RSS Feed
News And Updates
Things have been looking up here, finance-wise, despite the fact that I still haven’t found another regular gig. I’ve gotten three new clips, with a fourth on the way, and also talked my way into a bit of a “raise.” Huzzah!
It’s not enough, of course, which is why I read the following two blog posts with such interest:
When your home and your office happen to be one and the same, it can be tough to ever truly let go, unless you actually leave the building. And finding a spot to unwind at home can be even more difficult when you’re living in a small space.
After remaining inside my condo for four days straight, it occurred to me that I have nowhere to go just go get away…no means of escape…
Unless you count my Wednesday night callanetics classes, an hour of stretching and pulsing that simultaneously relaxes me and deeply works my muscles.
I’d be interested in hearing how all of you escape the daily grind. Is there a special spot in your home, or is there a place you flee to in your car when things get especially stressful?
Freelancedom Halloween Post from Steph Auteri on Vimeo.
It gets lonely working from home, all alone except for my three cats. Sometimes I get a bit stir crazy, talking to the cats, sometimes even dancing with them.
While the mental health ramifications of the conversations I have with my cats are questionable, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with taking a little dance break mid-project.
After the jump, my Dance Machine playlist:
Now, I don’t actually think that my field of choice has no hope left. I mean, my employer folded. Gawker Media fired a bunch of people. Sex writers are dropping in droves. The Star-Ledger almost went under. The world is coming to an end.
But, still. Things will bounce back. Right? Right???
It’s been a Xanax-worthy week, you guys.
Since finding out that the New York Sun may fold at the end of this month (I do freelance copy editing for them, 15 hours a week), I’ve been panicking.
Over a year ago, this regular gig gave me the courage to leave my full-time publishing job. A few months ago, however, I came to realize that I’ve been using it as a crutch, relying on it to the detriment of growing my at-home business.
And so I started looking for part-time work and freelance projects closer to home, eager to cut out the commute that took so much away from the work I was doing at home.
Now, however, with the final moment of truth for the paper only two-and-a-half weeks away, I’m wondering: Is it time for me to concede defeat?
At the moment, my friend Christina is struggling with doing up her grad school apps, and preparing for the GREs. The biggest problem? Motivation.
I think we can all understand that (or am I the only one with a penchant for procrastination?).
The thing she’s doing that I find absolutely brilliant is that she’s using FutureMe as a self-motivating tool, sending herself messages that list what she hopes she’s accomplished by then.
I use Ta-da List to list what I need to get done, but it doesn’t periodically nudge me, which is probably something I’d benefit from. If you need a nudge, check out the links after the jump, and then let us now how you keep yourself motivated, whether you reward yourself with a cup of coffee (or six) or celebrate your accomplishments with a night on the town.
Earlier this week, Jezebel had this interesting post, in which the writers tried to recall what bits of knowledge they had actually retained from early-childhood home ec classes.
They went on to ponder what sort of knowledge they would have actually benefited from.
I remember well my first job out of college. The company had hired me as their first-ever editor (I was more like a glorified word processor) and, once they had me, they weren’t quite sure what to do with me. I was miserable there. The work was mind-numbing, and I was left with large swaths of time in which I had absolutely nothing to do.
So I began writing.
And boy, did I get a lot done, even getting published on MediaBistro with an essay I had written during work hours.
I can’t imagine that this is uncommon.
My husband battled his fears of eventual bankruptcy by supporting my decision to leave my staff job and pursue freelancing full-time. And when I succeeded in bringing in my former staffer income within half a year as a freelancer, I sort of wanted to wiggle my butt and point and scream “In! Your! Face!”
The only thing that kept me from doing so was the knowledge that I still had a lot of debt to manage…debt that I probably should have taken care of before leaving my job.