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All this week my good friend (and pull-up GodMistress), Meghan Callaway, has placed her renowned Ultimate Pull-Up Program on sale at 40% off the regular price. It only makes sense that I use a few posts this week to highlight some of my thoughts and programming suggestions on the topic. I mean, you’re not here for Macadamia Nut Cookie recipes, or, I don’t know, best uses of tape. As such, I figured I’d take today to highlight a few of my “go to” non-pull-up exercises that help build the pull-up. Lets get to it. NOTE: Before anyone chimes in with the inevitable snide comment that the picture above is a silhouette of chin-up and not a pull-up, I get it. You’re a hero. A Quick AsideI work with many clients – both male and female – who are very interested in performing their first strict, bodyweight pull-up. And, to no big surprise, they’ve likely been told, via various articles and coaches, to hammer the same two exercises time and time and time again:
Kind of like their own version of Groundhog Day hell. Except without all the LOLs. Suggesting those two exercise is not altogether bad advice. I mean, in the name of specificity I implement them all the time too. However, it’s a bit shortsighted and derails one key component of pull-up training I feel many trainees (and coaches) tend to overlook:
If you want to conquer your first pull-up…
AND
Whenever I work with someone who’s main goal is to perform their first pull-up I try to implement an exercise or drill EVERY session that nudges him or her towards that goal. Like the Hollow Position “Pull-Up” I discussed the other day HERE. So, yeah, this means I do include exercises like Band Assisted or Eccentric Only Pull-Ups. It also means I utilize various hanging leg raise exercises (knees bent 90 degrees, straight-leg, etc), bent-arm hang holds (chin above bar and hold for time), tons and tons of rows, and/or various pulldown exercises. But here’s a few more for you to consider. 1. Bear Stance FalloutI got this one from Virginia based strength coach Vernon Griffith. I don’t think he posted it as a drill to help build the pull-up, but I’ve been using it as such because it HAMMERS the core (which is often a weak link for many trainees) in addition to teaching more of a “pulling” action back to the starting position (which carries over to the pull-up). To be fair, I would always start out with plain ol’ push-ups and making sure people get proficient at them first. I have yet to see someone improve on their push-up technique (and ability to do more) and not see an improvement in pretty much everything else – squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, arm wresting a great white shark, you name it. That said, if you’re looking to up the ante a bit give this drill a go. 2. Bottoms-Up Carry w/ BandThis may make zero sense to some, but hear me out. “Connectivity” of the pelvis to the ribcage is huge. The pull-up is more of a FULL-BODY exercise than people give it credit for, and if someone is flailing all over the place while attempting it it makes sense why they may be having a hard time progressing. This drill helps to build some context of the CONNECTION I am after while also building a set of sturdy shoulders. 3. Rack Pull-Up4. Leg Assisted Pull-UpI don’t have anything profound of sciency to add to this drill other than I like it for nothing else than it just gives people a nice confidence boost. I also like it because there’s a degree of specificity tethered to it (I.e., it’s a vertical pull). And That’s ThatFor me, the main goal of getting someone to perform their first pull-up is to attack it more frequently and provide them more exposure to an array of exercises that will help them get there. I hope these make sense and you can use them yourself! And remember: You can pick up your copy of The Ultimate Pull-Up Program at 40% off all this week – HERE. Did what you just read make your day? Ruin it? Either way, you should share it with your friends and/or comment below.via Blog – Tony Gentilcore http://tonygentilcore.com/2019/10/4-non-pull-up-exercises-to-help-build-your-pull-up/
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Intro From TG: Anyone who’s read Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why will understand the significance and power behind the word “WHY.” Before you can get at the crux of the HOW of any situation or goal (I.e., how can Tony better remember to not leave dirty dishes in the sink every night?) you need to have a firm grasp of the WHY (because he wants a happy marriage, and so that his wife doesn’t murder him in his sleep). We’ve all heard the phrase…
