How to Say Goodbye
I’ve got a very new and uncomfortable conundrum – how to break up with a client. Given how much time I’ve spent worrying about whether there’d be enough work, there’s a huge irony to this. And I think the conundrum is two-fold – it’s a debate about whether I actually want to go…
The Generosity of Freelancers
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…
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…
House of Plague
I spoke too soon. Our germs a few weeks ago were barely illness. This week we have the whole house (bar one) falling and it’s about to get ugly. We’ve got the littlest home from nursery, not sleeping overnight and being a limpet in need of comfort throughout the day, we’re getting not…
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…