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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?
continue reading…
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 continue reading…
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 continue reading…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…