Using Book Teasers for Promotion

(Let’s move beyond how long it’s been since I’ve blogged…I know.)

Here’s something that’s been on my mind – videos.  I just invested in a Flip camera for a project for a client, and I just realized that I may have the most powerful tool in my office besides my Mac(s).

Look at this book teaser:

Banish – Mirror Mirror on the Floor

I have to say that I get pulled into movies because of trailers, so why not books too?  It seems like it’s a great way to tap into the market that wants to see things instead of just read them.  I know I get overwhelmed with everything I read these days.

Sometimes, I just want to watch TV.

Does this mean I’ll have video blogs soon?  I have a feeling that this writer is going to be dressing up more often when I go into my office and I have something to share.

 

Freelancer Health Care 101

Even writers get sick sometimes, especially in the winter.  I have a few things I do every year when I start to get that tickle in my throat:

• More water – I try to drink at least a few bottles of water a day when I start to feel off.
• Hot tea – I like tea when my throat is a little sore.  No honey.
• No sugar – Avoiding sugar seems to help me avoid a major bout of sickness.
• Probiotics – The healthier my intestines are, the healthier I am.
• Vitamin C – I know that research is sketchy about Vitamin C, but it seems to help me.
• ColdCalm – A homeopathic remedy, which seems to help when I start to sniffle and sneeze.
• Wellness Formula – I can’t get enough of this when I’m feeling a little under the weather.

I’m not a doctor, true.  (What works for me might not work for you or for anyone.) But this combination works for me.  And the more of these tips I follow, the better I feel and the more quickly the sniffles subside.

Oh, and I get a flu shot every year.

Does this sound too complicated?  Maybe.  While I have health insurance and I’m generally in good health, my time is money.  The less down time I have, the more I can work.

I wonder what other freelancers do…

Is an Eco-Friendly Office Possible?

One of the beautiful things about working from home is that you can keep most of your work online.  Virtual files don’t have to be printed, paper isn’t necessary for brainstorming, etc.  It seems like an eco-friendly office should be simple to implement.  But what I’ve found is that you can be more eco-friendly, even without buying anything new.

• Reuse paper – I always print on the other side of paper when I have to print.  This allows me to use the paper more than once.  And I use 100% recycled paper.
• Avoid paper cups – I have a travel mug and ceramic mugs on my desk most of the time.  Okay, sometimes I forget to bring a cup with me to Starbucks, but most of the time, I remember my reusable mug.
• Turn off your electronics – While it might be easier to leave everything on, to ensure you’re ready to roll when you’re ready to write, turning things off or at least putting them in Hibernate mode is going to conserve the most energy.
• Use what you have – It’s always tempting (for me, especially) to buy new things for your office.  Instead, try looking at what you already have and use that first before you buy something new.
• Use Cloud Storage Methods – Instead of keeping paper copies of your files, try using storage online – i.e. Mozy Pro, your email box, etc.

We live in a time when there are more eco-friendly office supplies than ever, but I try to focus more on using what I have and bringing in more environmentally friendly items as needed.  I’d be interested in knowing others’ eco tips, or if this is an important topic for freelancers right now.

Late to Bed, But Early to Rise

In my group of friends, people know me as the early riser.  What they don’t realize is that I’m not actually a morning person.  True, I can be perfectly pleasant in the morning hours, but if I had the choice, I would sleep a bit later.

So, why do I get up at 4am every day?

• To answer my email – Before the rest of the (sane) world gets up, I can send off emails and begin my workday without immediate responses.
• To talk to international clients – I’m 7 hours behind GMT, which means my early morning is another client’s midday.  To make sure we connect, I need to be up before they go to bed.
• To have some quiet – The rest of my day is filled with chaos and frantic typing.  Sometimes, the morning is the only time I have to remember that life isn’t this crazy all the time.

This kind of life isn’t for everyone.  Yes, I’m tired often, but it works for me.

PS – No, I actually don’t drink coffee anymore, strangely enough.

My Monday Routine

While it seems like Mondays are rough on everyone, I admit this isn’t my strongest day.  Generally, I spend the day organizing my week, working on smaller projects, and just trying to get warmed up for the week.  I wouldn’t say that Monday is my most productive day, but I do get a lot done.  It just happens to be on smaller projects, not on the bigger ones.  Larger projects are for Tuesdays through Saturdays.

