For those of you interested in blog writing, you probably recall that Leo had been writing an excellent set of articles on the subject here at FSw.

Leo has just published his most recent blog writing article called 12 Ways to Turn a Boring Post into Pure Gold which you can read over at NorthxEast.

Some of his popular posts on the subject here on FSw include:

• The Sexy Art of Writing Headlines that Kill
• How to Write a Popular Post
• Bring your A-Game to Write for Blogs

For those of you who are curious you can also read a little commentary about our experiences with growing FreelanceSwitch in Building a Super Blog part 1 and part 2.

By Leo Babauta

Image from iStockPhoto

Every freelancer can get better, but only a handful are at the top of their field — the best writers, the best designers, the best marketers, the best tech guys, the best artists, the best photographers. That’s where you want to be, if you want to succeed in your field.

Be the best, and someday others will be emulating you.

For now, if you’re not already at the top of your field, there are some essential steps you can take today to get there. Whether you’re just starting out or even if you’ve been doing what you do for over a decade (like I have), there’s always ways to improve.

Here’s how.
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Image from iStockPhoto

Okay, I’ll admit it. My wrist is swollen and I’m still typing. Of course, a deadline is a deadline, and I’m not one to miss them.

It all started last week when I took a break from writing to paint the trim in my house. After tackling a doorway per week, I decided to go for the gusto and complete a hallway’s worth of doorways in a mere six hours. I ignored the pain. Two days later, I broke out the ice. Then the bandage. Then I stopped working altogether for a few days.

While I was lucky to be able to take time off because my workload permitted it, I have to tell you that I wasn’t always so in tune with my body. I used to push myself hard until a project was done. But I’d crash really hard.

Even though I took a break this weekend, this aching wrist is a reminder that I need to take care of myself in the midst of an injury. And as a self-employed writer—and a self-defined workaholic—that’s kind of hard to do.

It’s easy to take a break when you’ve got a few hours of down time during the day, or when you have a vacation schedule. It’s not so simple to do so when you want to work but can’t. When you have to do nothing. Oh, the dreaded doing of nothing at all!

So I’m bringing you some tips to help you cope with the times when you have to take some time off, and may have to work during a trial. Whether it’s a family emergency, a stubborn cold or even a busted up wrist, there comes times during this self-employment journey when you have to be the one to pace yourself before your body really retaliates.

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Time for a roundup of useful links from across this beast we call the world wide web:

Studio7Designs.com

For all you designers out there, I thought I’d mention a great agency we’ve come across recently that makes our hearts smile. As a designer, I’ve always wondered if making things pretty so people would buy them was perhaps a little shallow. I’ve always added a hefty dose of charity clients to lighten the ethical load. Studio 7 Designs serve socially minded companies around the world, which is pretty nifty. Even better, their work reflects an appreciation of the natural world which is great to see. If you are a designer and want to see individuals who are walking the talk and making it work financially, then go check them out.

Banner Blog – Where Banners Click, is an Australian blog that showcases the best in banner advertising. If you’re interested in innovative advertising then check them out.

For those of you working towards a freelancing career, or any of us who set goals, sometimes things don’t go quite as we plan. The Simple Dollar tells us How To Deal With Not Meeting Your Goals And Set Yourself Up For Success The Next Time.

The incredibly talented Christine Kane tells us How To Get Nothing Done. This is a must read for those of us who put off doing the really important things.

For bloggers, anyone working on their portfolio site, or copywriters, Molt:n has Six Tips For Writing Content For Search Engines.

If you have a useful link or article that you think FreelanceSwitch readers would be interested in, Send It In!

By Mathias Meyer

Image from iStockPhoto

Client relations aren’t easy, just as personal relationships can be challenging. But are they that different? When looked at closely they actually seem pretty similar:

The Friendship

The Good: You’re best buds, you’re both pretty sure you can talk about anything, tell each other everything. Problems are there to be talked about, so that’s what you do, usually over a beer. You seal deals with a handshake, since friends don’t need any contracts, quotes, or other written documents.

The Bad: Money is a weird issue for you. It feels uncomfortable to charge a friend, right? So you avoid it, postpone charging till the last possible opportunity, and even then it doesn’t feel right. Smaller jobs are not worth charging for anyway, so you do some of the work as a favour for them, because that’s what friends do. Over time the work adds up, and you realise that you really could have used the money you haven’t charged but are afraid to bring it up – because that might lead to:

The Ugly: After you realise you have money problems, you want to talk about it, but your friend points out the obvious: You are friends and friends don’t charge each other money. Plus, you don’t have anything signed to prove it. You charge him anyway, since you need the money. Things get messy, and you have to go to court. You go separate ways afterwards and never call each other again.
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Six Figure Freelancing (The Writer’s Guide to Making More Money) by Kelly James-Enger

Six Figure Freelancing by Kelly James-Enger

The title, when combined with a cover that looks like it came from the US Treasury, and using a dollar sign in place of the “S”, practically screams: “You too can make big, big money writing freelance!” Sure, we freelancers are interested in how to make more money in our particular fields. And self-help books can both help or hinder your goals. Could Kelly James-Enger’s version of bringing home the big paycheck be the definitive answer? We’ve read it from cover to cover and bring you the results.