But why? Why can’t we? Today’s guest post from Boston-based personal trainer, Patrick Jennings, should help shed some context. Why You Can’t Out-Train a Poor DietThere are many sayings out there that hold merit within the health and wellness industry, one of which is the aforementioned ‘You cannot out train a bad diet’ and despite its popularity it’s often lacking the substance needed to drive home its importance. When we exercise we place the body/ muscle under acute mechanical stress. For example a squat (with adequate load and reps) will break down the muscle tissue with the overall goal of the muscle then adapting to the stress and being rebuilt better able to deal with the aforementioned stress (you get bigger, faster, stronger etc.) In order for the muscle to adapt and grow it is a NECESSITY for it to have the adequate materials to build from. You cannot expect someone to build a brick wall if all you provide is a handful of feathers, the same way you cannot expect a muscle to grow if you do not provide the necessary nutrients. Delicious This is the exact reason why you can’t out train a bad diet.I always tell my clients we are building a body you love not destroying one that you hate. And with that in mind, we need to determine what does the thing I love need? Day to day living coupled with an intelligent exercise program will require a diet that facilitates the energy requirements dictated by the body. But what is a good or bad diet? It can certainly be difficult to separate the truth from fiction and avoid information overload and paralysis by analysis. I have been told to avoid sugar, only eat fats, avoid fats, aspartame will make me grow horns and dairy will make me sexually attracted to cows!……… Note From TG: uhhhhhhhhh What I believe is that a good diet adheres to the following fundamental principles:
(*The only exception to these rules are anomalies, rare conditions or allergies) One dictates body composition/ weight adhering to the scientific principles of Energy balance, two and three form the foundation of ‘vitality/ energy’ whereas four determines level of success and longevity. When I sit down to discuss ‘diets’ with clients I am not necessarily referring to protocols, approaches or even the type of food you eat, but more so the current total composition of everything consumed and how this fits into the four foundations mentioned above. My goal as a coach is to improve the health and wellness of each client with weight loss, improved physical adaptations and psychological adaptations being a positive byproduct. It must be understood that, yes, you can work out and not have your nutrition dialed in and see results, the same way you could travel 10 miles walking in a straight line for 3.5 hours or do indirect loops and circles and eventually get there in 10. A bad diet just slows down progress and in some cases counteracts the hard work you may be doing in the gym where as an intelligent, manageable and appropriate diet can streamline the journey to desired results. What will ultimately determine success is having a true understanding of how badly you want to get to your ‘destination’ or desired state and how you willing you are to focus for an extended period of time to get there? About the AuthorPatrick is the head coach at Boston Based CLIENTEL3 personal training studio. Patrick takes pride in his ability to talk to anyone about anything and takes this diverse approach into fitness coupling the fundemental principles of improving health with clients individual needs and preferences. Did what you just read make your day? Ruin it? Either way, you should share it with your friends and/or comment below.via Blog – Tony Gentilcore http://tonygentilcore.com/2019/10/why-you-cant-out-train-a-poor-diet-a-simple-explanation/
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When I first started out in freelance writing, I was excited. Finally, I was going to get paid for doing something I loved: writing. I finished my first job quickly, got paid quickly, and my excitement grew. I hopped onto every content mill and freelancing site I could find, bid on every job that was listed, and started sending my resume and proposals out to every company out there, regardless of industry. The way I figured it – I was a good writer. Anything else I could just figure out. So it’s no wonder why I burnt out so quickly. Within just a few months, my awe and fascination with freelance writing was gone and it started to feel like work. Not like a job – you can love a job – like work. It no longer felt like I was getting paid to do something I loved, it felt like I was barely scraping by. I felt underpaid and undervalued (because I was). And guess what? I blamed everyone else:
I was absolutely ready to quit, convinced that the entire industry was doomed to fail due to all these problems. Then, out of the blue, I got an email asking me if I could meet and discuss the possibility of writing a book. I took the meeting over Skype and absolutely fell in love – with the project, the writing, the client. Everything. Then came the time for me to tell her how much I was going to charge her to write this book. And I froze. I was really excited about this project, and she and I meshed so well. I needed the money, but I didn’t want to chance chasing her away. So, I bid the absolute lowest I thought she would pay. And I do mean I bid low. And she didn’t take it. Instead, she gave me a bit of the side eye and said to me, “Look. I know you said you were new to freelance writing. But there’s no way you can actually live off this bid, is there?” And before I could formulate an answer, she gave me more of her story. As a freelance SEO specialist, she knew how hard it was to price out her services. And then came the line that changed the way I looked at freelancing forever: “no matter how much you love what you do, if you’re not making enough to live on it, you will end up resenting it.” Let that sink in a bit: no matter how much you love what you do, if you’re not making enough to live on it, you will end up resenting it. I love writing – and loved getting paid to write. But that’s exactly what I was doing – resenting everything about it. Not just because I was underpaid, but because I was undervaluing myself. Since then, I have learned to be really picky about the jobs I take and the clients I work with. And, sure, sometimes it feels wrong…in a slow economy how can I feel good about turning down a paying client? Am I crazy? Nope – it’s not crazy. In fact, here are three very good reasons to turn down paying clients and get pickier about the clients and projects you take on: 1) It’s not enough to enjoy what you do – you also have to enjoy the project you’re working on. Chances are you got out of your 9 to 5 for a variety of reasons, one of which is probably so you can get paid to do what you love. But do you love chasing clients down to pay you? Do you love writing about topics you hate? Do you love clients micro-managing your time for the little money they’re offering? If freelance writing has turned from getting paid for doing something you love into grunt work, then look at the projects you’ve been taking on. Do they excite and inspire you? If the answer is no, it’s time to look at different topics. 2) It needs to do more than just pay you – it needs to be worth your time. This is really just a numbers game: quality versus quantity. The lower the pay (quality) the more projects you have to take on to cover your expenses (quantity). And vice versa: the higher the pay, the fewer projects you need to take on. Now, there’s nothing wrong with taking on more than one project at a time (I frequently have 3-4 projects I’m working on simultaneously), but the more projects you have to juggle just to pay your bills, the higher your risk for burnout. Additionally, when you’re working on a project that isn’t paying you enough, it’s really easy to let yourself get distracted and avoid working on that project. We tend to think, “I’ll just finish it quick and move on to something better.” But it almost never happens that way. So it’s usually just better to not accept it in the first place. 3) It’s not enough to simply work on clients’ projects that you love – they need to help further your career in some way. A lot of freelancers end up getting stuck because they spend all their time working on their clients’ projects and don’t give enough thought to their own career. Sure, finishing up that blog post or that landing page might give you a nice entry to add to your portfolio or a nice testimonial for your page somewhere, but what else is it actually doing for you? And what’s more, if you write about everything, why should you write about anything? Like it or not, niches matter. If you’re picky about the projects you’re taking on, then every project will contribute to your knowledge and expertise. And your portfolio won’t just be a collection of writing samples showing off your grammar skills and writing abilities – but it will showcase your expertise in that industry. And believe me, clients will pay good money to have industry experts writing for them. All in all, getting pickier about the types of projects you take on will help keep you motivated, happy, and moving forward as a freelance writer. Then you truly will be getting paid to do what you love! via Freelancers Union Blog https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2019/10/30/why-its-not-enough-to-love-what-you-do/
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A quick heads up: In celebration of its two-year anniversary of being released my good friend Meghan Callaway is putting her renowned Ultimate Pull-Up Program on sale all this week.
If you’re someone who has struggled conquering the pull-up or you’re a trainer/coach who wants a better understanding of how to program for any of your clients interested in performing their first pull-up (or doing more of them), you’d be hard pressed to find a more thorough resource. I’ve used the program myself many times. Exercises You Should Be Doing: Hollow Position “Pull-Up”In light of Meghan’s re-release I wanted to share one of my favorite drills I love using with anyone interested in conquering their first pull-up. I think there’s a common misconception that the only way to train the pull-up is by doing pull-ups. I mean, yes, that will be a thing – specificity matters – but if someone is unable to perform one, well, what do we do? I’m a big fan of implementing FLOOR-BASED drills to help build context and confidence. My starting point for pretty much everyone is to learn the correct way to perform a Hollow Position Hold. Photo Courtesy of StrongFirst.com (Karen Smith)
What’s so great about this drill – outside of allowing people a better appreciate of full-body tension and how much it really sucks – is that the position itself emulates how I’d want someone to hang from a bar when they attempt an actual pull-up; as the body is a more “connected” unit. Again, context. Now, there are numerous ways to progress the Hollow Body Hold.
