It’s no secret that freelancers run unusual and sometimes extended hours. When making a deadline matters, what do you use to give yourself a kick in the seat?  When you need to pull an all-nighter, or you need to stay awake after your last all-nighter, which energy drink do you reach for before you fall asleep on your keyboard? We’ll look at the two main contenders on the market, Rockstar and Red Bull energy drinks, and leave the results to…science! Continue Reading

A quote can help you get through the day, maybe even bring you inspiration in it´s own way. But what is it that makes a great quote? Is it that a famous person once said it? Or maybe it´s just something you came up with while taking a shower? In my own honest opinion, I´d say that:

“All quotes are great in their own way, the hardest part is to understand them.”

You have any favourite quotes? Share them with the rest of us, if it´s good enough – I might feature it next friday. Continue Reading

With Father’s Day closing in faster each day, maybe its time to get him that special something for his very own day. If you´re a father of your own, tell your son or daughter what it is you want as a gift. Whether the dad in question works from an office or freelances, if you or your father owns a suit – this is the perfect gift. Stay productive at the same time as you look dashing! What could be any better?

Silver USB Cufflinks from ThinkGeek

You have any cool creative ideas for Father’s Day? Please share them with the rest of us, I for one are getting the cufflinks for my dad. Continue Reading

This semester, I had the wonderful opportunity to go back and teach a studio photography class at my Alma Mater, The University of Kansas. Before the start of this semester I never would have thought I would enjoy teaching as much as I have, and never would I have thought that I was going to learn as much from the students as they were learning from me.

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Photo by Erik Charlton.

Writing on the internet is a special kind of experience. Unlike print publications, the second your internet article is posted a crowd of eager onlookers is standing by ready to give you instant feedback on your work. Does it connect with people? Did you miss the mark on some seemingly unimportant fact? Do they hate you and your very existence? Do they know a good place to find generic Cialis at bargain basement prices?

Unfortunately, the answer to that and many many other questions is a resounding yes. And snarky commenters aren’t the only people you’ll meet on your path to internet semi-famousness. These are the six people you meet in freelance internet writing hell.

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Photo by *hini*.

All of us have different measures of success. For me, I knew I was thriving when I wasn’t working 50-hour weeks anymore. Not to say that a long week is extinct for me, but there aren’t as many of them.

The extra time is something I’m not used to. I watch people around me rush around and never seem to have time to do much. They complain about their overwhelming lives and I remember what that felt like. I’m busy, too, but I’m able to make more time for things that matter to me. This is partially because of the career I’ve carved out for myself.

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Well, to make a long story short, the Carbonmade contest that we hosted a little shy of a month ago was a brilliant success. 150 freelancers from FSw signed up for accounts and created some pretty amazing portfolios.

As you might recall, Carbonmade generously donated some awesome equipment that any freelancer could salivate over. So I’ll list the winning portfolios below, and show the prize the winners won.
If you’re a winner, you’ll need to email support@carbonmade.com to claim their prize.

Creative Use of Technology

• 1. truepresence – A Western Digital Passport 250GB External Hard drive and a one-year subscription to Carbonmade ($120 value)
• 2. Sonata Creative – Corsair 4GB FlashVoyager rugged USB thumb drive and a one-year subscription to Carbonmade ($120 value)
• 3. kenton – A one-year subscription to Carbonmade ($120 value)

Most Innovative

• 1. draw SINNA draw – A Western Digital Passport 250GB External Hard drive and a one-year subscription to Carbonmade ($120 value
• 2. The Creative Works Of Thomas C. Calder. – A Corsair 4GB FlashVoyager rugged USB thumb drive and a one-year subscription to Carbonmade ($120 value)
• 3. Megan Kearney – A one-year subscription to Carbonmade ($120 value)

The winners need to email support@carbonmade.com to claim their prize.

Great job everyone! The portfolios were absolutely stunning, and really showcased the power of Carbonmade’s easy portfolio system (demo).

And lastly, a big Thank-You to Carbonmade for generously donating the prizes.

Photo by Jurvetson.

Please note: if you like this article, stay tuned: Kristen Fischer will be interviewing Ed tomorrow! — Skellie

I remember it like it was yesterday.

We were new parents and our newborn baby boy had a severe case of reflux. He was constantly crying and was waking up 6 to 8 times every night.

My wife had very little time for herself. She was exhausted. I was working long hours but did everything I could to help in the evenings and on weekends.

Around that time, my wife called one of her good friends to vent her frustrations.

She told her about how tired she was—and how she didn’t even have time to clean the house. She was on the verge of tears.

Then my wife’s friend said something I’ll never forget: “Why don’t you just hire a house cleaner? You’ll have one less thing to worry about.”

It was such a simple idea. But (I hate to admit this) we’d never thought of it! Continue Reading

Image by thp365.

Was this you once?

Is this you now?

When I was working as a technical and marketing writer in the corporate universe, I endured quarterly “team luncheons,” which consisted of long sandwiches featuring very sad lettuce and a conference room in which we were told what a great company we were and the many ways in which we, those of us who comprised the company, sucked at our jobs.

These to-dos weren’t technically mandatory, of course, but when the send-all email hit the inboxes with a closing sentence consisting of, “The CEO looks forward to seeing all of you there”, it was clear that it wasn’t the brightest idea to be found at one’s desk during the Team Hour, scrolling through vintage Atari cartridges on eBay.

My strategy was to nip in at the very last second, which usually meant that all the uncomfortable folding chairs were taken and I was left—oh, gosh darn it!—to stand in the hallway next to the folding table with the lettuce, which frankly had a more winning personality than many of the office people. I braced myself up against the wall, faced the ice bucket, and was free to not feign raptures over PowerPoint clip art. Continue Reading

Dear Aunty Entity

I’m project managing a large project for a client who, although are the nicest bunch of people, are so disorganised that sometimes I can wait three months for payment. Although I have steady work and not a lot of time to spare for other clients, two minute noodles more than 5 times a week is getting to be beyond a joke.

What can I do to get paid on time?

Cassy Stoner

Dear Cassy

Not getting paid on time is unfortunately one of the biggest problems freelancers face. Being the norm doesn’t make it right but instead of feeling powerless there are some things you can try to make sure your invoice stays in the front of the queue. Continue Reading

Dear Aunty Entity

I’m just starting a project for a new client. We are having our first meeting in a few days time to make introductions and formally kick start the work.

Do you have any tips for making a good impression, conducting a successful; meeting or questions to ask? Are there any follow-up ideas you could pass on? I’m going with the art director and lead developer.

Thanks
Monitor Lizard

Dear Monitor

Meeting a new client is like having an interview. Even if the relationship is established with other members of the team, they do not know you or have experience of working with you. The project manager is usually one of the key points of contact so it’s important to start off on the right note. Appreciation of your de-constructivist wardrobe, piercing preferences, your quirky sense of humour and dating status can develop at a more leisurely pace once you are on your way to developing the relationship. Continue Reading

If you’ve been listening to the podcasts here at FreelanceSwitch.com, you know that I am a sucker for nice office supplies. Anything with color, anything with a cute design…these are the things that make my office a restful, organized place for me.

But there is that time of year that stirs it all up for me—when I need to refill my planner.

Don’t ask me why, but I can never find the pages with the layout that I like. I go from store to store each year searching for weekly pages with horizontal daily planning room. Instead, I find pages with tiny one-inch columns and scores of hourly markers down the side that are ideal mostly for busy doctors. This is my challenge.
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