But I’m Not A Freelancer Writer…
Let us get this first bump out of the way: just because you don’t write freelance for a living doesn’t mean that this book can’t help you. Kelly does focus mainly on the paper medium, as it is where she most successfully placed herself, writing for so many sources that you are bound to recognize a few. That said, her concepts could be easily adapted to any freelancer today, with a little translation to your specific world.
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The FSw Get Yourself Fired competition yielded many fantastic entries. In no particular order, here are the highlights:

Joao suggests:
Keep looking over your shoulder in a paranoid way, like you’re seeing things. When anyone asks if you want a cup of coffee, refuse politely saying coffee doesn’t mix well with amphetamines.

Taka suggests:
Show up to work hours late — when your boss asks why you’re late, reach into your pocket and pull out a forged note from his “mom” asking to please excuse you because you were spending quality time with her, then tell him that your mom is quite the woman and amazingly is still good in bed with 100% sincerity.

Kenny suggests:
As you are sitting at your desk, working diligently, suddenly stand up at attention, while saluting and scream: “Yes sir! Sh*t, ass, b*tch, sh*t, b*tch, damn!” then do 25 push-ups, then sit back down as if nothing happened. When someone approaches you about it, just say: “Oh that? When I was in Vietnam I acquired a case of turrets syndrome,” even though you’re only in your 20s.

Jason suggests:
Especially if you work in an IT company…the WiFiphobe…walk around with a tin foil hat screaming “the WiFi is coming! The WiFi is coming!” Extra points if you have an ET-esque voice and can say “ET connect home via BlueTooth…”
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Time for a roundup of useful links from across this beast we call the world wide web:

PursueThePassion.com

Brett Farmilloe runs PursueThePassion – a blog about doing what you love. I am incredibly jealous as he gets to travel around the US in three weeks conducting a series of interviews with people who do what they love for a living. On last years journey he interviewed two freelancers – Rick Farmiloe who is a successful illustrator (and drew Abu in Aladdin for Disney), and Justin Bua who is a successful artist. Brett is looking for freelancers to interview this year, so if you’ve pursued your passion then get in touch via the site.

WebAppers is a new blog which scours the web for open source projects. If you’re a web designer or developer this is an incredibly handy resource.

Graphic Design Blog has an interesting article about Freelancing and Time Management, where Tara discusses her journey which most freelancers will relate to.

If you’re involved in the music industry, or even a freelancer looking for some general tips, Andrew Dubber from New Music Strategies has released a free e-book entitled 20 Things.

WiFi Free Spot is a directory that tells you where you can find free Wi Fi hotspots in your area.

Jamie Huskisson lists the Five Reasons Bad Clients Are Good For Us. A great reminder for those of us dealing with the client from hell!

If you have a useful link or article that you think FreelanceSwitch readers would be interested in, Send It In!

By Robert Janelle

Image from iStockPhoto

Many of us tend to keep our clients at an arms length; they tell us what to do, we do it, they give us monies, everyone is happy.

Personally, though, I’ve had more success and enjoy my work a lot more by moving beyond the “strictly business relationship.”

Getting to know clients on somewhat of a more personal level helps them see you as more than a voice on the phone that makes articles, graphics, websites, etc appear and can make repeat business more likely, or it could increase the likelihood that they’ll be more willing to help you in other ways later.

As an example, a few months back, an editor asked me to drop by his office to pick up some documents he wanted me to use for an article. While there, we start talking about politics and before I know it, we’re looking for an angle on the issue we’re discussing for his publication and I walk out with a second assignment I wouldn’t have gotten had we stuck to business.

It could often involve just an extra 10 minutes of small talk, but that 10 minutes can go a long way to getting referrals and repeat business.

Get to know them

You can learn a surprising amount people with that extra few minutes of small talk, but you can also get to know clients simply by doing a bit of homework. As a writer, I always study a client’s publication – what kind of articles do they editors write themselves? What positions do they take in their editorials? With other industries, it can simply be a matter of checking their website or blog if they have one. There you can learn about their hobbies, sense of humour and political inclinations, all of which can be great fodder for discussion at meetings.
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You’re feeling lazy right now, and reading blogs instead of doing what you’re supposed to be doing. That’s OK — we all do that. We’re all lazy, in different forms, at one time or another.

But let’s look at how to make that laziness work for us, and how to turn lazy into productive.

We often beat ourselves up about our laziness, even though it’s a natural condition that every human being gets to some extent. It’s time to stop the self-criticism and see how laziness can actually be a positive, no matter what society tells us.

Here’s an observation: often the smartest people are the laziest ones. They’re always looking for ways to get out of work, or do make something easier, and their creative ways of doing that have come up with some of the most ingenius, productive inventions: the computer, the microwave, the car, the Clapper, to name but a few.

Now, I don’t know about you, but laziness doesn’t seem so bad to me when you look at it that way. Let’s see how laziness can actually be productivity if you use it the right way.

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