Like I said there’s an infinite array of progressions and shenanigans to consider. To up the “specificity” ante a little more, however, I really like adding a “pull-up” into the mix. Who Did I Steal It From? – Another good friend of mine, Artemis Scantalides. What Does It Do? – If anything I feel it provides a bit of an “ah-HA” moment for the trainee. Once they grab the stick or PVC pipe and begin to perform the “pull-up” in the hollow position a light goes off as if to say” oooooooh snap, now I get why we’ve been doing this stuff!!” Also, context…;o) Key Coaching Cues – I wouldn’t add this variation until someone is able to hold a strict hollow position for 30 seconds. Once they’re there hand him/her a stick and wammo-bammo…it’s pretty self explanatory. One thing of note, though, is the breath. It behooves everyone to start cueing/coaching an exaggerated exhale/snake breath with each repetition. As the trainee emulates the pulling motion (s)he should perform an aggressive exhale; this helps to maintain tension and core recruitment. Also, because I said so. 2-3 sets of 6-10 repetitions should be money for most beginner and intermediate lifters. Did what you just read make your day? Ruin it? Either way, you should share it with your friends and/or comment below.via Blog – Tony Gentilcore http://tonygentilcore.com/2019/10/exercises-you-should-be-doing-hollow-position-hold-pull-up/
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If you want to grow your client base, you need to develop your brand. With a great brand, clients come to you because they can easily understand what value you offer and are more likely to remember who you are and what you do. What’s more, a successful brand shows that you’re relevant, authentic, and credible in the minds of your target consumers. The key is ensuring that people who interact with your website, social networks, and promotional materials can easily associate them with your business and the services you offer. This is why your brand needs to do more than say your name. It needs to be cohesive and consistent, from visuals to font choice, to be successful. For example, you probably always recognize Starbucks, whether you see their logo or their green awnings outside the coffee shop. They’re consistent in everything they do, so whether you see them on social media or in the local mall, you know it’s them. Your job is to replicate that so you can build a recognizable and professional brand that drives clients to you. If you’re new to branding, use these tips to create your own Starbucks-level brand. Get the basics figured outBuilding a brand starts with your name, logo and bio. If you’re constantly changing your name, or use a different name from one social platform to the next, for example, it will be hard for people to recognize you as they come across you at different times. If you haven’t chosen a business name yet, this is your first chance to brand yourself as someone who offers something unique and specific. When brainstorming what your name should be, keep a few tips in mind from UpWork:
After your name comes the logo, which doesn’t need to be complicated or extensively designed. You can even use a simple wordmark, which is simply the name of your business written in a specific font. This can be saved as a PNG and used as a logo. If imagery or colors lend themselves to your brand, incorporate them tastefully and in a way that speaks to you as a freelancer. A professional designer may be a good resource for getting your logo right. Finally, you need to write a bio, which will be on your website and all social media channels. Start with a long bio, a few paragraphs long, and then create different versions that are shorter and more specific to various industries, if applicable. Tailor your bio on each platform to the specific audience you’re targeting. For example, you can see that my Twitter and Instagram bios are a bit different because I’m targeting two different areas of my business and audience, however my name and profile image remain the same, ensuring that I’m still recognizable. Curate a consistent visual experienceBeyond consistency with your basic business information, you need to curate a cohesive visual experience on platforms like Pinterst, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. When someone sees your post, you want to make sure that they recognize it as yours and therefore interact with it. The best way to do this is to create visual brand guidelines. In How to Master Your Visual Social Media Branding, Dustin Hodgson, Lead Designer and Co-Founder of MyCreateiveShop, suggests including the following information in your brand guidelines:
Put all of this information into a Google Doc that can be updated as your brand grows and evolves. Share it with anyone who is designing or marketing for you to ensure a consistent brand experience, no matter who’s doing the work. Design business cards that match your online presencePotential clients need to be able to recognize you online and offline, and your greatest offline asset is your business card. As OCreative explains, “A business card is an instant way to communicate brand and style, creating the opportunity to share your brand’s message immediately. Using unique design elements and cutting-edge print techniques draw attention and drive recipients to take note of the message – it creates a card worth keeping.” When designing an on-brand business card, keep a few important details in mind:
