Day three – and if you’re still with me, I applaud you. I’m not real sure I’m with me these days. I’ve been absolutely covered in work (yippee!!) and blogging has been a bit of an afterthought. I really do enjoy it, and the written word fascinates me to no end. There’s a power to words that can’t be understated. It’s one of the reasons that typography can be so powerful. But, I digress. (You expected me NOT to digress?)
Since I’m so slammed, I’ll try to focus these “perks” on ways to procrastinate. There’s really a lot of ways, and – let’s face it – we all procrastinate. I’ve found, though, that the ways in which you procrastinate determine the sustainability of the period of procrastination. See – if you’re doing something that actually benefits you, it’s not really procrastination, and you can keep it up longer and folks will leave you alone. This does not include playing the Xbox. Sorry.
When you’re a Freelancer, you can use your time to procrastinate in ways that ultimately can benefit your business/career. Thus, that procrastination is a perk. If you’re stuck behind a desk doing “The Man’s” work, your procrastination might benefit you, but you’re robbing time from “The Man.” And, well – theft isn’t cool.
So, here are a few procrastinational* perks for freelancers. (Complete and utter time wasting tomorrow. *Yes, I make up words.)
The Top 100 Perks of Freelancing 71-80:
#80 – Pinterest. This is actually pretty damned cool. If you subscribe to some like-minded folks, you can sit back and watch inspiration and reference material scroll by at the speed of broadband. Check mine, see some of my repins, and you’ll find some really cool folks. This can be a HUGE time suck – but it can also be a great place to find reference.
#79 – Sketchbooks. Ok, I know I keep on harping on this one. But – get yourself a sketchbook and start doodling. You don’t have to be an illustrator to have a sketchbook. But, I can get lost for hours on this. I can open up my sketchbook and start drawing the strange monsters in my imagination and the stranger monsters in the coffee shop around me and be lost for the better part of a day. The plus in this is that it clears out my brain and I’ve come up with the best ideas while doodling. Try it. It’s refreshing.
#78 – Twitter. Yeah – this is a perk available to everyone, but it’s a great outlet for Freelancers. You don’t have to do a bunch of selling or SEO/Search crap here. Just be yourself, connect to the like-minded and let it rip. You’ll attract folks by osmosis, and it’ll help you grow your business and brand. Plus, you stay up-to-date on what everyone’s up to, in to and what’s hot on the streets. Win!
#77 – FreelanceSwitch.com. In some ways, a competitor, but – credit where credit is due. A lot of great info and resources. Check ‘em out.
#76 – Daydreaming. Face it. This is a 100% must. If you’re not daydreaming, you’re in the wrong business. Just do it.
#75 – Blogging. This one is hard for a lot of folks – but if you do some sketchbooking and daydreaming, you’ll come up with ideas. You don’t have to be super eloquent – you just have to be consistent. This will benefit you in a bunch of ways: it’s a mind dump, it’s great search engine fodder, it gives clients a better view of who and what you are and it allows you to better articulate what makes you the right choice for the work you’re pursuing. Again, I know this is kind of “work” for a lot of folks – but it offers a huge return on your procrastination investment.
#74 – Facebook. No, I don’t mean chatting up old girlfriends or trying to find new ones. I’m talking about the business side of Facebook. You can approach prospective new clients in a more personal and less threatening way. Chat ‘em up and “consumer” their Facebook product. If you keep showing up, you’ll eventually be implanted in their psyche, and they’ll be that much more likely to hire you when the time comes for the services you offer. Name recognition, easier “cold calls,” and a lot more. Beneficial!
#73 – Googling Competition. See what they’re up to, see what you can “borrow” from them, and see where your strengths lie in comparison to theirs. You don’t want to rip them off, and I think there’s plenty of work to go ’round – but you can certainly learn from what they are – and what they’re not – doing well.
#72 – BoingBoing.net. This one can be a time-waster, too – but it has some wonderful info in a variety of areas. Good for a brain cleansing session, or for ideas and inspiration. My personal home page.
#71 – Taking a Shower Any Time of Day. This is one of the best perks. Lately, I mostly shower after hitting the gym, as I work largely mobile and I wind up a the gym at odd hours. This is exceedingly cathartic for me at any time of the day. Even if you’re already clean – there’s something about stepping away from all of the electronics and sketch books and phones and other nonsense that helps the ideas really flow. In the words of Perry Farrell “Water hits my neck, and I’m pissing on myself. Standing in the shower, thinking.” I don’t really recommend pissing on yourself – that’s just kind of gross. But, the rest of the sentiment is spot on. Get clean, get warm and get to thinking.
