Comments on: Simplifying Your Freelance Life

By: Devon Ellington

Devon Ellington — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 22:38:58 +0000

I work backwards from the deadline, figure how much I think each part will take, add 20%. If something goes wrong and I fall behind, I work whatever hours it takes to get it done on time.

If the crunch is due to me, it is MY problem to fix it and get it done on time. If that means an all nighter, so be it. It's up to me to deal and get it done.

However, if it's because the client messed up, either pay the rush fee or extend the deadline! ;)

By: Lori

Lori — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 18:25:30 +0000

Nothing here, Paula. Maybe ten minutes of heavy rain, then nothing. So much for the forecasted mayhem and destruction!

By: Paula

Paula — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 13:57:59 +0000

It was scary here for an hour or so. Tornado warnings all around, with at least three funnel clouds spotted over the metro area, and a few (thankfully minor) touchdowns in outlying areas. The funny thing is we've only had tornado sirens a couple of years, and this summer they've gone off 2 or 3 times when we didn't even have a tornado warning. Better safe than sorry, but people are already dismissing the sirens because of that.

Yesterday I saw footage of a couple funnel clouds twisting in the air within 2 miles of my house!

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:14:20 +0000

Paula, I hope you fared well! We're now about to deal with that same storm. I'll be in the basement if you need me....

Jake, that's my checklist, too. I just can't go any deeper. I like to have my options open. :) I figure if I visualize an hour per, I'm much more likely to stick with the checklist. Otherwise, I'm all over the place trying to get it all done at once.

Maine will be gorgeous. :) Love it up there in summer.

By: Jake Poinier

Jake Poinier — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 22:07:49 +0000

I work from a checklist and that's about it. I've never been one to buy into the whole Franklin-Covey thing about prioritizing, because I know what's important in my head, right? And usually the items that cause me a wee bit of dread are the ones I should hammer on (but I do last, lol).

To your point about working while away, I'm always comforted by seeing someone else do that. I am not a vacation absolutist: Some vacations are completely unplugged... but running your own show, gotta do what ya gotta do.

Maine should be gorgeous this time of year, have fun!

By: Paula

Paula — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 19:34:00 +0000

I tend to schedule things by daypart. For example, on Monday morning I knew I needed to write a column, send in at least one article and start on a few more.

I left the afternoon for the articles (the pay isn't great so all I can afford is to half a day or less per article for those quickies), and in the morning I cranked out the column and a blog post and still had time to follow up on some client leads and send a few more LOIs.

If I didn't have to wait for a reply to fact check one tiny detail, I would have turned in two of those quick articles that afternoon. The second was turned in Tuesday morning.

I give myself my "lunch hour" to check Twitter and LinkedIn.

I wish I could have been as focused today, but we're in the bullseye of a PDS weather warning with a TOR:CON of 6 where I am. I've been battening down the hatches, getting my storm kit ready and checking the weather more obsessively than usual.