Don’t forget to update them regularly. Show that your brand is relevant and up to date by always handing out fresh business cards that have all the right information — no handwritten substitutions when something like your phone number changes. That speaks poorly of your brand. Create a cohesive freelancer brandA great brand makes you memorable and allows you to show your value. Leverage this opportunity by having clear brand guidelines and adhering to them as you share and interact from one platform to the next. With a few key elements in place, you’ll be ready to impress, online and offline, driving more clients and growing your business. via Freelancers Union Blog https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2019/10/29/how-to-create-a-memorable-freelance-brand-from-colors-to-business-cards/
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This article was first published by the IRS and has been reproduced with permission. Subscribe to IRS tax tips here. In the latest twist on a scam related to Social Security numbers, scammers claim to be able to suspend or cancel the victim’s SSN. It’s yet another attempt by con artists to frighten people into returning ‘robocall’ voicemails. Scammers may mention overdue taxes in addition to threatening to cancel the person’s SSN. If taxpayers receive a call threatening to suspend their SSN for an unpaid tax bill, they should just hang up. Make no mistake…it’s a scam. Do not give out sensitive information over the phone unless you are positive you know the caller is legitimate. When in doubt, hang up. Here are some telltale signs of this scam. The IRS and its authorized private collection agencies will never:
People who don’t owe taxes and have no reason to think they do should: People who owe tax or think they do should: via Freelancers Union Blog https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2019/10/28/be-on-the-lookout-for-new-version-of-ssn-tax-scam/
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This will be the first leg of mine and Dean Somerset’s European extravaganza in early 2020. The second leg will take place in… There’s an Early Bird rate for both of these events, so keep that in mind before you decide to hold off. Dean and I are really excited for this and hope to see you there! A simple plan: 1. Be nice. — Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore1) October 20, 2019 Anthony interviews several dozen of the best coaches and industry leaders. If you want to be the best, it helps to learn from the best. I concur. There’s plenty you can do to train power that doesn’t involve Olympic lifting (and gets the job done pretty damn well). via Blog – Tony Gentilcore http://tonygentilcore.com/2019/10/stuff-to-read-while-youre-pretending-to-work-10-25-19/
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There’s generally two topics I go out of my way to not discuss on my blog or social media channels: religion and politics. It’s not because I don’t have strong leanings or beliefs regarding the two. I do. Rather, I just feel, given the divisiveness that’s inevitably tethered to both, it’s important not to alienate or turn-off current or potential clients and customers. I’m making a slight detour today, however. As some of you may be aware, in the coming months I am expanding CORE from a 500 sq. foot The name will be changed to CORE Collective, because that’s exactly what it is going to be… …a collective of other complimentary health/fitness professionals working under one roof to grow their brands and businesses. One such person is my friend Justice Williams. In recent months he’s slowly been marinating a movement which has started to gain traction not only locally here in Boston, but nationally as well. He’s been using CORE as one of his “Queer Gym” pop-ups; a place where individuals in the LGBTQ community can come in, be around other like-minded people with similar backgrounds, and use the weight room to help become more comfortable with themselves. Justice is an amazing coach and an even more amazing human being. Please, if you would, watch this quick 5-6 minute documentary-style video that he was highlighted in recently. It’s pretty cool. More great things to come… Did what you just read make your day? Ruin it? Either way, you should share it with your friends and/or comment below.via Blog – Tony Gentilcore http://tonygentilcore.com/2019/10/turning-caterpillars-into-butterflies/
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Creativity is a much-studied activity that no one truly understands. And some of what we don’t understand about it includes:
So in this post I’m intending to write entirely about my own experiences doing – and not doing – creative work. Creativity is a flowOne of the first things I noticed about my own creativity is that it just flows out of me. I can have a creative thought in the shower, at dinner, walking along, chatting with friends, reading a book, watching TV or a film, listening to music, even falling asleep. I’m not really able to turn it off. I have given birth to creative thoughts in the strangest places, at the least appropriate times, in the most difficult circumstances. Over the years, I learned to write down a lot of this stuff, because when the creative fever passes, I often can’t recall what I was thinking while I was in its throes. I can’t force creativityAlthough creative ideas flow out of me with astounding regularity, the flow is not under my conscious control. As I said, I’m not able to “turn off” my creativity, and – symmetrically enough – I’m not really able to “turn on” my creativity, either. Although I haven’t ever tried this experiment, I’m willing to bet I can’t meet the challenge of coming up with a certain number of creative thoughts in a certain period of time. Sure, on demand I can come up with quite a few random thoughts, and you might even be generous enough to call them “creative.” But I wouldn’t honor them with such a highfalutin rubric. Most of them will probably be silly, stupid, childish, crazy, or some combination of all four. For me, trying to fill a quota will generally not produce creative thoughts that (as they should, in my view):
