Something I’ve been struck by since going self-employed is the openness and generosity of the freelancing community. It’s jam-packed with knowledge, a sense of humour, camaraderie and support. I’ve had a month that’s been so full of great conversations and connections it’s made me reflect on why it feels so different in the…
Tag: Freelance
Probation Review
Who was it who said talking to yourself is the first sign of madness? When you’re all roles wrapped into one as a freelancer, you don’t have a lot of choice. Since January marked 6 months of freelancing as my only job, I thought it was high time I sat myself down for…
Progression Isn’t Always Up
Is the only way up? One of the things that made me consider freelancing was because going up the ladder stopped appealing. I’ve always been quite ambitious. With each job move I’ve sought a better role, and apart from one sideways move, that always meant a better title, better wage and more responsibility….
Overcoming Scarcity Mindset
I wonder if everyone shares the same fear starting out – that the work suddenly dries up? That even if you’ve been successful for months, or even years, that at some point, some day, you face the abyss. With a mortgage payment looming, a nursery bill in your inbox and a red warning…
Taking Someone Else On
I’ve started the new year with an interesting conundrum. When, or even if, is it right to take someone else on? Are there ways of partnership, collaboration, subcontracting or just plain asking for help when you’ve got more work than you need? I can’t believe I’m saying that it out loud, but I…
When You Miss the Mark
One of the things I’ve been dreading the most happened this week – I missed the mark. I submitted some work, and it wasn’t right. I’ve never been great at dealing with negative feedback. I have a tendency to take it personally and then spend a lot of time overthinking it. It was…
Overcommitted
So. I admit it. I’ve done it. I’ve overcommitted myself, and its uncomfortable. I now have almost exactly the number of hours contracted work as I have hours available to work. Perfect, right? Wrong! Work doesn’t stay in neat little day boxes, tasks don’t always finish on time and no breathing space means…
Freelancing in a Fug
In the standard rotation that comes having small children, we enjoyed a few solid healthy, productive weeks then we suddenly all came down with the germs again this week. It’s hard deciding whether its better to have a poorly child, so that at least you’re well enough to work where you can around…
When Your Safety Net Sets on Fire
Heading for the end of October, I realised my new year was looking dry, or more accurate desert-like. Both my current client contracts are due to end mid-December, which is great for my Christmas break, but less good for my bank balance/sanity come January. So, I’d started a more concerted effort to find…
When to Walk Away
In the same way that it’s important to listen when you have a good gut feeling about something, it’s also important to listen when you feel like the red flags are starting to surface. In the last couple of months I’d pursued a few new opportunities, and they looked like great ones– either…