We’re told not to get hung up coveting the careers of those more successful than us, to stop getting bogged down by what we don’t have and focus on building up what we do. However, new research on envy shows that this advice may be misguided.
[Flickr photo by rileyroxx]
Apparently, when we covet the lives of others, we not only study them carefully, but we’re more apt to remember the details of what they have and how they got it.
As John Tierney writes in the New York Times, “By paying more attention to these people, we might learn to emulate some of the strategies that yielded their advantages.”
So, exactly how does a freelancer use the green-eyed monster to advance their career? Herewith, some suggestions:
Research the career trajectory of those your envy. Study their bio online, and if you can, their LinkedIn profile. Read articles about them, interviews with them. Listen to their podcasts and watch their videos. What clients have their worked for? What training and job titles have they had? What professional associations do they belong to? What awards have they won? Where have they published or spoken publicly? What of this can you emulate so you, too, can achieve what they’ve achieved professionally?
Study their professional philosophy. Does the object of your envy have a favorite mantra? If so, abide by it. See which of their ways of thinking and working you can adopt. Read the industry blogs and publications they read. Go where they go to get inspired. Join the organizations they join. Learn who inspires them, who they envy. Then study the objects of their envy to see what other sage advice you can glean.
[Read the rest of this post on NWjobs]
October 14th, 2011
I spent this past weekend at the most inspiring writing workshop I’ve attended in I don’t know how long.
[Flickr photo by jemsweb]
No matter how energizing a professional event, though, my usual MO is to slip back into my hectic routine without acting on all the ideas, tips, and connections generated. So here’s the plan of attack I’m taking this time around.
By this time next week, I vow to do the following. You have my permission to ask me later if (a) I stuck to it, and (b) it made a difference.
Reread all my notes from the conference. Before too many personal commitments and professional deadlines get in the way, I’ll go over all the good stuff I learned so it’s less easily forgotten.
Make a to-do list. I refuse to let all those marketing, productivity, and career change tips I collected lay buried inside my inch-thick notebook. Instead, I’ll pull them into a nice, neat, one-page cheat sheet where they’re easily accessible.
Take action right away. Rather than wait for that mythical “spare time” to appear, I’ll start chipping away at the aforementioned to-dos this week. If need be, I’ll schedule every last task into my daily calendar.
Use Skype, a listserv, or a social networking site to stay in touch as a group. The event I attended was an intimate 15-person gathering, with attendees from around the country. To stay connected and bounce ideas off one another, we’ve convened as a private group via the social networking tool Podio.
[Read the rest of this post on Nine to Thrive]
September 27th, 2011
Sunday night, after a glorious weekend on the Olympic Peninsula, I came home to several hours of uncompleted work. Due 9 a.m. Monday, hard stop. After two leisurely days of beach strolls and sunsets, communing with my computer was the last thing I wanted to do. So I picked up the remote, switched on the tube, and landed on an episode of “Deadliest Catch.”
[Flickr photo by madame.furie]
One of the skippers was chewing out a deckhand who’d retreated indoors with a torn stomach muscle. With just a handful of crew on his Alaska crab fishing boat, the skipper needed all hands on deck, pain be damned.
“I’ve worked through torn muscles and all kinds of pain,” the skipper snarled. “Unless you have a bone sticking out, you suck it up and get back to work.”
Obviously, writing is nowhere near as grueling as fishing for Alaska king crab. Still, those were the words I needed to hear. So I switched off the tube, and with “Unless you have a bone sticking out, you suck it up” as my mantra, I slogged through my project and made my deadline.
When it comes to how we approach work, I’m a firm believer that each of us has our own mantra, motto, or credo. It may be a quote by a beloved author or philosopher. It may be something you heard a friend, relative, or reality TV star say. You may even have an entire theme song running through your head while you work.
[Read the rest of this post on Nine to Thrive.]
July 25th, 2011
You know those emails and status updates we frantic freelancers love to write about how we’re so busy juggling 11 assignments that we don’t know how we’re going to make it to Friday? We’re not helping ourselves — or our freelance friends — by playing the stress kitty. After reading a Women’s Health article on the topic, I blogged about this Stressier Than Thou phenomenon on Nine to Thrive yesterday. Here’s a snippet, complete with takeaways:
Don’t gloat. Stop bragging about how stressed and busy you are. It’s not impressive. Instead, you’re likely to repel those who’ve found better ways to cope with their own taxing schedule. Exude too much frenetic energy at work and you risk looking like someone who simply can’t handle the pressures of the job.
Don’t enable. The next time a friend or colleague boasts about their bloated workload, resist the urge to reply with, “I know. You should see what I have on my plate today. Seven meetings, a presentation I need to finish for next week, and a report due tomorrow morning. It’s madness.” Instead of playing the one-up game, say something like, “Wow, sounds like a hectic week for you. Any plans to relax after work tonight or this coming weekend?” In other words, encourage your pal or colleague to chill the heck out.
[Read the rest of this post on Nine to Thrive.]
May 12th, 2011
Last week my editor at ABCNews.com asked me to write a column outing what goes on behind the closed doors of freelancers, telecommuters, and kitchen-table entrepreneurs who work from home. I had a load of fun collecting the confessions of virtual employees and self-employed folks who work from their domicile (catnap, anyone?). As you’ll see below, I’ve got a handful of confessions of my own. Feel free to chime in with yours in the comments below.
Last fall my significant other and I moved in together. Although he was no stranger to my feral freelancer habits — living in my robe, working late into the night, not leaving the house for days on end — I cringed at the thought of him seeing me daily in all my unkempt, agoraphobic glory.
