A Better Freelancer

Keeping Clients: Ongoing Clients & Agency Work →

The biggest key to your freelancing success is building your list of “regulars”. Great article on a key topic.

Finding Success Through Your Strengths →

This is what freelancing is about. Find what you’re strengths are and play to them. Those cubicle jobs with office policies and requirements might force someone to do things that aren’t their strongest skills. But as a freelancer, you have the freedom to chose where your energy goes.

An nice read. But an even greater concept to own.

10 Requirements for Working with Clients in Other Countries →

Freelancing means we are free to work from almost anywhere, not just from home. And because of this, we can work with clients from anywhere. This is a great summary of some things you need to keep in mind if you begin to pick up international clients.

Dave Caolo: A Freelancer’s Schedule

The most difficult aspect of freelancing for me is time allocation. In the space of 24 hours, I must be a writer, an editor and a web manager. I must also be a husband, a father, a neighbor and a semi-conscious, marginally productive member of the community who has taken a shower.

It’s a joy to work from home and set your own hours. It’s also a tremendous burden. Over the past 2 years, I’ve tweaked a schedule that works for me. It’s subject to change at any moment and probably won’t work for you. I present it here as a model to consider while devising  your own.

Monday - Friday

First, let me share a hard-and-fast rule that may sound crazy to you, but I’ve got it all but tattooed on my forehead.

I don’t work weekends.

There’s a faction of the freelance community that believes if you aren’t putting in 16-hour days every day you aren’t trying and deserve to fail. I don’t buy it for a second. My father was self-employed, and I watched his business grow from a telephone in our family’s living room to a building with 4 rooms and ten employees. I also saw him watch his life pass him by through an office window.

I’m not afraid of hard work, but I am afraid of regret.

I don’t work a typical 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM schedule, as you’ll see. But I do spend Saturday and Sunday with my wife, with my children, with my neighbors and with myself.

Here’s my schedule. For your reference, my kids are 5 years old and 7 years old.

• 6:00 AM: Awake, 20 minutes of meditation
• 6:20 AM - 6:30 AM: Initial email triage, check calendar for the day
• 6:30 AM - 7:00 AM:  Wake the children, make them breakfast, help them get dressed
• 7:15 AM: Drive to the bus stop
• 7:45 AM: Confirm early AM posts at TUAW, review actions for the day, review any emails moved to “In” at 6:30
• 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Writing/editing
• 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM: Lunch
• 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM: Writing/editing
• 2:30 PM: Get kids from bus stop
• 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Family time
• 6:00 PM -7:00 PM: Kids’ PM routine
• 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Spend time with wife, review emails and the day’s actions
• 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM: Prep for the following day, writing for 52 Tiger
• 10:00 PM - 10:30 PM: Quiet reading, bed

Break it down

First and foremost, all of this can change on a dime. A sick child, a flat tire, a malfunctioning cable modem, you name it. If Rule #1 is No Working on Weekends, Rule #2 is No Rigid Rules. Things will happen to interrupt the plan and you must be ready to react calmly and effectively. With that in mind, let’s review the elements of a perfect day of freelancing.

I meditate in the morning because it’s important to me. It’s not required, of course. You could use this time to review the day’s actions while the rest of the house sleeps, read quietly or enjoy a solitary cup of coffee. I choose to be aware of the moment and my presence in that moment before I do anything else. It’s a mindful practice that I enjoy.

Next I check email for the first time. The Internet never sleeps, and that must be because it’s busy emailing me all night. In this initial sweep, I simply process. I read a message, decide what it is (needs a follow-up action, is reference material, is junk) and act accordingly. Many messages end up in my inbox for later processing. Most go to the trash bin. ALL get deleted. Remember: your email client is not a filing cabinet.

The peace is broken as I pry the children from their beds, make their breakfast and get them out the door. For months I struggled with when to check email. Initially I checked it first thing. I often got distracted by processing and, if things were really bad, performing actions. Then I’d get the kids up late and spend 45 minutes frantically rushing them out the door. 

Later I started checking email after returning from the bus stop which was worse. Occasionally I’d find a fire that I should have extinguished earlier. By doing a quick process at 6:20, I can get each message into my system, address anything pressing and get the kids going with a clear conscience.

After that, the bulk of my day begins. I spend most of my day writing and editing posts for TUAW. That’s the good stuff — doing the work that we’ve chosen to do. It’s fun and the time flies by. I often work from home but sometimes go to the library for a change of scenery. It’s quiet, well-lit, comfortable and the Wi-Fi is free and strong. Plus they’ve got huge tables and don’t mind how long I camp out.

Lunch is usually pulled from a brown bag as I’m on a budget. It’s tempting to eat in front of the computer, but I don’t. When I’m eating lunch, I just eat lunch. It’s a nice time to give my brain something else to be aware of, and process the previous few hours of work. After all, I’ve got another 2 hours of writing ahead of me.

Family time is just that. We talk, play outside, run errands if necessary, etc. I’ll have my iPhone with me if something comes up that demands my immediate attention, but it typically stays in my pocket. Unless the boy wants a little Plants Vs. Zombies.

At night I write for 52 Tiger (or any other projects that aren’t TUAW) until the fatigue takes over, usually around 10:00. I used to push myself to work until midnight, but the product suffered. My thinking was dull and I spent much of the next night re-working the junk I produced when I was tired. Now I know my limit and work within it.

I end the the night by reading for pleasure, prepping for the next day and finally being quiet for a while.

As I said, it’s a delicate dance and any kink in the works can throw off the whole day. I’ve learned to accept that. Not every day will be picture perfect. However, a little planning, flexibility and the realization that there are much more important things in the world than my writing a blog post sees me through.

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About the Author

Dave Caolo is a professional blogger living on Cape Cod, MA. He is an editor at The Unofficial Apple Weblog and is also the web director at the nationally-known museum Plimoth Plantation. Finally, check out Dave’s wonderful blog, 52 Tiger.

How to Find New Customers →

I would add one other item to this list: do great work.

Two Special Words that Will Make Your Clients See You Differently →

You can never say these words enough.

Sam Brown: How to Stay Sane When Freelancing from Home →

Another great post by Sam Brown. I freelance from home as well, and have found everything on this list incredibly helpful to remember.

Sam Brown: Why I Love Being a Freelancer →

A fantastic summary from one of the best in the game. I highly recommend you follow him on Twitter and read his blog.

What to Do When a Client Kills a Project →

This is a great piece of advice on the topic of contracts and deposits. It may sound like so much hyperbole, but if you are not using a contract and a deposit policy, your days as a freelancer are numbered.

Doing the Little Things to Please Clients →

This is akin to how exercise can extend your life, except you’re caring for the heart of your freelance business - your clients.

And that’s one of the biggest lessons we can learn; that our clients are the sun at the center of our freelance universe, not our egos or side projects or office space.