We all have the kind of days where nothing goes right. Everything you try to work on takes twice as long as usual, the computer crashes before you have saved what you were writing, your Internet quits while you are updating files, etc…

Recently I spent over an hour working on a theme I was creating and got nowhere. By the end of the hour, I replaced everything I had done with the original files and it felt like a wasted hour. When I went back to that project a day or two later, everything was fine and I finished the work quickly.

I’ve gotten better at walking away and coming back to a task with a clear head and then completing but it can still be really hard to do. Here are the reasons for this:

1. My schedule may be really tight and it might not be possible to work on the project at another time.
2. I told the client that it would be completed today.
3. I might wake up super sick tomorrow. Unlikely but I do find when I put something off until later, that something unexpected like food poisoning gets in the way.
4. I am a little (a lot) obsessed with schedules. If I plan to work on something between 2pm – 3pm then I get flustered and lost focus if this doesn’t happen and find it difficult to move on to something else.

As I’ve aged, I’ve found that things out of control happen all of the time and that I am not always 100% focused when it’s necessary. So, it’s important to be more flexible. I might feel like I’m not accomplishing anything if I walk away from something that isn’t working properly but by doing so it gets resolved quickly later on and I ultimately end up saving time. In the past I would have kept working and working to find a solution and usually only ended up feeling frustrated and that wasn’t very good at my chosen profession.

It’s important to take a break, think about something else for awhile and then come back to what you were trying to accomplish. The solution almost always comes immediately when I do this.

How about you? Do you find this works? Are you able to walk away? Or are you doggedly persistent? I used to be and found that I only ended up feeling frustrated and wasting time.

photo credit: markgoodwin

Post from: (Anti) Social Development

Sometimes You Have to Walk Away and Come Back Later

Enjoy!

• Better Image Management With WordPress – Ways to enrich your blog with images and how to manage the images.
• Twitter 3.0 Goes on a Diet; Gives Us Back More Room for Custom Backgrounds – This is great news. After the last Twitter update the background was too small to do much with.
• What Freelancers Really Do About Vacation – How freelancers manage taking vacations.
• SEO “Experts” Are Lying To You (About Backlinks) – Great article about backlinks.
• This Guy Has My MacBook – This guy knew who stole his computer. Here’s what he did about it and how he got it back.
• The Drug Metyrapone to Erase Bad Memories? – Hmm … Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?
• Devilish Packaging, Tamed – Finally! A reduction in wasteful packaging that we frequently struggle to even open.

Post from: (Anti) Social Development

(Anti) Social Lists 6/5/11

I am often asked how I manage working from home. People tell me that they aren’t disciplined enough to do it and that they would goof off all day.

There is no magical solution as to whether you have the discipline or not.

And how I deal with this issue is really quite simple.

If I don’t find the discipline to work and I goof off, I will eventually run out of money and my daughter and I won’t have a place to live or food to eat.

I do have some money saved so we could go for awhile without me doing any work but it would eventually run out. Not wanting to be hungry is very motivating.

That being said, I think I was born disciplined. I was one of those people who would have my school papers done before the due date and only in rare cases miss deadlines. So, that probably helps.

But, discipline isn’t magic and needing to support yourself and your family is enough for me to get my work done.

How about you? Do you have discipline? What do you do when you don’t feel like working?

photo credit: grotuk

Post from: (Anti) Social Development

How to Be Disciplined When You Work from Home

Last week is the first time I’ve had to deal with sick days since I started freelancing full time almost two years ago (I can’t believe it’s been almost two years …)

I’ve had a couple of days here and there where I didn’t feel great or was overtired or my daughter was home sick from school but overall I’ve been mostly healthy and haven’t needed to take almost an entire week off from work.

It was hard but here’s how I handled it.

Fortunately, I was on top of my projects and didn’t have any looking deadlines. A couple of smaller things were due but it wasn’t as hard to postpone them.