I’m not sure why I fell into this routine, but it seems to have started when business really picked up and I needed to work on Sundays.  I think taking back my Mondays gives me the chance to have a weekend, to have some time to go at a much slower pace than I normally would.  I enjoy it and I know this day helps the rest of the week move along more smoothly.  I’m not working on Sundays anymore, but yesterday was a day filled with meetings and other side projects outside of my work.  So today, today I’m taking it easy.

So, my Monday routine?

• Organize
• Fiddle around with smaller projects
• Decide on what I should post on Twitter and Facebook
• Drink caffeine
• Run errands

All in all, not too bad of a day.  You?

The Case for Weekends

Once upon a time, I was against weekends. It was a time for me to get more work done, to finally have some time to ‘catch up’ on all the things I didn’t do during the week. No more. As of a few weekends ago, I decided to take Sundays off. And this week, it looks like I’m going to take Saturday off too.

Yes, I will look at my email. Yes, I will probably play with my calendar. This is not an easy addiction to break, this work thing. What I will do is take some time away from my desk, doing things that have nothing to do with work. Namely, thrift shopping. It engages my creative side without causing too much of a financial dent. It allows me the chance to look at new and shiny things, even when they’re old. And for a moment, I forget about deadlines, emails, and projects.

Weekends allow me (and you too) to:

• Find my creative side – I am a writer, not someone who does the same task every day.  I need to make sure I’m sharp or else my writing will suffer.  Clients don’t pay me to be boring.
• Get some perspective – It’s difficult to remember how to do my work when I’m always doing it.  Sometimes, you just need to step back and remember what you do and why you do it.  Weekends let me have the space to do this.
• Avoid having a schedule – Most of the week, every minute of my day is outlined, but on weekends, I can go blissfully schedule-free.

Sure, I’m not going to take every weekend off – that I know.  But taking some time away is doing this writer some good.  And if you’re a freelancer like me, maybe it’s time you took the day off.  Trust me, you will never catch up on your work, so take the day to remember the great big world out there.  It’s been waiting for you.

Trying to Find Freelancing Answers…

I’m going to attend this freelancer seminar, in small bites during the day. Thankfully, they’re going to have the videos and resources available afterward as well.

A really great freebie to find.

See you there?

Work and Balance and Not

It’s true.  I write for the SF Examiner about balancing life and work – and I haven’t had time to get caught up with my articles…because my life is out of balance.  I’m working on it.

I’m curious to hear what other people might have to say about balance in their own lives.  I’ve tried working on my productivity and on my work hours, but still, things aren’t quite balanced.  It’s frustrating.  I love to do what I do and I want to do it all the time, until I don’t.

So, yeah, if anyone has some tips – put them in the comments and I’ll pass them on in a new blog post.

Have a great day!

L

Welcome to My Office

A lot of writers have posted pictures of their offices.  Pictures which show they are cool, calm, and organized.  I call foul on this.  Truly?  My desk is various degrees of messiness, but it is ALWAYS messy in some way or another.  Don’t believe me?  Here’s what my desk looked like just the other day.

(It’s much cleaner today.  Really.)

Of course, now that I’m looking at it, it’s not too bad.  Well, today anyway.

My Real Life

Writing – it’s a solitary workplace that few people enter.  Just the other day, someone came over with paperwork for me to sign and was surprised to see me dressed in a regular casual outfit.  At 10:30AM.

To which I said, “Well, I don’t sit around in my pajamas everyday.”

Being a writer does have its privileges, no doubt.  You can wear what you want, do what you want, eat when you want, and even watch TV on the days when inspiration seems to be taking the day off, but it’s still work.  A lot of work.  You have to come up with new ways to say old things or you need to find ways to explain things you don’t quite understand.  You need to answer emails, negotiate contracts, and try to collect payments.  It’s a juggling act, but one that I wouldn’t change for the world, even if there are days when I want to stop typing so much.

Then a new assignment comes in.  And  a rush of adrenaline pushes me to sit up straight and to begin to work again.