Plenty of big companies routinely announce that they’re going green — they’re encouraging telecommuting to bring their carbon footprints down or they’re putting solar panels on their roofs to reduce dependence on other energy sources.

That’s good for big companies. But for most freelancers, putting together business practices that reduce our impact on the environment and help combat climate change is not so easy. A company-wide policy on telecommuting isn’t quite so important when the entire company consists of you.

That doesn’t mean that freelancers can’t think green, though. We can be just as aware of the affects of our work as a business employing thousands.
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Where Pete spends all day. Photo by zitona.

A myth is a story that gets passed around. Like Chinese whispers, they develop over time, and take on a life of their own. They start with a kernel of truth, but that truth gets hard to identify after a while. The truth gets lost in the drama of the story.

There are a ton of myths about freelancing. They develop because of over-cautious fear on the one hand, and unrealistic expectations on the other. Managers can fear losing control of a job by giving it to a freelancer. Potential freelancers can imagine the worst, or ignore the risks. And myths arise.

Here are the Top 10 Myths about Freelancers.

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Photo by Patrishe.

In his book, My Startup Life, Ben Casnocha offers a 30-day plan for becoming a better entrepreneur. I’m not going to rehash Ben’s plan – you’re better off reading the book than hearing about it from me. But I am going to elaborate on the task he assigns for Day 28:

Have multiple side projects going. Diversify your portfolio of interests and activities.

This begs the question: What is a side project?

I like to define them as projects that we usually aren’t paid for and are done in our non-work hours. Here are three examples:

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Photo by orphanjones.

Freelancers, like their artist and writer predecessors, such as Vincent Van Gogh or Virginia Woolf, may be prone to depression, starving, and self-obsessing. To combat the freelancer blues, you need to schedule some sunshine into your calendar.

Here is a list to save your mind, body and soul from the snake pit.

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Photo by scragz.

Freelancing from home has many obvious benefits over working from an office. But it also has its downsides.

I don’t even know where to begin to describe my work environment, but it has two cats, two dogs, lots of chirpy birds and a few fish. There’s the occasional car passing by with thump-thumping bass on the stereo, too. But the worst is the over-protective younger dog who literally barks if I clear my throat too loudly. Many a time, I’ve had to re-record audio segments of a podcast or screencast as a result of her barking at phantoms. Heaven forbid anyone should knock on the door, setting her off in a tizzy of barking for many minutes. There are days when I don’t get much multimedia work done.

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Photo by paveitapics.

As a creative professional, constant inspiration is vital to career success. Sure, home and agency studios can be stimulating, but regardless of how cool the fitout is, it’s still the same environment.

It gets boring.

You’ll need a change, and relocating to a park or co-working space for a fresh outlook is a great idea. Checking out art galleries and city architecture during a lunch break is even better.

Traveling and working from the road? It’s the best of all. After remote working for three months, here’s the story so far — from the coast of Costa Rica. Continue Reading

Photo by Thiru Murugan.

Let’s face it. It’s trendy to “be green.” Companies across the US are trying to sell customers with their green-washing; “we’re eco-friendly,” “good for the earth,” “we’ve gone green”, etc. With all of the slogans, it’s hard to know which services and products are actually dedicated to helping the environment.

Consumers are listening to these messages and studies have shown that now-a-days people are making more of an effort, as a whole, to be environmentally conscious. So you’ve decided to join in. Whether you’re looking to give your company a green-overhaul, or whether you’re just doing your part here and there, I have a few ideas that may help.

What if you could take part in the race to save the earth just by bettering your marketing materials? It’s surely a small step in the right direction.

The following is a list of ideas that will not only help you to be a greener person/business, but they will help you to promote your business as well. Continue Reading