Summer is knocking on your front door, begging you for attention. Living in New England, where summer never lasts long enough, it’s hard for me to say no. But with a full-time job and my freelancing work, saying no means procrastinating. It’s hard to enjoy yourself in the summer sun when you know there is a heap of work waiting for you.

I have recently told my boss that I will be going from full-time to part-time starting in October. It was a hard decision but one that, ultimately, I had to make if I wanted to stay sane.

It’s a risk—leaving your full-time job for freelancing. But this is a risk I was comfortable taking. I had two big reasons for deciding to make the leap: I am now the co-owner/publisher of a twice-annual publication and my husband and I are expecting our first child this summer. Cutting back my hours at my full-time job just made sense for us.

I started wondering how other people came to the conclusion that it was time to back out of their full-time jobs and focus on their freelance careers or small businesses. I found two women who have made the switch and thought I would share their stories. Perhaps they’ll inspire you to think about taking the leap. Continue Reading

CareerCast.com just published a list of 200 jobs ranking them from best to worst based on the following criteria: physical demands, work environment, income, stress, and hiring outlook. They used info from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (along with other government agencies) to create this list.

I did a search for some words that describe my job(s) and here’s what I came up with:

• Publication Editor: Ranked 118
• Photojournalist: Ranked 166. I actually typed in “journalist” and this is the only thing that comes close.
• Technical Writer: Ranked 37. Again, I typed in “writer” and this is what I got.
• Reporter (newspaper): Ranked 196 (yikes!).

The top 10 jobs are as follows:

• Software Engineer
• Actuary
• Human Resources Manager
• Dental Hygienist
• Financial Planner
• Audiologist
• Occupational Therapist
• Online Advertising Manager
• Mathematician
• Speech Pathologist

The worst 10 jobs are as follows:

• Broadcaster
• Butcher
• Dishwasher
• Meter Reader
• Waiter/Waitress
• Reporter (Newspaper)
• Oil Rig Worker
• Enlisted Military Soldier
• Dairy Farmer
• Lumberjack

Unfortunately for me, my skills have a lot more in common with the worst jobs than the best. And I have to say; I spent many years through college (and even for a while after) being a waitress at a restaurant outside of Fenway Park in Boston, and I LOVED that job! It was the fastest and easiest money I have ever made.

When I looked up “freelancer” in this list of 200, nothing came up. Not surprisingly, as that word can mean so many things. However, I’d like to put “freelancer” through the five criteria above anyway, for discussion sake. Continue Reading

This blog post by Amber Rice on PRDaily.com tickled my fancy. Maybe it’s because many of my friends have toddlers, or maybe it’s because I’m pregnant—but I think adults can learn a lot from little kids. Below are some of Rice’s suggestions, as well as some of my own.

Be Curious and Ask Questions

What’s this? Why? How come?

Adults can become exasperated with the number of questions that come from kids. Sometimes we even make up answers just to get them to stop! But asking questions isn’t a bad thing for a freelancer—in fact, it’s a very good thing.

If you work in PR, you need to know everything there is to know about your client to represent them in the best way possible. Even if that means you ask them a lot of questions.

As a journalist, asking questions is a huge part of your job. Before I even call people for an interview, I do research to put together a list of the best questions possible. I don’t want to waste their time (or mine) asking questions I can easily find from other sources.

Practice Makes Perfect

Toddlers have to practice everything, from putting on their shoes to learning how to use the potty. They seldom learn a new skill on the first try and need to practice and reminders of how to do something. —PRDaily.com

Freelancers don’t need to practice to tie their shoes, but they do need practice in managing their business—especially with the speed technology is changing. What worked five years ago is probably not going to work the same way today.

Freelancers should try out this new technology—be it a social media site or a new way to invoice their clients—and discern if it’s going to work for them. With anything new, there are going to be bugs to work out and a learning curve. It’s easy to get frustrated with new technology, throw your hands up in the air, and give up. But that isn’t the answer. Neither is throwing a temper tantrum. Continue Reading

When I read this article about how Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s COO, leaves work at—gasp! 5:30 pm every day—I was both happy and annoyed.

I am a huge proponent for working smarter—not longer or harder. I can get done in a few hours what takes some people all day. I am lucky that I have the ability to block out everything around me and have a laser focus on the task at hand for a good amount of time. I hear that when I am doing this, I get a crazy look in my eye and I come off as utterly pissed off. I’m not—I’m just on a roll!

I make it a point to leave my office between 5 and 5:30 pm every day. Sometimes I can’t because I have an event to go to or something that must be finished. But, on the whole, I stick to my own personal deadline.

