SISTER WISDOM : build a better life

Focus is key in getting things done. Be diligent at what you're good at and see what happens. Let other things go, unimportant things.
Distraction is the enemy of focus. Planning becomes procrastination and procrastination is the enemy of action.
What distracts us? Read the rest of this entry »

In all labor there is profit...

"In the entrepreneurial environment..there's a lot to be said for showing up on time, ready to work. ...The meeting of deadlines and commitments alone causes a person to stand out from the crowd like an alien space ship parked in an Iowa cornfield. The ability to get things done and done right the first time will magnetically attract incredible contacts, opportunities, and resources to you. All of this is a matter of self-discipline." {Dan Kennedy, No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs}

"Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's Read the rest of this entry »

Part 1 of the series: "The Get Your Life Together Plan"

Image courtesy of alicepopkorn.

Find out why it matters.

When I need help being consistent, say, with exercise or cutting out soda or eating more salads, I do research. I hope from site to site, reading up on fitness routines, muscle tone, great-looking salad ideas.

And nothing changes.

Then, as I walk the mall, dodging weed-thin teenagers and power-walking Mommies in velour sweats, I catch my own reflection. Sharp gasp (my own). Look of horror (my own). That's not me: that's some 30-ish woman who has a mummy tummy and flabby arms and doesn't make that cute shirt look so cute.

I dump my soda in the nearest trash can, go home, and have a big salad for dinner. The next day Read the rest of this entry »

Build it entirely out of paper clips.

Congratulations. Finding that you need a genuine home office is a mark of adulthood. Maybe you're freelancing or maybe you just have enough bills to pay that leaving them on the counter isn't working anymore. Don't run to Office Max or click over to Ikea yet. Be smart, save money, and still have a great place to work at home.

Shop at Home First...

Specialization is great and all, but it costs more money. Get back to the basics of functionality in order to save money on a home office. You need a chair to sit in and a desk to work at, correct? And some storage, perhaps a filing cabinet, and... That may be all. So the basic furniture need is a chair of some kind, a flat surface on which to work, and cabinets or containers for the papers you need to keep.
Chairs: office chair, sure, but how about a stool, an extra kitchen chair, that one unmatched chair in the living room, or anything sittable from basement or attic?
Desk: genuine desk, fine, or old door on sawhorses, a basic table, an old entertainment center, a very sturdy shelf installed at desk height?
Cabinets: Shop for a used filing cabinet if you need one; get a couple of two-drawer vertical ones and they can support an old door or piece of wood to create a desk. Or use filing boxes; stack them in the closet.

Then Hit Up Your Friends and Family.

If you can't find what you need in your own home, send out an email asking. Lots of people you know have lots of stuff that they may just long to get rid of. Let them know you're interested in functionality, not the latest design from Office Pro Shopping. Offer to pay, barter, or help out in exchange.

Make It Smaller

Even if you have the space to dedicate a full room to your home office, consider well before you do so. More space doesn't mean more productivity; it just means more room to fill up with more stuff that costs more money and requires more maintenance. Start by using a corner, a revamped closet, or part of a room. Designate that particular space as your home office. If you end up feeling cramped, you can always expand.

Buy Essentials in Bulk

Make a list of the office supplies you actually use, and go to a discount store to purchase in large quantity. You will save money if you actually use these items. You will not save money if you also purchase random items in bulk while there. Stick to your list.

Get Smart About Storage

Besides filing storage, you'll run into the need for other types of storage as well. You need a place for those office supplies you purchased in bulk. You need a spot for computer cables, reference books, dark chocolate... First, figure out what you need to store and/or access in your office. Spread it all out on the floor or your desk. Then start finding containers. Follow the same method you did for furniture: shop your own home first, then ask around. Get creative. Use shoeboxes, old lego containers, snazzy kitchen trays, vintage lunchboxes.

Add Over Time

You'll end up with a rather complete office at a very minimum price point, but chances are you'll identify one or two things that could be improved with additional cash. That's fine. Just start saving and shopping, and add over time to create a home office that is frugal and functional.

More Resources:

Shop on Craigslist and Freecycle.

Read about Free Small Office Software for the Budget Home Office

Image courtesy of stephentrepreneur.

Because everybody wants to be a spiffy like Wonder Dog, even if no one actually uses the word spiffy anymore.

