Credit: solaris_photo on Photodune

Perhaps one of the most important lessons to a budding programmer is the idea of abstraction. I still remember the words used to describe it to me, “If you find yourself copying code, don’t do it.” The idea is so dead simple; any time you find yourself replicating a piece of code you generate a function or sub routine to handle it.

Fast forward about 20 years and this basic principle has become a critical part of almost everything I do. The notion of abstracting code to ensure it is as easy to manage as possible is a great fundamental business skill to have. Want to make yourself a valuable commodity on your team, your clients happier, and your freelance business more successful? The formula is simple, any time you find yourself doing something repetitive; find a way to do it faster. Here is my simple formula to identify what to do:

• Document the process for the system in question.
• Identify the most time consuming step of the process.
• Figure out how to automate or minimize the time required for this step.
• Repeat

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Credit: Gamma-Ray Productions/Flickr

Two weeks ago, in Part One of this article were tips on how to assess a rush job and when it might be a good idea to turn one down. Some of this season’s Layer Tennis contestants also shared thoughts about how they work under the strain of a tight deadline. In this half of the article are some tips for how to work quickly without completely abandoning your creative process. Continue Reading

Finding the right workflow can make a tremendous difference in the productivity of a freelancer, and I have been working very hard at this over the last few weeks. I have made sure that there is enough time each day and each week to accomplish all of the tasks that I’m responsible for. And I’m learning when I’m most productive and have the most energy, and I have been using those times effectively to maximize productivity. But even with careful planning and the best of intentions, managing time and workflow can be a challenge. This week has been one of those times.

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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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The world of photography is changing, and while freelancers have always had an opportunity to participate in this lucrative realm, it is becoming more and more accessible to the masses as the price for equipment and software falls. The difference between a good and great photography business isn’t simply based on the camera you choose. More important is the way you cut through the waves of images, carefully selecting, editing, and printing the best of breed.

If you want to be competitive, you need to learn to hone your workflow. There are many ways to accomplish the task, and in this review we are taking a closer look at Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2. Is it mature enough to provide the necessary tools for the trade? Can it give one an edge in their own market? Read on to find out.

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I am a big fan of the digital nomad lifestyle. Being able to take your laptop and do your work from anywhere has a lot of appeal for me. But living the nomad life is rarely as simple as just picking up your notebook bag and heading out the door. There are a lot of factors to consider. My biggest fear is leaving important files behind sitting on my desktop while I’m a thousand miles away with a client deadline looming large.

For that reason I was excited when FreelanceSwitch gave me the assignment to review NomaDesk, a virtual workplace for digital nomads.

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Photo by shimelle.

Freelancers in every field face a constant challenge to achieve and maintain a high level of productivity and quality in their work. One of the ways that you can improve your results is by development of systems or routines for various aspects of your work. Most likely you do some of the same things day-after-day and week-after-week. Having a proven system for getting these things done can bring several positive benefits. In this post we’ll look at why you would want to develop you own systems and some areas of freelancing life that lend themselves to systematization.

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Photo by padsbrother.

One of the problems with becoming a freelancer is that there’s no longer anybody watching your work, your progress, your ability and efficiency. Sure, there are clients bugging you about their projects, but who’s really evaluating your little operation?

I’m sure many freelancers are more than happy to be rid of the annual review, but it’s easy to get sloppy and miss opportunities when you’re not looking at your work, measuring your progress, and implementing changes.

Let’s take a look at a few metrics that are useful for spotting trends and problem areas, and how to track them.

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Photo by Ordinary Guy.

Most of us rely on steady jobs to help us make it financially as freelancers. Whether your steady client is a “bread and butter” client, or is a bit more watered down in pay, these gigs can be valuable to tide you over between larger projects.

I’m a big believer in steady work, also known as part-time jobs. They provide a constant cash flow, and give you valuable exposure in your industry that you may not get while project-hopping.

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Photo by Gaetan Lee.

If you’ve been freelancing for a while, you probably already know that you often have to juggle several projects at a time. That’s not to say that you necessarily have to multi-task, but simply need to manage overlapping task schedules. The more successful your freelance career is, the more likely it is that you’ll have to manage multiple tasks simulaneously. They might be part of a single big project or parts of several smaller projects.

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Photo by laffy4k.

Work-life balance is a problem for many people. Not just freelancers, either—anyone who works in a job that involves some kind of thinking is tempted to take work home with them. I suppose that maintaining a good balance is one of the benefits to menial shift work.

But freelancers have it worst. Without an employer, our income is more dependent on performance than any corporate employee’s income. And for the vast majority of us, there’s no real distinction between our home life and our work life, because our work life happens at home.

Here’s the thing that we lose sight of: becoming a workaholic does not improve your bottom-line or productivity.

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As the gap between analog and digital realms continue to merge, we are constantly on the lookout for ways to increase our efficiency while maintaining the sense and idea of the dreams that we are trying to bring to life. Wacom, a well known contender in this field, with product lines from the Bamboo to the Intous (among others), are hoping to continue the momentum of their past 25 years with the release of the Cintiq 12WX.

A pen tablet with a 12.1″ LCD display that is targeted at not only the professionals who have been able to resist the Cintiq line thus far, but also amateur artists and photographers who are interested in keeping a natural feel in their digital workflow. Can a small screen with a big history provide the tools to bring the analog world even closer to the digital universe? We took a few weeks to take a closer look at this hybrid display, and now present our results. Continue Reading