Keeping this schedule helps me in many ways. Here are some of them: Continue Reading

We face criticism from all sorts of angles, both in our professional and in our personal lives. It never ceases to amaze me how often complete strangers will offer up advice on everything from parenting skills, to recipe enhancements, to the exact right way to get from point A to point B. Everyone is an expert.

But while you can sometimes shrug off a critical remark, you don’t forget it. At least I don’t. To this day, I remember one of my high school friends poking fun at my stick-straight legs saying, “God took rulers and drew your legs.” That was almost 20 years ago.

Some people offer up constructive criticism in a kind and gentle way. Others are more abrupt and brisk. As a writer and editor, I’m used to harsh criticism about my writing. I actually had one editor hit me on the head with a rolled up newspaper when I did something terrifically boneheaded as a newbie. That was humiliating.

I actually had one editor hit me on the head with a rolled up newspaper when I did something terrifically boneheaded as a newbie.

As a freelancer, we meed to have a thick skin—how else are we going to deal with all those rejection letters? But it’s hard, really hard sometimes, to keep your cool.

Here’s an example of how NOT to deal with criticism:

I worked with a freelance writer who handled a monthly column for a bit at the magazine I edit. She was new to us, but had been writing for the local newspaper for years. She frequently took issue with how I edited her pieces, and had no trouble letting me know, via email, how much she disagreed with my critique of her stories. A pattern started developing where she would send me a scathingly mean email, questioning my intelligence and experience, followed by a very nice apology email from her about her earlier email.

When I would get these harsh emails, my blood would boil. I learned to wait for the second email apologizing for her behavior and respond to that email—not that it made me any less upset about the first one. Continue Reading

Most freelancers are eager for tips and information, turning to forums, classes, and networking for ways to learn and improve. But did you ever consider looking to your canine for some wisdom? Here are a few things your dog knows that just may improve your freelancing life. Continue Reading

Rachel Bell's three children.

Working from home and caring for your children is a power struggle. Many stay at home freelancers want to be there for their children but also want to be their for their clients. It’s a delicate balancing act that can go on for years.

Many starry-eyed new parents think that working from home will solve all of their childcare problems. They can be there for their baby whenever they need them while still getting things done for their career. Many find that it’s not that easy.

Last week I posted a blog post where I interviewed new mom and writer Rabia Mughal on how her career changed with the birth of her son. She found that even though she wanted to give 100% to her full-time job and 100% as a parent, she wasn’t feeling fulfilled in either. She decided to switch her role at her company, and become a 32-hour a week contractor and work from home. Luckily, her company allowed her to do this. Other people aren’t so lucky.

Today we’re hearing from photographer Rachel Bell. The wedding and travel photographer works around New England and across the globe. A mother of three, Bell, once a fourth grade teacher, became a stay at home mom for several years to take care of both her children and her dying mother. She knew she didn’t want to be a stay-at-home mom forever, and when her children became more independent, she decided to finally start her own photography business. Continue Reading

I try very hard not to procrastinate. I’ve been this way my whole life. In college, I’d work ahead of the syllabus just so I knew I would get everything done. For my job at the magazine, I work months, maybe a good year, ahead of time to plan and execute some feature stories.

I chalk this up to being a busy person. In college and grad schools, I worked a lot. I didn’t have a ton of free time so I had to plan on getting assignments done. In my working life, I have a job, I freelance, and I volunteer my time by sitting on the board of two nonprofits. I like to do it all, but I have been learning how to say no.

I also teach an undergraduate course at a local college. In my syllabus it clearly states that if students miss their deadline, they fail the assignment. In the real world, if they fail to pass in a story to their editor, they risk losing their jobs. This deadline also helps me when I go to grade them. I want to be sure I have enough time to read through each students’ work and not rush through it.

When I saw this article on how procrastination is essential to innovation, I was intrigued. I know people who thrive on procrastination as a means to get anything done. To be honest, these people drive me nuts. I find that when you are working on a team and one person puts all of their duties off until the last minute, the entire project suffers. However, when you aren’t working in a team, maybe there really is something to be said about the stress of adrenaline. Continue Reading

Rabia Mughal and her son, Mikail.

Many work from home freelancers (especially moms) have to juggle caring for their families as well as their clients. It’s not easy! The great myth that freelancers who work from home can save oodles on child care while running a successful business is just that—a myth.

Depending on how old your child or children are determines how much time they require you (or a caregiver) to spend with them. A newborn baby sleeps a lot, but they also need to be fed every few hours. Try working on your computer while breastfeeding. It’s impossible.