1. Update your photo and bio.

   If your bio ends with your current status ten or five years or even six months ago, bring it up to the present. While you are updating, get a photo that looks professional: a closer, well-focused head shot with a neutral, non-busy background will look more professional than that half of your face from the 1999 family Christmas picture. You can use a photo you already have and do a little editing. Blur out the background; maybe convert the picture to black and white. You might also check into prices on getting a professional head shot.

2. Add screen shots of the sites for which you write on your own website.

   . This saves visitors the trouble of having to click to all your links, and it also saves you the risk of getting them so interested in a different site that they forget to come back to yours. If you’re not sure what a screen shot even is, go read this explanation from Wikipedia. Basically, you are taking a picture of what is on the screen, saving it as an image file, and then putting it on your website as a picture. You could put it into a writing sample of what you’ve done on that particular website, so visitors can read your work and see where it’s published all without leaving your site.

3. Provide a downloadable .pdf of your portfolio, resume, and/or writing samples.

   You have a potential client who is browsing your website while waiting for a flight. It’s just time to board when they start reading your writing samples. They notice that little “Download as PDF” button, click it, and now they have a copy they can read in flight. Providing options makes it easier for your clients to remember you and hire you.
   Most office programs provide a way to convert a document to a .pdf file, or there are several online options you can look into. Make sure the option is easy to see for your website visitors.

4. Document your areas of expertise with specific samples or clips.

   First, of course, you’ll have to list your areas of expertise. As you build up samples and clips in each area, provide links right next to the listed topic on which you are (becoming) an expert. This makes it easy for clients who want writing on a particular subject to go straight to your relevant writing samples, rather than browsing through your entire portfolio.

5. Have a professional header and logo made.

   If you got some graphic designing skill, make it yourself. Think simple and streamlined. Do a little internet searching if, like me, your graphic design skills are at a negative level. I have found several very affordable options and have been very pleased with the results. Having a uniform header and logo for your website makes you look professional, and it also makes it easy for others to link to your site in an aesthetically pleasing way.

6. Make your design/theme simple with muted or neutral colors.

   I give this advice with a big caveat: some very professional themes and designs incorporate brighter colors and more complex color schemes. But if you’re not sure what you are doing, of if your aesthetic sense is somewhat, uh, underdeveloped, err on the side of caution. A classic black and white theme promotes your writing skill, whereas a complicated, multi-color scheme might just prove distracting to potential clients. Obviously personal taste is involved, and the kind of clients you are pursuing matter, so take this advice with a big grain of salt. Sea salt. White sea salt.

7. Provide a table or spreadsheet with your rates.

   Make this downloadable as well, so clients can have it as a reference. It doesn’t have to be a complicated table, just a simple spread of the services you offered lined up with what you charge. If you have pricing options (by project, by hour, by page), then lay those out clearly as well.

8. Use your sidebar for shameless self-promotion, but in a classy way.

   If you have a sidebar, that is… Gather a collection of quotes from your satisfied clients, positive reviews, and a few of the best lines you have written. Convert part of your CV and areas of expertise into little factoids, then load up all those goodies into a rotating quote collection or other display format. It’s like a little snack bar of how talented you are.

9. Record an audio or video introduction of yourself and what you do.

   A caveat with this one as well: only do this if you can do it well. If you are a work at home freelancer and can’t find a quiet time or place to record, skip it. If, however, you have a friend who is handy with YouTube videos or podcasts and you can come up with a brief, smart script and a good place to record, do it. This could be the first thing visitors see when they come to your website, and a little click on the play button will let them “meet” you. It might be the extra effort that makes you stand out from the other freelance writers out there.

10. Offer a contact form, not just a mailto: command.

    This is a pet peeve of mine. I’m not always on the same computer, and when I want to contact someone who offers only a mailto: option, I have to copy the email address from the command line, open up my own mail server, and send the email. Offer a contact form option so that visitors only have to take one step to get in touch with you. If they are using a public computer or don’t have a default mail server set up on their own, clicking a mailto: command is far more annoying than it is useful.

I originally wrote this post for Writers Unbound, several months ago. Editing it to post on this website has added a few significant items to my list of updates for my portfolio website. Time to get to tweaking...

If you make over $400 per year in “additional income,” you better plan to pay tax on it. You can not plan to, but you’ll still be paying the taxes anyway. And yes, you could also decide not to report what you make from freelancing; for multiple reasons, not reporting is a very bad idea. So you know you’re going to make some amount of money from your writing, and whether that’s moonlighting it or as a full-time writer, the tax structures are about the same. Here is a little breakdown to help you decide how to deal with your freelance income and the resulting taxes.

