Becca is back!
Aug 17, 2007 Writing
And blogging! And I immediately abused her inability to NOT edit and sent her my essay (getting thoughtful, useful critique in return — natch!). The internet is better with Becca in it. Ohio was better, too, but she had to go to move. Damn her.
I expanded my whiteboard to include a list of far-reaching goals and a list of target markets (there are only two on that list at the moment). The long-term goals include corporate and creative career goals. I need to switch back and forth to maintain my interest and my ambition. At any given moment I want to throw in the towel but then I just click quick on to another job on my to-do list — there’s always something.
I told my sister that I think this is the key to keeping things up — a long and varied to-do list. We are short attention span girls (creative-types) and we tend to feel guilty if we’re not doing things we hate since we spent a lot of time hearing that you do the worst things first and save the best for last. But I’ve learned that you do what you want to do first and eventually you end up doing the things you need to do, too.
Like yesterday Noah cleared off his desk and it felt so good to have a clean desk that he cleaned his room. It’s like that. If I’d told him to clean his room he would have put his head down on the table and accused me of not loving him. (”You want me to be miserable!”) That’s how I feel when there’s something on my to-do list I don’t like to do. (I have this thing about invoicing — I don’t know why but I dread invoicing. Julia doesn’t understand this because that’s how you get paid.) I think, “You want me to be miserable!” And put my head down on my desk to feel sorry for myself. But if I spend a couple of hours working on an essay I want to write or sorting the pile of crap on my desk so I can throw stuff away, then I’m so wired on accomplished adrenaline that I have no trouble filing invoices.
Brett woke up this morning to children jumping on the bed and demanding food and attention. He came back after feeding the little monsters and said, “Why are things always so hectic around here? What am I doing wrong?” I laughed (and laughed). I told him life at home with children is hectic and that’s how you know you’re doing it right.
August 17th, 2007 at 11:29 am
My husband and I have been living the freelance life for a little more that 8 years, now. When I tell people it has its challenges, or even allude to being sometimes overwhelmed, I get the blank stare…as if I were crazy. Or sometimes, I don’t even get that. I get the, “Yeah, but it must be so NICE, otherwise!”
Which is a long way of saying, I hear you loud and clear! One thing I have found is that getting a few larger projects lined up (like books) or one or two long-term clients helps smooth out the work flow. And too, it gets easier, over time (the chaos, I mean). Finally, I really can’t imagine anything else I’d rather be doing, when it’s all going well. Sometimes, remembering that helps, too.
August 17th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
Not invoicing when there are invoices to do? Don’t get it. But do get the wanting to put off things you don’t want to do.
But money? I always want the money to come in.