When children get older and go off too school, you have a chunk of time during the day that you can devote to work—but afternoons are busy with after school activities for your kids. Depending on when the kids go to bed, you have some time before you hit the hay—but what about your spouse? Your friends? There never seems to be enough time in the day.

I decided to find out how other freelancers with children make the most of their time. Rabia Mughal is a journalist who lives with her husband and 19-month-old son, Mikail, in San Francisco.

Before Mikail was born, Mughal was planning on keeping her full-time associate editor job after her maternity leave. And she did—until Mikail was 7-months-old. She then decided to work less hours from home as a contractor for the same company.

Q: How has your mentality changed since working from home and raising your kids?

I initially thought it was an all or nothing situation where one could either be a stay-at-home parent or a working parent, so it was great to find this perfect balance. Having said that, I also realized that in order to be a more hands-on parent it is almost always necessary to sacrifice certain ambitions and goals in life. I have made my peace with this fact by telling myself that I will get to all that later. Right now it’s wonderful to have the luxury of seeing my baby whenever I want and being there if he needs me for anything. Continue Reading

It used to be hard for me to say ‘no’ to people. I think the sheer confusion people have over what freelancers actually do all day makes us an easy target. But just because many of us work from home, doesn’t mean we aren’t working. On the contrary, I’d argue, we have to work even harder.

Lately, I’ve been getting better at saying no. Here’s why.

In October I was laid off from my editing gig at the regional magazine I was working with for three years. The owners/publishers were in money trouble and they had been trying to sell the title for several months with no luck. I loved my job, but knew that the magazine needed new leadership if it was going to be able to grow. I was sad, but OK about it.

I started taking on freelance work left and right—it seemed to come out of the woodwork for some reason! I accepted an adjunct teaching position for the spring semester, a part time online marketing position, and was working to finish up the wedding magazine I edit and send it to the printer. I was the busiest laid-off person I knew. Continue Reading

When I read the headline of this FastCompany blog post, I immediately thought of all those freelancers out there who have made the switch from an unhappy existence in their full time job to freelance freedom.

The saying that “money can’t buy you happiness” is true. I know plenty of well-off people who are miserable. But can happiness really mean increased economic growth? Some people think so.

Happiness economics is a new term to me. What it is is the quantitative study of happiness—the positive and negative effect it has concerning economics. These happiness economists measure happiness using subjective measures, so the accuracy and reliability of responses to, say, a survey, is always a concern.

While money can’t buy you happiness, studies show that richer nations are also happier nations. According to the Easterlin paradox, it’s been found that once wealth reaches a certain level, it’s effectiveness to make people happy is diminished. A 2010 Princeton University study found that higher earners generally reported better life satisfaction but their day-to-day happiness only rose until they reached an income of $75,000.

Happiness in America peaked in the 1950s. The Great Depression was over and the soldiers were home from WWII. Europe was also rebuilding from the war. Television made its way into homes and the space race was on between the U.S. and the former U.S.S.R. There seemed to be a lot to be excited about. But that was 60 years ago. We need to get to peak happiness again.

Where do we start? How about in our daily lives?

How many of you reading this post are (or were) stuck in a job you weren’t happy about? Maybe you have a terrible boss or feel creatively stifled. Maybe there are no growth opportunities in your present job, that you aren’t being challenged, and you feel like there should be more out there for you. Continue Reading

Working in the creative field means you are an open target for criticism. Someone doesn’t like your photography work, they think you’re a bad writer, or your prices are unfair. And as freelancers, it can be hard not to take criticism—no matter how well meaning—personally.

I read this blog post on Forbes.com on how to deal with really tough criticism, written for people who are business leaders. While I’m not necessarily the target audience for this article, I did take away some good lessons that I’d like to share for the freelance set.

The first thing we need to consider is that criticism in inevitable. But if we keep our defenses up and get overly emotional about what our critics say, we aren’t doing ourselves any favors.

Here’s a recent example from my own life. I am the editor of a yearly wedding magazine. We took a big risk this year and changed the paper stock for our cover. Instead of a glossy cover, we went with matte. Some of us in the office loved it and some of us didn’t—so we took the opportunity to ask our advertisers, featured photographers, and other industry leaders what they thought.

It turns out, many other people didn’t like the matte cover, either, and they let us know on many different levels—from plugging their noses to smiling and offering heart felt advise. And while we were totally bummed that we took a risk that didn’t garner the results we wanted, we learned a lesson. We want to give people what they want—so next year, we’re going back to our glossy cover. Had we not asked, we may have decided otherwise.

Here are some tips from the article that I thought were useful. Continue Reading