Comments on: The Successful Freelancer Knows How to Compartmentalize http://www.lifeplusweb.com/2009/03/the-successful-freelancer-knows-how-to-compartmentalize/ Tue, 19 May 2009 22:22:36 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.3 hourly 1 By: swimturtle http://www.lifeplusweb.com/2009/03/the-successful-freelancer-knows-how-to-compartmentalize/comment-page-1/#comment-1191 swimturtle Tue, 19 May 2009 22:22:36 +0000 http://www.lifeplusweb.com/?p=250#comment-1191 Thank you, Cara for such a thoughtful and thought-provoking comment. This post has elicited a lot of response and I am going to expand it into a series of posts. I will definitely address prioritizing and administration and the other topics you brought up in the near future. Sign up for the updates and stay tuned! Thank you, Cara for such a thoughtful and thought-provoking comment. This post has elicited a lot of response and I am going to expand it into a series of posts. I will definitely address prioritizing and administration and the other topics you brought up in the near future. Sign up for the updates and stay tuned!

]]> By: Cara http://www.lifeplusweb.com/2009/03/the-successful-freelancer-knows-how-to-compartmentalize/comment-page-1/#comment-1190 Cara Mon, 18 May 2009 22:19:12 +0000 http://www.lifeplusweb.com/?p=250#comment-1190 I work a day job and have been trying to run a small business evenings and weekends - - a single proprietorship is essentially being a freelancer but with a sales tax ID number. It's a real challenge finding big enough blocks of time to get anything done - - and then, of course, finding the time carries with it the challenge of stopping to make sure I eat and sleep. Weekends I've learned to stop by 6:30, which leaves time to prepare dinner and relax a little bit before bedtime. But weeknights, the "before bedtime" block is the business block, so no relaxation (and often no tooth-brushing) there. I too had never thought about my time in terms of a 40-hour work week, but holding down two jobs means I have to reconceive the work week how much time I actually have available to me *for my own business's work* outside of the 40-hour week I'm already working, and then schedule jobs accordingly, taking into account what I can get done in the shorter evening blocks as compared to the longer weekend blocks. Where bookkeeping, marketing and creating a strong web site fit into this I really don't know, though I do realize that in order to keep the business strong I need to attend to the administrative side. In a future posting, might you consider sharing your thoughts on how to prioritize and divide time and energy between the administrative/marketing side of freelancing and actually doing the job? I'd be really interested in what you have to say. I work a day job and have been trying to run a small business evenings and weekends – - a single proprietorship is essentially being a freelancer but with a sales tax ID number. It’s a real challenge finding big enough blocks of time to get anything done – - and then, of course, finding the time carries with it the challenge of stopping to make sure I eat and sleep. Weekends I’ve learned to stop by 6:30, which leaves time to prepare dinner and relax a little bit before bedtime. But weeknights, the “before bedtime” block is the business block, so no relaxation (and often no tooth-brushing) there.

I too had never thought about my time in terms of a 40-hour work week, but holding down two jobs means I have to reconceive the work week how much time I actually have available to me *for my own business’s work* outside of the 40-hour week I’m already working, and then schedule jobs accordingly, taking into account what I can get done in the shorter evening blocks as compared to the longer weekend blocks.

Where bookkeeping, marketing and creating a strong web site fit into this I really don’t know, though I do realize that in order to keep the business strong I need to attend to the administrative side. In a future posting, might you consider sharing your thoughts on how to prioritize and divide time and energy between the administrative/marketing side of freelancing and actually doing the job? I’d be really interested in what you have to say.

]]> By: Miryam Stenger http://www.lifeplusweb.com/2009/03/the-successful-freelancer-knows-how-to-compartmentalize/comment-page-1/#comment-917 Miryam Stenger Sat, 25 Apr 2009 11:03:52 +0000 http://www.lifeplusweb.com/?p=250#comment-917 As a freelancer myself who prides herself on being organised, after many years I still find it difficult to establish a work routine, i.e. setting aside time for work. I may wake up in the morning at a reasonably early time and get everything done on my "to do" list, and then start working. What happens next is that either what I am working on is taking longer than the time I had allocated for that particlar job, or outside inteferences stop me from working, e.g. the phone rings, the dog barks because there is someone at the front door. And then, before I know it...... it's time to collect my son from school. When I do get back to work I find that I've slowed down and am concentrating more on the distractions of the day (e.g. my son tells me his teacher needs to speak to me this week... why?). So I end up working in the night until the early hours of the morning because all is quiet at that time. And at the end of a week my working pattern becomes similar to what you describe in your first paragraph. At the beginning of the next week I have good intentions and start off fine, but this only lasts for about 2-3 days. Then everything lapses, and I worry about how far I have got behind, and when will I be able to implement new ideas I've had. It is difficult to fit in freelance work with family commitments; I know many have done it successfully, and hope that once I can master the most suitable time routine for me and my circumstances, I too can find satisfaction at the end of a day. As a freelancer myself who prides herself on being organised, after many years I still find it difficult to establish a work routine, i.e. setting aside time for work. I may wake up in the morning at a reasonably early time and get everything done on my “to do” list, and then start working. What happens next is that either what I am working on is taking longer than the time I had allocated for that particlar job, or outside inteferences stop me from working, e.g. the phone rings, the dog barks because there is someone at the front door. And then, before I know it…… it’s time to collect my son from school. When I do get back to work I find that I’ve slowed down and am concentrating more on the distractions of the day (e.g. my son tells me his teacher needs to speak to me this week… why?). So I end up working in the night until the early hours of the morning because all is quiet at that time. And at the end of a week my working pattern becomes similar to what you describe in your first paragraph. At the beginning of the next week I have good intentions and start off fine, but this only lasts for about 2-3 days. Then everything lapses, and I worry about how far I have got behind, and when will I be able to implement new ideas I’ve had.

It is difficult to fit in freelance work with family commitments; I know many have done it successfully, and hope that once I can master the most suitable time routine for me and my circumstances, I too can find satisfaction at the end of a day.

]]> By: My 5 Favorites Of This Week (2) | Mario Live! http://www.lifeplusweb.com/2009/03/the-successful-freelancer-knows-how-to-compartmentalize/comment-page-1/#comment-900 My 5 Favorites Of This Week (2) | Mario Live! Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:09:50 +0000 http://www.lifeplusweb.com/?p=250#comment-900 [...] you are struggling with your time as a freelancer, you will love this article. It’s written by a person who works as a freelancer her (almost) entire life and the tips [...] [...] you are struggling with your time as a freelancer, you will love this article. It’s written by a person who works as a freelancer her (almost) entire life and the tips [...]

]]> By: Mario http://www.lifeplusweb.com/2009/03/the-successful-freelancer-knows-how-to-compartmentalize/comment-page-1/#comment-240 Mario Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:31:23 +0000 http://www.lifeplusweb.com/?p=250#comment-240 This was a very helpful article. Honestly I never have seen it from this perspective of a 40 hour workweek. It's definitively a helpful tip, especially if you are struggling with your time. This was a very helpful article. Honestly I never have seen it from this perspective of a 40 hour workweek. It’s definitively a helpful tip, especially if you are struggling with your time.

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