The Tips

1. Don’t procrastinate – I’ve never been much of a procrastinator (except for doing my taxes this year) so this isn’t usually an issue. I always say, “don’t put off until tomorrow that which you can do today because tomorrow you might feel like crap”. If you have been procrastinating on a project, the deadline is approaching and then you get sick, you are going to run into problems with the clients understanding. So, try to stay on top of things when you do feel well.
2. Notify clients as soon as possible – I have a number of clients that I work with on a weekly basis. As soon as I realized how bad my tooth infection was and that I wasn’t able to work, I sent an email letting them know about the situation. They were all really understanding. The one mistake I made was thinking I would be all better as soon as I started taking the antibiotics. I thought I would be back to work in 2 days and I ended up needing the entire week. Even now, 10 days later, I am still run down and don’t have the energy level that I had before all of this started.
3. Notify clients of current projects that are close to being due – I had two Facebook pages that were due a day or two after I got sick. Fortunately, my policy is that a “page will be completed within one week after the deposit and all materials are received unless there are unforeseen circumstances that I will notify you of as soon as possible.” This is the first time I had to utilize an unforeseen circumstance for work being delayed but I’m glad I always include that message.
4. Get help at home – I’m divorced and have an 8 year old. As soon as I started feeling ill I called my ex, told him about the situation, and asked if he could help. He took our daughter for the first two nights, which were the worst of it, and even arranged to leave work early one day because we didn’t have after school care that day. Like any ex, he drives me nuts sometimes, but I’m fortunate in that when I really need help, I can rely on him.
5. Ask your kids for help – On my daughter’s first day back, I still wasn’t feeling well and I hadn’t really slept in a couple of days so I was slightly out of my mind. She realized that I needed her and totally stepped up. She made her own dinner (microwave Mac&Cheese – but she did it), did all the dishes, took a bath without being nagged, waited on me, and tucked me in before putting herself to bed. She’s close to 9 but I was still impressed. I’m pretty sure, however, that she was still wishing she were at her Dad’s house. ;-) I remember being very disconcerted when my Mom was sick when I was a kid – it scared me because we rely on our parents for strength so I’m sure it scared her a little.
6. Save for it - Freelancers need to set aside a portion of their income for sick time so they don’t feel like they have to work because they can’t lose the money. I don’t specifically save for it but I have x number of months of income saved so if I miss a week I don’t feel like everything is going to fall apart.
7. Rest – Prior to the tooth infection I was working really long days – 12+ hours. I’m sure the infection happening after that was a coincidence but it was a reminder to slow down a little and to take better care of myself.

Everyone I work with was kind, understanding and supportive. I think most people would be because we all get sick at some point and I’m reliable the rest of the time – I meet my deadlines and don’t have excuses for being late with my work all of the time. If someone hadn’t been understanding, I think it would have told me to finish up the current work with that individual and then sever out professional relationship.

How about you? Do you have any sick time tips? How do you handle it?

photo credit: WindRanch

Post from: (Anti) Social Development

7 Tips for Handling Sick Days as a Freelancer

This week I have freelancing, project management, facebook, and more.

Enjoy!

• Using WordPress the_post_thumbnail with Lightbox – I came across this article when I discovered issues when trying to use lightbox with post thumbnails. This article explains how to deal with the issue. I thought it might be useful to others.
• 7 Online Invoicing Apps for Freelancers – I’ve been researching online invoicing applications. This article is a great start – be sure to go through the comments – there are a lot more apps listed there.
• How To Use A Self-Hosted WordPress Blog For Project Management – I’ve also been researching project management applications. It then occurred to me that maybe WordPress could be used for project management. Here’s an article that lists themes and plugins to help you get started.
• Four Ways To Deal With The Death Of Static FBML Converting from fbml to iframes from the Non-profit Facebook Guy.
• 15 Frequently Asked Questions About Facebook Pages – A great list from Mari Smith

• When Clients Attack – How do you handle criticism from your clients?
• My kid’s favorite song right now.
  

Post from: (Anti) Social Development

(Anti) Social Lists 3/20/11

I hope you survived the full moon and the solar flares.

This week I have freelancing, Moby Dick, Facebook, pc games, hide and seek and more.

Enjoy!

• Are Bidding Websites Good for Freelancers to Use? – I used these when I was first getting started and was still freelancing part time. You do have to wade through a lot of crap to find quality jobs that will pay what you are worth.
• ‘Moby Dick’ captain’s ship found – Moby Dick is still a work of fiction but the ship of the captain who inspired Herman Melville has been found.
• It’s Not Free – Closely related to No, You May NOT Pick My Brain
• What’s the best way to post as a Facebook Page? – What’s the best way to post on a Facebook pages as a page and not seem spammy?
• Why Aren’t G.M.O. Foods Labeled? – I’ve been wondering this for 13 years now. If they are so awesome and wonderful for us, you would think they would want to shout about it. ;-)
• The 100 best PC games of all time – I was thrilled that my all time favorite game, The Longest Journey, was #39 on the list.
• One Dress Protest Q&A: Kristy Powell Vows Fashion Fast with 365-Day Dress – Kristy Powell challenges us to rethink consumption and fashion by wearing the same dress for a year.
• 13 Components That Defined a Great Website in 1998 – Buttons, under construction pages, and midi files …
• How to Add Your Fan Page as Your Employer on Your Personal Facebook Profile – This is more complicated that it should be – here are step by step instructions.
• Plug your link leaks! – This article explains what “link juice” is, how our sites leak it, and how to plug the holes.
• Baby Moose Enjoying a Sprinkler
  
• Hide and Seek
  

Post from: (Anti) Social Development

(Anti) Social Lists 2/20/11

This week I have Facebook, food, social media, laundry and more.