• The first, and most obvious option, is simply to report as self-employed. You don’t have to set up a business structure; it’s the simplest option. Another way to say it is that you work as an Independent Contractor. This means that “the person for whom you perform services has only the right to control or direct the result of your work, not what will be done or how it will be done,” according to the IRS. You need your social security number, good records of the income you have received, and a little time to fill out some additional forms at tax time. The federal self-employment tax rate is 15.3%, and you will have to make estimated tax payments since your taxes are not automatically withheld.
• A Limited Liability Corporation is the next simplest option. It’s not that complicated to set one up; About.com’s guide predicts 1 - 4 hours. Basically, you have three items on your list: the Articles of Organization, the business name, and the Operating Agreement. The simpler your company is, the simpler these documents will be. If you’re one person, the sole owner of the LLC, you’re looking at a fairly quick set-up. Unless you have more than one member, the federal tax rate is basically the same as it is for self-employed income. The IRS treats a sole-owner LLC as a “non-entity” and taxes it according to sole proprietorship (self-employed) tax laws. So what’s the benefit of forming an LLC if the tax rate is the same? Purportedly, an LLC offers what its name indicates: you can’t be held personally liable if the business fails. So if your business took on debt to support itself, couldn’t pay, and went bankrupt, you wouldn’t lose your personal assets (house, car, savings) to pay that debt.
  I’ve heard from different sources that 1) it’s a good idea to have an LLC because you need the liability protection and 2) the LLC is really just a false front that doesn’t offer any real protection. I suggest doing some independent research there, like talking to someone who actually runs an LLC or chatting with an IRS representative, your accountant, or your lawyer. However, all that said, I don’t really see the point of an LLC structure for a freelance writing business. There is basically no overhead to work from your home as a freelance writer. If you get into setting up an office outside of your home or buying a new laptop every month, you can acquire some debt, sure. But generally, freelance writers are able to keep their expenses very, very low. So setting up a structure to provide liability protection for a company that doesn’t really have liability seems rather redundant. The only other scenario would be the possibility of a lawsuit that could result in large bills. So don’t write anything rude about people…
• Finally we come to the corporate structures, the S Corp and the C Corp. The C Corp is how the big businesses are set up. The S Corp is an option for businesses that don’t want to offer public stock options, and it allows pass-through taxation, which basically means that the corporation doesn’t pay taxes, only the “employees” do on their actual income.
  Neither one is very hard to set up, but you want to pay attention to tax documents, annual reports, and other required forms and filings. As with an LLC, however, a corporation seems rather over the top for a sole proprieter(freelance writer) except that it offers liability protection and, in some scenarios, a savings on taxes.

Now the disclaimer, and I mean it: I am NOT a lawyer or an accountant, and what I’ve said should in no way be treated as legal or professional tax advice. I am a freelance writer, like you. The research I’ve done has been for the purpose of understanding tax options and making decisions for my own income. I have simplified and shared what I know, which isn’t much. The point is to get you started thinking about the best route, so you don’t just wake up in April and realize you have no idea what to do. Whatever you do, be sure you keep accurate records, report honestly, and set your business up legally.

Today begins a new month and my next monthly challenge.

I'm ready for a challenge and excited about how this one will help me get closer to some long-held goals. I've noticed that most of my personal challenges related to time and how I manage (or mismanage) it. Same with this month's: my challenge for February is to work 25 hours a week. On business (writing and web work). Every Mom works far more than 25 hours a week doing Mom-stuff; we don't need a challenge for that sort of thing, unless it might be a challenge to do less.

25 hours a week of business work is going to require some good sticking-to-a-scheduleness, which I'm not good at. I make great schedules, but I don't use them well. One day I will pull all the pages out of the old planners stuffed into bookcases and wallpaper a room with them. It will be my annotated life history.
Joe and I were talking last night about doubt and how it sabotages our lives. We let it. I set high goals for myself, and not two minutes later I start questioning: "Who am I to think I can do this?"

I'm Super Woman, that's who I am!

Except for the leotard. And the super powers. And except that I know I am not. I know that there's a good reason for doubt (really? is there?) because I do have limits, and I do fail. How often do I fail because of doubts? They tend to be self-fulfilling prophecies.
Women tend to multitask; women who happen to be wives & mommies & worker-bees, whether at home or in an outside job, multiply their multitasking. Quadrupletask? Sometimes we multi(quadrupli)taskers need to step back, say no, take a break, simplify. Well and good.

