Freelance productivity and personal improvement - yay!
Hey there
Man oh man, it’s flippin’ January! Can you believe it? 2015 seems to be the year where everyone is looking to sharpen the tools in ye olde freelance shed.
I’ve got a few groovy things to share with you. I hope you like them.
100 days of freelance
Calling all startups, solopreneurs, small business operators When I first started freelancing 5 years ago, I failed and I failed hard. From clients who took months to being drawn into silly competitive crap with other freelancers, I was sucker punched- a lot. One Christmas while crying over not being able to go anywhere and having 2 minute noodles in lettuce for Christmas lunch while my client (who apparently had cash flow issues and couldn't pay) uploaded photos to his 5 week American holiday I realised I was letting myself down. The first step was to get angry and see who else was out there in freelance land and what they were facing with the freelance survey. The second step was to launch the Freelance Jungle to bring people together. And the third level is to help any and all freelancers I can to not make the same mistakes I (and others I have talked to during the Freelance Jungle nights) I did. That’s where the 100 days of freelance comes in. Built on experience, wisdom and a heck of a lot of my tears is advice, a support group and bunch of special things. Want to get into it? Check out the 100 days of freelance now. Self-care for the self-employed
One thing I noticed was increasing in 2014 was the amount of stress, burn out and fatigue that was permeating the freelance and startup scenes. We’re constantly working in feast and famine mode (or too much feast mode). We’ve conditioned ourselves to be scared of missing out on jobs, opportunities and money that we’re missing out on friends, family and down time. Seeing that stress and overwork manifest into depression and serious health consequences for two of my fellow solo operators has spurred me into action.
Little freelancer, you have to make 2015 the year to look after you.
Myself and the ever lovely Brook McCarthy are combining our forces to bring you Hacking Happiness. It’s built on a blog and series of events and forms of assistance designed to disrupt the bad habits and instil more of the good. Part productivity class, part stress relief and all about busting the myth of what it means to be happy and successful in business and life, Hacking Happiness is something I am truly excited to be a part of.
Our maiden event kicks off February 6th in Sydney and is entitled “Self-Care for the Self-Employedâ€. Tickets have been selling fast. Early Bird ends Tuesday 13th January so quick sticks!
Hacking Happiness will be bringing events to all kinds of towns and cities, so if you are interested in updates, register here.
Freelance Jungle for 2015
Sydney Freelance Jungle is riding again on January 22nd at the Alexandria Hotel (get off at Redfern station and walk through Technology Park) for a little bit of tropical beer garden action.
Wollongong Freelance Jungle is taking on the awesome cocktails at Samuel’s in Thirroul on January 29th.
Stay tuned for Brisbane’s event. Wagga, you’ll be getting a Freelance Jungle in the first half of 2015, too!
You can keep an eye on all the Freelance Jungle action via the meetup group and the GooglePlus Freelance Jungle community.
Learn some juicy SEO
One of the lasses who has taught me a lot about SEO is Kate Toon. After wowing people with her workshops last year, she’s now released an eCourse on SEO. The good thing about what Kate teaches you over others is she knows both the big business needs of SEO and how to crack it as a solo operator.
Find out more about the ‘Recipe for SEO Success’ course here.
Freebies and fun stuff
Here are 6 of the most common freelance myths and advice on how to bust them.
Take a wrap of 2014’s most useful tips and tricks for creative people.
49 affordable freelance marketing ideas ought to start 2015 on the right foot.
Shake off the holidays with some working music and buckle down playlist.
You can see if you know all the A to Z of freelancing.
And learn the art of saying no to bad clients and dumb ideas.
I want to talk to you on a regular basis.
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