Enjoy

• The Definitive List of Facebook Video Apps for Facebook Pages – If you want to use Video on your Facebook page, here is a huge list of resources.Fac
• STUDY: Moms Over 40 Have More Facebook Friends Than Their Kids Do – This study bugs me. Wouldn’t most people over 40 simply know more people than their children from having been alive longer? It’s as if there is surprise that a 40+ Mom could have a clue about the online world.
• A Food Manifesto for the Future – Healthy, real and locally produced food is something that is very important to me. I’m a big fan of Bittman’s articles about food and is manifesto is an interesting read.
• Is social media turning adults into insecure teenagers? – I agree with some of the points in this article. We wonder why people don’t respond to us or like what we’ve posted. I tend not to take it too seriously but sometimes I do feel invisible.
• Learning When to Refuse Your Community – Sometimes we just have to say no. Here are some reasons why.
• Not Your Typical Greenwashing: Wash Cycle Laundry’s Bike-Centric Business Model – A commercial wash and fold laundry service in Philadelphia that does pick-ups and drop-offs via bicycle.
• IN MEMORIAM: Brian Jacques (1939-2011) – Brian Jacques, author of the Redwall series of books for children and young adults (and all ages really) passed away this week. If you have kids, you should check out the books – they are wonderful.
• A very sleepy kitty
  
• A Mom with tons of patience.
  

Post from: (Anti) Social Development

(Anti) Social Lists 2/13/11

I offer a monthly maintenance plan that includes 2.5 hours of support per month for 12 months at a reduced rate. The support plan is paid in advance. I have also offered custom plans for 6 months of support for clients who have asked.

The plan includes upgrades, theme customizations, plugin recommendations and installation, general questions, etc.

Another feature of the support plan is being moved up the support request list. A client on a support plan is going to be responded too quickly and the work will have a higher priority than other types of requests.

Ok – so why am I talking about this now? Well, I have recently been asked about offering smaller plans. For example, many people may only need 1 hour of support per month rather than 2.5 and I don’t have any support plans that cover that.

New Monthly Maintenance Plans

1. 3 month – 1 hour per month for 3 months. $125 – a $25 savings!
2. 6 month – 1 hour per month for 6 months. $250 – a $50 savings!
3. 12 month – 1 hour per month for 12 months. $500 – a $100 savings!

The more you purchase, the more you save.

General Information

1. Other plans can be customized to suit your needs. Please contact me.
2. Plans must be purchased in advance.
3. Unlike your cell phone plan, the minutes will roll over. If you don’t use an hour one month, you can use two the next.
4. If you are using less time that you have paid for, I will let you know and we can renegotiate the plan. This will entail adding more time.
5. If your needs are not met by one hour per month, I will let you know and we can renegotiate the plan.
6. As mentioned, your work has a higher priority than other requests.
7. I am not available via phone unless the call is scheduled. I do not work on weekends.
8. I respond to requests promptly, which means within one business day.
9. The plan begins when payment is received and ends on that date 3, 6 or 12 months later. It will not be renewed automatically.
10. The plans are available for new and current clients.

Please contact me if you are interested and with any questions you may have.

photo credit: AndyRob

Post from: (Anti) Social Development

New Monthly Maintenance Plans Available

My friend, Dawn Bugni, posted a link to this awesome slideshare presentation by Sheila Scarborough. I enjoyed it so much that I decided it was worth reposting here.

The presentation discusses people who want to take you out for coffee and “pick your brain” and how to handle that type of situation. Of course, “pick you brain” means get as much unpaid information out of you as possible.

I haven’t actually had someone use that phrase with me but I’ve had quite a few tell me that they have a “limited budget”.

The presentation also contains valuable information on how to turn the brain picker into a paying client.

I hope you found this useful. Do you agree with it? Is there anything you disagree with?

Post from: (Anti) Social Development

Freelancing: What to Do When Someone Wants to Pick Your Brain

This week I have Bill Murray, Da Vinci, Facebook, and the best weather report ever.

Enjoy!

• Bill Murray’s Career In An Infographic – Everything from an army recruit to a professional bowler.
• 10 Bad Habits That Are Costing You Clients – Reasons a freelancer may be losing work.
• Hidden literary code found in Da Vinci’s masterpiece – The background of the painting may be landscapes inspired by Roman poets.
• How Does Age Affect Web Use? – How different generations use the Internet. I am in Generation X and what’s interesting is that we are only 19% of the general population. No wonder I feel like everyone is older or younger than I am. I have also never heard the term ‘Silent Generation’ before but maybe that is because they are so quiet.
• Why collecting email addresses on your Facebook Page won’t work – John Haydon discusses why regular email marketing won’t work with Facebook.
• Facebook Fan Page Notifications With Hyper Alerts Free App! – You can now get notifications for comments left on your fan page by using Hyper Alerts. I started testing it a couple of days ago and it works great.
• What are we to think about Walmart’s healthy food initiatives? – I agree with the end of this article – making a processed food healthier does not make a healthy food. Overall, I think Walmart is getting a lot of good PR when they will really do very little. But, maybe I’m biased as I really dislike Walmart.
• Pile of Kitties – 3 kittens waiting to be adopted
  
• This cat really doesn’t like dragons.
  
• The best weather report ever!
  

Post from: (Anti) Social Development

(Anti) Social Lists 1/23/11