Words on the Page

Guest Post: Working Remotely

Posted on by lwidmer

Happy birthday to my brother! Today he’s – well, he’s still older than I am. And being a good sister, I’m definitely going to point that out. Remember when that was a good thing – to be older than your siblings? I’m excited. I’ve been a fan of Sharon Hurley Hall for a while now,…

Tenseness and Time

Posted on by lwidmer

Don’t forget to check out Anne’s and my new Five Buck Forum, the most affordable members-only sharing, caring, and business-building site to date. We’re so happy with all the features of the forum, the Webinars, the courses, and of course, the cameraderie and networking. For the price of a Happy Meal, you can be part…

Announcing….

Posted on by lwidmer

It’s here! Introducing the Five Buck Forum! Built by Anne Wayman and yours truly, the forum is a comprehensive meeting place for writers and creatives that offers support, advice, resources, and discounts on Webinars and ebooks. Anne and I have built it with you in mind. We’ve talked to you, heard what you’ve said, and…

The Winning Partnership

Posted on by lwidmer

Yesterday was productive. I spent a good deal of time working on my personal project, my project with Anne, and another chunk of the large project that hit my in box around noon. If all goes well, I should be able to bill for the large one this week, which means I’ll surpass my monthly…

Charging for Consulting

Posted on by lwidmer

Look for big news from Anne Wayman and me tomorrow – to get notified directly, sign up here. No spam, I promise. We had a great tweetup yesterday afternoon. Thanks to those who could make it and to those who spread the word. It was a nice manageable group, and we had a good time,…

Ideas and How to Use Them

Posted on by lwidmer

Time once again for a tweet-up! Anne and I are hosting one this afternoon. To join, head to Twitter and use the #writingsquared hashtag. (Best way is to make a column in your viewer just for that hashtag.) Yesterday was productive despite a “travel hangover” and the lack of several promised files. I worked ahead…

Hitting the Ground Running

Posted on by lwidmer

Good morning! I’ve been gone a total of three working days, but it feels like years. The switch in cultures from here to my favorite fishing hole is so drastic that you can notice the change even in how you behave. It’s quiet there. Situated facing the river with bays on either side, the cottage…

This Job, Not That Job

Posted on by lwidmer

Just because I’m away doesn’t mean we can’t still have fun. So why not a round of This Job, Not That Job to placate ourselves as summer becomes a shrinking memory? This beauty came via Twitter, where I didn’t have enough characters to tell him what I really thought: #freelance #writing #job – Make my…

The Subject Line

Posted on by lwidmer

Still north of the US, where I hope there’s less rain and even less 9/11 talk. I have my own memories of that awful day. It’s nice that we want to remember. It’s kind of awful (to me, anyway) that we have to make a huge television event out of it. Something very wrong about…

Giving in to Lethargy

Posted on by lwidmer

As I bask in the “balmy” lake district of Ontario, I wanted to leave you with something to discuss and debate. I have this strange work process that seems to kick in out of the blue. I get lazy. I work my tail off when I have projects that are due immediately, but give me…

Colin Galbraith

Every now and then (and by that I mean not as often as I should) a long term project with a deadline comes along and I try to batter into it. The feeling once gets from beating procrastination just once can carry me through into my other work.

But as I say, it's every now and then. 🙂

I think looming deadlines can work in your favour too. Often my best work comes from being under pressure and having to sit down and just do it.

Damaria Senne

Oh, I'm a procrastinator of note. unfortunately. It works better if I jump into a project immediately after getting it, regardless of deadline. Once I've started, I get aborbd in it and will work on it until it's done. The problem arises if I decide to set a later starting time because I have a longer time frame. It's harder then to start and more often than not, I'll procrastinate until the deadline is looming and my butt is on fire.
Enjoy Lake Ontario.

Devon Ellington

I like to get it done.

I don't send it off early, because I don't want the client to shorten the turn around time. But I want it done so it's not hanging over me.

If I have the "I don't wannas" it means I accepted the wrong project, and it's time to move on once the contract is complete.

Cathy Miller

Absolutely, I have bouts of I don't want to go to school. Isn't that why we freelance? As long as we don't let it get out of control, we need the time for us.

I came back last week from a funeral for my sister-in-law who was my age. I had trouble getting back on track. Maybe it hit too close to home. If I have learned anything from freelancing, it's don't beat yourself up too much-life is way too short.

I'm off to San Francisco to cheer on my crazy teammates that are doing both San Francisco AND San Diego's 3-Day, 60 mile Walk for breast cancer. Have a fabulous weekend and God bless to the families of 9/11.

Jennifer Mattern

Sometimes my best work comes out of a quickly-approaching deadline. I work very well under pressure (probably why I take on so much). I don't work well with open ends. That's one of the reasons I set the bulk of my client schedule at the start of the month. I set my own deadlines even if those of the client are flexible. That gives me the under pressure feeling even if the client might not expect delivery for another week or two. It was the same in school. Pressure led to better work, more creative thinking, and higher grades. It's just how I work I suppose.

Paula

Lethargy? No. Procrastination? Yes. But only on certain projects – the ones that I know are going to be difficult. (Like those hedges I've been talking about trimming for two weeks! Today is the day.)

On a sub-conscious level, I think that's because I know I do well under pressure. When asked to so a 24-turn around because another writer dropped the ball, I'll do it with 100% focus. But give me a long deadline and the focus is gone, making it easier for distractions can set in.

Wade Finnegan

I procrastinate, however I work better under pressure. I'm not sure what it is, but when deadlines approach I kick into high gear. Every time I say to myself get this done early, but I don't. Most likely, not the healthiest habit, but that's how I operate.

Wendy

For me, if you want quality, I need a little time. I usually do a quick write up and then spend time going through and tweaking, changing things around, etc. If I do too much thinking during the writing process, I'll never get the thing done. LOL!

Jake P

Guilty as charged. But I can flick on the turbo, like I'm doing this week, when I need to. I've always been a sprinter, not a marathoner–but that self-knowledge allows me to manage and/or avoid problems. (Um. Usually.)

I hope the fish are biting in Ontario!

Ashley

I work well under pressure. Sometimes I create pressure situations for myself, saying that I need to get something done by a set date so I can do something else, usually something fun that I want to do! That way, I don't have work hanging over me when I'm trying to have a good time. I feel most motivated when I have a tight deadline, which leads me to do better work more efficiently.

However, there are times when I have lots of time and no pressure, and I must say, that's actually pretty nice. It's a luxury because most of my work is done on deadline!

Lori

Colin, I agree. The deadline sometimes hangs like a noose over my head. 🙂

It's the starting though, isn't it Damaria? I'm guilty of putting off starting because I want that block of time to get absorbed. 🙂

Devon, my "I don't wannas" come from a bit of ADD and a whole lot of work at once. 🙂 I don't like things hanging over me, either, but if they give me six weeks, I'm taking five and a half, for sure. Bad habit!

Cathy, I'm so sorry about your SIL. I hope you have fond memories and plenty of laughs at remembering the good times with her. Hugs, dear.

Jenn, I like that approach. I have my own mini-deadlines, which does help keep me on track. I'd love to eyeball your process up close at some point – sounds like something I could love doing.

Paula, great example with the hedges. 🙂 I'm like that with the garden weeding.

I say similar things, Wade. I want it done early, but only recently have I been listening to myself. 🙂

That sounds like a neat way to approach it, Wendy. If you have it on paper already, you're half done. Nice!

Sprinter – great way to put it, Jake. (And the fish weren't biting like they should have been.)

Ashley, I like that. Rewarding yourself only after finishing is brilliant. It's a sideways form of accountability. 🙂