But doubt is not a good thing. (Doughnuts are, though.) I may not be able to achieve all my goals, but then again, maybe I can. Successful people are the ones who go for it, taking for granted that they'll acquire the abilities and resources needed as they go. (This is not a blanket justification for taking out large loans on faith that you'll have the ability to pay it back as needed; just want to clear that up.) You can never be perfectly prepared, or perfectly anything. Sometimes you just have to take the risk and figure it out as you go along.

I don't want to fail because I talk myself out of trying. Reaching goals is difficult. Resistance always shows up in, in its various toxic forms. It's my job to squish the resistance, not feed it cookies and give it a warm bed right next to mine.

Once again, this month's challenge is my opportunity to change the habits that hold me back. I hear plenty of opinions and cultural idioms that encourage mediocrity, complacency. It starts way back in school when one year, instead of getting an A and waving around your gold star running home to show Mom, you get an A and quietly turn your paper over so the kid next to you doesn't notice and tease.

Opinions and cultural idioms are notoriously inaccurate. I have a feeling there's a greater motive behind all those voices, and it's not rational; it's fear. Fear of failure, yes, and fear of someone else succeeding, showing us it can be done, raising the standard.

We rarely expect enough from ourselves. We never demand it. Your version of success is, I'm sure, not the same as mine, but it requires the same kind of fundamental change to reach it. We have to stop expecting, and accepting, less from ourselves. We are capable of more.

How will you challenge yourself to be more this month?

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Image Credits

Hourglass photo courtesy of bogenfreund on Flickr; Superwoman Cartoon courtesy of Inspiration Line.

This week has had two Mondays. I polled a small sampling of the population (two people) and both agreed with me. Monday was Monday, and then Tuesday was Monday, but meaner. Read the rest of this entry »

I had a dream about a woman who wanted to be a chef. "Someday," she said, "I hope I can be a passionate cook like that." In the dream, I was trying to find a way to leave her a note with three simple words on it: Why Not Today?

Why trade today for someday? Why push our dreams back day after day, until years roll by? Sometimes we forget the dreams. We let the daily complexities overwhelm us. We let the obligations reach a level we can barely survive. We let our lives become controlled chaos, and all our time, energy, and resources go toward holding it together one more day. We never give ourselves a moment to ask what would happen if we let go. Would the world really end? Would our world end?

We need to end this chaotic, frenzied world, this empty, lethargic one. You come home from running all day and collapse in front of a box to watch other people have fun doing the things you wish you could do. Underneath the chatter, you are bored. You never stir the deeper water. The foaming and rushing on top make you seem busy, active, productive, but you are not drawing from the greater resources. You are not even allowing yourself to look that deep.

Deep in that undisturbed place are the visions and dreams. You sunk them like a pirate's chest. You left them there to wait. You wait too long, you'll die and they will die with you.

Meanwhile, there are storms and troubles building on the surface. You are navigating your boat down the river and you have to pay attention. If you jump off to dive into deeper places, the boat will hit the bank. You'll lose direction. You'll lose everything. The wind will fling your vessel and all it holds up and down the river. You will surface and find yourself alone, struggling to swim with no place to rest.

But if you wait until everything is calm, find a good place to tie up your boat, secure your stuff, clean up the storm damage, make sure everyone is okay... the next wind will be rising. Too late to dive in now; you've got to handle this first. Maybe then...

That perfect calm never comes. We have to find a way to live, to keep cruising down the river, maintaining a steady course, and get to that treasure. Nobody wants a shipwreck. But what is the good of an empty ship? Or one with a hold full of junk, haphazard leftovers you skimmed off the surface as you floated by? You may get to port safely, but what will you have once you arrive? The treasure is not for later; it is for now. If it is truly treasure, it will survive the using, the journey, and so will we.

We have to clear out the junk so there is room for the treasure. We must invent ways to handle the storms and keep going in the right direction. We must find a way to get down, get deep, get to what really matters and bring it into our ship. We must make those dives often so that as we use our treasure along the way we can replenish our store.

It seems impossible, but it isn't. There are ways to live deeper than this surface scurrying that we do. As we begin to wake up, we can find them.

The first step toward fulfilment is dissatisfaction.