So I did what any disheveled freelancer would do: I got an office job — one that required me to show up at approximately the same time each day, looking fresh and professional.
Three months into the gig, I began to miss my bathrobe. Six months into it, I gave notice.
Now that I’m back to full-time freelancing, I’m trying to prove to myself and my new husband that working from home doesn’t necessarily mean living a life devoid of structure. But it’s not easy.
(more…)
April 28th, 2011
L. asks: One of my favorite copywriting clients has me on a retainer, which usually works out very well for us both. However, in the last two months a third project manager has been added. My lovely retainer has gone from well-managed to every reason to say “no” to such work in the first place: non-stop emails, minuscule timelines, and repeated fires. When I talk to the PM and try to correct the behavior, her response is, “Just tell me and I’ll get another writer.” (A family member of hers is a copywriter.) My three contacts are peers, so I’m not sure how to best broach the issue. I’d hate to lose the client, but things do need to change. Any recommendations? Thanks!
I answer: Ack! I feel your pain! Obviously this is not a sustainable situation or you wouldn’t be writing to me. Some suggestions (feel free to mix and match as you see fit):
1. Meet with all three managers (or whomever was your initial contact) and tell them you can better serve the company by having one point of contact, not three. Make it about the benefits to their business (more efficient, more personalized attention, whatever) than the benefits to you. If you only meet with one of your contacts, don’t badmouth the others; be diplomatic.
2. Let the client(s) know that the workflow has changed and it’s no longer efficient. (Last minute requests mean you’re not always available that minute or you have to do a rush – and thus, less than ideal – job.) Suggest that they funnel all requests into one daily or weekly phone meeting or email. Any other requests will have to wait until the next meeting/call.
(more…)
January 29th, 2011
My online class for rookie and veteran freelance writers on how to handle clients from hell is back!
“Dealing with Nightmare Clients” is a four-week online course – starting Friday, February 4! – sponsored by the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA). Although I’ll be delivering the lessons right to your inbox, you can follow along from anywhere, at your own pace, even if your own pace means working through the lessons at 3 a.m. on a weekend.
In this class, I’ll discuss how to tame those beastly clients and editors who seem all too happy to stiff you, mess with your deadlines, and contact you at all hours of the night. Specifically, you’ll learn how to:
- Chase down MIA payments and ensure you don’t get stiffed in the future
- Handle runaway revisions and keep scope creep at bay
- Deal with clients who are always late with deliverables
- Set firmer boundaries with editors, project managers, and creative directors
- Bolster your contracts with clauses that can help prevent scope creep, deadline changes, and late payments
- Determine whether a troublesome client relationship is salvageable
Since we can all learn from one another’s trials and tribulations, I’ll devote the last session of the class to answering your burning questions about any nightmare clients you’ve been dealing with. Additional details about the class:
When: Fridays, February 4 - 25 (four online sessions).
Where: Your computer. Each lesson will arrive in your inbox (also accessible via Yahoo Groups on the web), which means you can follow along on your own time.
Cost: Editorial Freelancers Association members $134; nonmembers $159.
Register: On the EFA website.
Questions? Feel free to email me.
January 18th, 2011
Got a burning question about freelancing, contract work, or anything else relating to alternate ways of working? I’ll be answering them this week (yes, all week!) on Questionland, along with several other career experts. Stop on by and see if you can stump me…
January 17th, 2011
The good news for the self-employed, temporarily employed, under-employed, and other workers who buy their own health insurance keeps on coming:
As I mentioned in a recent post, starting this week, freelancers and other “businesses of one” in Washington state will be able to qualify for group health insurance plans.
In addition, last week marked the six-month anniversary of the signing of the new federal health care bill, ushering in a handful of welcome changes to U.S. health plans for employees and self-employed alike. (Goodbye, lifetime coverage limits and the ability of insurance companies to drop customers who are sick or to deny coverage to kids with pre-existing conditions! Hello, free mammograms, free cholesterol screenings, and free immunizations for kids!)
And this week, President Obama signed the Small Business Jobs Act, which among other small business tax breaks, gives freelancers, small business owners, and other self-employed folks a deduction for the cost of their health insurance — and that of their family members — on their 2010 self-employment taxes.
[Read the rest of this post on NWjobs.com]
October 1st, 2010
A recent news item from the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner made my week. According to the OIC, come October 1, freelancers, sole proprietors, independent contractors, and other self-employed folks will have an easier time finding and qualifying for affordable health insurance.
Thanks to Senate Bill 6538, rather than being forced to buy health insurance on the individual market — if they can even qualify for it, let alone afford it — one-person businesses will be able to qualify for group health insurance coverage, with no health screening required. Until now, only small businesses of two to 50 employees could qualify for such group plans in Washington state.
In case you’re new to the self-insurance game, allow me explain why this has the potential to rock a lot of freelance worlds: Group plans tend to offer more bang for your insurance buck; coverage tends to be far more comprehensive than the high-deductible, catastrophic plans those of us in the individual insurance market often get stuck with.
Perhaps even more significant, there are no 250-item health questionnaires to fill out and no infinite bans on pre-existing conditions, which is of course great news for self-employed people with chronic conditions or a less-than-perfect medical history.
[Read the rest of this post on NWjobs.com]
September 17th, 2010
Previous Posts
We’re told not to get hung up coveting the careers of those more successful than us, to stop getting bogged down by what we don’t have and focus on building up what we do. However, new research on envy shows that this advice may be misguided.
