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TAKING CHARGE OF YOUR FREELANCE LIFE
Creating the Business and Life YOU WantBy Laura Poole, Copyediting.com
© 2016 Laura Poole
Balance Feast or Famine Mind-set Changes Business Practices Task Management Focused &
Productive
© 2016 Laura Poole
BALANCE
© 2016 Laura Poole
© 2016 Laura Poole
BALANCE NOT fitting everything in NOT saying “yes” to everything NOT about time management
It’s knowing when to say “yes” and when to say “no”
Arranging your life the way YOU want it
BALANCE
“If I’m working ‘when I want to’, why does that mean I’m working all the time?!”
© 2016 Laura Poole
BALANCE Revisit your vision of freelance
life How do you want it to be? What’s working, what’s not?
© 2016 Laura Poole
BALANCE
If I say “yes” to this, what else am I saying “yes” to?
What am I saying “no” to?
If I say “no” to this, what am I saying “yes” to?
What else am I saying “no” to?
© 2016 Laura Poole
© 2016 Laura Poole
FeastOverwork
Stacked deadlines
Too much to do
Adrenaline rush
FamineNot
enough to do
Little or no billable
work
Panic
THE BIG QUESTION
How do you break the cycle and
create a steady stream of work,
thus living the life you want?
© 2016 Laura Poole
THE FEAST PARTSometimes it’s seasonal and expected (and can be planned for): Fiscal year starting Publication schedules Journals on a regular
schedule
© 2016 Laura Poole
THE FEAST PARTIf it’s expected or regular, you can plan ahead Keep your schedule more open for
when work is incoming Arrange for support during busy times
(subcontractors, referrals, child care, etc.)
Stock the freezer with meals, delegate tasks to others
© 2016 Laura Poole
THE FEAST PARTSometimes it’s unexpected and you have to cope: Deadlines slip, then stack on top of
others Projects are larger or more difficult than
planned You overcommitted yourself
© 2016 Laura Poole
© 2016 Laura Poole
COPING WITH THE FEASTWhat do you do when you are overcommitted and overworked? Triage your schedule (delete, defer,
delegate) Put your blinders on and get to work. Support your body to stay strong and
healthy Boost productivity
© 2016 Laura Poole
AFTER THE FEASTTake the time to learn from the experience How did I get so overworked? What happened that was beyond my
control? What did it cost me to finish this work? What choices did I make that affected
the work load?© 2016 Laura Poole
THE FAMINE
Down time—a great break after a feast, but can quickly
turn to panic!
© 2016 Laura Poole
COPING WITH THE FAMINEDown time (lack of billable work) can be a good opportunity Rest and recharge Build your professional presence Networking Long-term business building
© 2016 Laura Poole
BREAKING THE CYCLE
To create a steadier business, you need to break the cycle and even out the peaks and
troughs
© 2016 Laura Poole
MIND-SET CHANGES
© 2016 Laura Poole
Think 2 weeks ahead
Figure out what’s ending
Start drumming up work
MIND-SET CHANGES
© 2016 Laura Poole
Start thinking bigger
Beyond the here and now
Better paying work
MIND-SET CHANGES
© 2016 Laura Poole
Start saying NOYou don’t have to accept
everything
Preserve your sanity and health
MIND-SET CHANGES
© 2016 Laura Poole
Be bold!ASK for what you want and need!
Do the scary things (big leaps) to move forward
BUSINESS PRACTICESSome key changes to your business can ease the feast or famine cycle
© 2016 Laura Poole
BUSINESS PRACTICES Client communications
Be proactive—tell them what your schedule is
Gentle reminder keeps you top of mind and is more likely to put work in your inbox when you need it
© 2016 Laura Poole
BUSINESS PRACTICES Pay attention
Review your schedule, compare with previous years
Look for trends in cyclical work that you can plan for
© 2016 Laura Poole
BUSINESS PRACTICES New clients
Seek clients who have steadier work, pay more, offer what you want to do
Draw the velvet rope—weed out some clients who aren’t serving you
© 2016 Laura Poole
BUSINESS PRACTICES Raise your rates
© 2016 Laura Poole
BUSINESS PRACTICES Passive income
Do the work once, continue to get paid
Writing, speaking, and so on
© 2016 Laura Poole
TASK MANAGEMENT
© 2016 Laura Poole
TASK MANAGEMENT
© 2016 Laura Poole
Time chunks
Calendar/diary
Task trackin
g
Schedule
priorities
© 2016 Laura Poole
TASK MANAGEMENT
List making:Master listDaily to-do list (night before,
5–10 items)Digital or paper
TASK MANAGEMENT
© 2016 Laura Poole
The 3
D’s
Delete
Defer
Delegate
TASK MANAGEMENTCommit to business building with important but not urgent tasks: Learning Reading Writing Networking
© 2016 Laura Poole
FOCUSED & PRODUCTIVE Know thyself: best time of day for
working Support your body
Ergonomics Cushions and footrests Glasses Lighting
© 2016 Laura Poole
FOCUSED & PRODUCTIVE Sound/music (Noisli) Multiple monitors Minimize distracters
Phone Social media (Pomodoro timer) Email
© 2016 Laura Poole
ABOUT ME Co-owner and director of
training, Copyediting.com Founder of Archer Editorial
Services Author of Juggling on a High
Wire: The Art of Work-Life Balance When You’re Self-Employed (£10, autographed!)
Instructor for UCSD Extension Twitter: @lepoole
© 2016 Laura Poole
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