentoring relationship, had my last coaching…