My 5 Favorite Things In: ProBlogger

July 10, 2008 by Leave a Comment

problogger

I’m a bit of a booktard.

I started out with Golden Books, moved on to Nancy Drew, graduated to John Saul, V.C. Andrews, and Stephen King, and finally ended up with Barbara Kingsolver, Lorrie Moore, etc.

When thoughts of freelancedom completely hijacked my brain, I naturally moved on to how-tos. Now, to show my gratitude, I feel I ought to highlight some of the books that got me to this point.

This week, I thought I’d mention ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income by Darren Rowse of ProBlogger and Chris Garrett of chrisg. While most of you may not necessarily aim to be career bloggers, I believe it’s a great tool to have in your belt when trying to launch your own business. After all, blogs can showcase your talents, acting as a virtual portfolio. Or they can function as promotional tools. Or they can keep present clients updated on your business. My five favorite things in this book?

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How To Get Dressed in the Morning (Among Other Things)

July 9, 2008 by 6 Comments

pajamas and laptop.

I experienced a plethora of unforeseeable problems upon casting off the shackles off full-time office work and proceeding with freelancedom:

  1. I don’t want to wake up. Ever.
  2. When I finally wake up, I’m too lazy to even shower. Besides, my fuzzy, Cookie Monster pajama pants are way comfortable.
  3. I’m not quite sure what to do with myself.
  4. By the time I figure out what to do, I’m ready for a lunch break. This leads to a four-hour America’s Next Top Model marathon.
  5. Due to guilt over the lack of daytime productivity, I work late into the night, when I should be preparing dinner, or bonding with my husband.

Obviously, despite my eagerness to leave behind the 9-to-5, I still required some semblance of a schedule. A few moves that keep me on track:

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Product Placement: Friend of the Cluttered Freelancer

July 8, 2008 by Leave a Comment

clean workspace.

I’ve written about BlueLounge products several times before over at the Modern Materialist: here, here, and here. That’s because their products belie an invested interest in making our lives easier, mostly by attacking clutter at its root.

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Giving Notice: How To Make That Final Leap

July 7, 2008 by 5 Comments

cliff-diving.

Photo: ‘Derek J’ by Phil Watt

It’s been almost a year since I left behind a viable book publishing career for the terrifying uncertainty of freelancedom.

A questionable move considering that, three years before, I had been applying to just about any full-time staff job I could conceivably be considered qualified for.

To make an excruciating story less excruciating, let’s just say that I wasn’t feeling quite right within the corporate environment.

Now I work a number of freelance gigs, most of them from home, and I’ve never been happier. So, of course, I want everyone else to try it, too!

But as much as I advocate trying out new career paths, jumping blindly isn’t the smartest way to go.

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