My April Fool’s Day post, “Why it’s time to quit freelancing,” was intended to cite common complaints about the freelance business with sufficient winking and nudging to make it obvious I was goofing around—and not quitting freelancing. The feedback on social media made it clear, however, that some of the bullets contained painful truths and warranted further discussion. [Read more…]
Why it’s time to quit freelancing
(Disclaimer: This was an April Fool’s Day post—there are a couple of clues, but the main one is the acrostic formed by the first letter of each bullet!) This is the most difficult post I’ve ever written, because I’ve decided it’s time to quit freelancing. I’d need several thousand words to explain exactly why, but what follows is a basic overview of my reasoning. [Read more…]
New book on work-life balance for the self-employed
I’m absolutely thrilled to announce publication of the first book in the Dr. Freelance Advisor Guide series: Juggling on a High Wire: The Art of Work-Life Balance When You’re Self-Employed, by Laura Poole. (Available on Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle versions.)
As enjoyable and rewarding as self-employment can be, it’s not without its challenges—not to mention the nagging temptation to work all the time! Juggling on a High Wire helps you keep the balls in the air and your toes on the wire, including: [Read more…]
The hole in my office
It’s been a hard week. We put our loyal Labrador retriever, Bagheera, to sleep on Saturday. There is a hole in my family, my life, and my office.
If you’re a self-employed dog or cat owner, you know the space your furry sidekick occupies, physically and psychologically. Not half-jokingly, I’ve always called Baggy my office manager. [Read more…]
The job you love
I’m not a big fan of the quote or concept of “Find a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” It’s the cotton candy of career advice: pretty, fluffy, gone within seconds, bad for you, makes a mess, doesn’t really taste as good as you imagined, and generally ends up tossed in the garbage. Sorry, Confucius.
If you’ll allow me to channel my inner Mike Rowe for a moment, you need to be able to find the value (and fun) in what you do. [Read more…]
Will layoffs cause a freelance tsunami?
Dr. Freelance, I’ve got quite a few friends in the newspaper business who’ve been laid off in recent months, and many of them are hanging up a shingle as a freelancer. Do you think this is going to lower prices and/or create more competition for freelance gigs? — Freelance Tsunami Watcher
Freelance Tsunami Watcher, I’ve seen the same thing, with tons of friends (in all types of media, not just papers) who’ve lost their jobs in the past year. It’s pretty awful. There are several factors to my answer: [Read more…]