I can make creativity happenNevertheless, I have found ways to “set the table” for creativity, so I can sit down and wait to see if any ideas show up to feast. These ways include:
I understand that I am very lucky to have some kind of a creativity muscle in me that has performed so well so far. I recognize that many people feel they don’t have one. I hope they are wrong. In fact, I am pretty sure they are wrong. In my view and experience, most people of average or better intelligence can tap into a wellspring of creativity if only they have the courage to try and the techniques to support their creative efforts. I can exhaust my creativityIf you will join me in considering creativity to be much like athleticism, as in the metaphor of my having a creative muscle, you will readily see that every creative effort I make is going to require a commensurate effort at recuperation. I breathe in, I breathe out. I exert, I rest. I strain my brain, and then I make an attempt to soothe my brain. What’s more, as with athletes, the quality of my performance as a creative person has exhibited good seasons and bad seasons, good days and bad days, even good times of day and bad times of day. There are periods when the ideas come thick and fast, then other periods when I have nothing creative to contribute. Of course, there are many periods that fall in between these extremes. Just like an artesian well that brings fresh water from hidden sources, my flow of creativity seems to exhibit its own pace. I have never tried to plug it up, but I imagine if I did the urge to be creative would build up pressure until it would overflow. I have occasionally tried to drain my creativity too much, and I have then found myself in a period where my creativity ran dry. Fortunately, this has lasted only for a relatively short period of time. But I have known people who have come to the end of their creativity. It seems sensible that the creative juices can thin out and even dry up as the creative person ages – not always, of course, but often enough to warrant notice. In the same way that athletes “lose a step” in the latter part of their careers, creative professionals may similarly find themselves coming up with fewer or weaker ideas. I honestly don’t know if this is happening to me. So far, I don’t perceive any such changes. But if and when it begins to happen, I’m hoping I’ll accept the changes with grace. You can find and nurture patterns of creativityAll these attributes of the creative flow lead to an inescapable reality: creativity exhibits patterns. I have mine. I would expect that you have yours. If you can chart and understand these patterns, you have a fighting chance to nurture them. This will allow you to increase both the total amount of creativity you generate over your lifetime as well as your ability to direct your creativity when and where needed in hopes of accomplishing specific tasks and meeting specific goals. I’m not telling you what your patterns of creativity might be. I’m merely encouraging you to expect that your creativity muscle is probably subject to one or more patterns, with highs and lows, strengths and weaknesses, good and bad periods, and the like. Look for them, and make use of them so you can more fully benefit from the creative flow that emanates from somewhere inside you. If and when you find your patterns of creativity, please let me know. I’ll be glad to hear from you about your creative patterns, not only to help me learn more about my own creativity, but so I can share some of the joy and satisfaction I can guarantee you will feel after you have gained a little more understanding of the profoundly exciting experiences your creativity has provided you – and will continue to provide you – over the years. I'd love to hear your thoughts and feelings about all this in the comments below. via Freelancers Union Blog https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2019/10/24/how-to-control-and-encourage-creativity/
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At some point, most freelancers have tried the typical 9 to 5 routine of working for someone else. If images of the tedium made famous in the movie "Office Space" still haunt you, then you know doubt appreciate the liberation of working for yourself. Sure, there’s nothing better than commuting to your couch in your pajamas, starting YOUR day when you feel like it, and running errands in the middle of it all because you can. It’s your time, after all. But that’s just the thing. Your time suddenly becomes blurred and now your whole life is freelance. Nights, weekends, even when you’re out to dinner with family or friends, you’re spending that time replying to clients. While there is only one you, you need to draw a line somewhere. To keep doing what you love and have a life of your own too, you need to get strict about dividing your time. Here's how to create, and stick to, various buckets. Make a routineThe old office job gave you a routine. You had set hours to work and a basic tasks to accomplish. So set up your own. Start and finish your day around the same time every day. If you have things that you need to do mid-afternoon, like get your kids from school, then plan your hours around that. Eventually, it will all fall into place. Prioritize your tasksWhether you’re using a freelancer platform or app to help you stay organized or not, take a moment to establish what has to get done today. Focus on those things and cross them off your list to feel accomplished. Do the most difficult tasks firstAnd by first, we mean after your coffee. Seriously, you might not be looking forward to that big boring project, but if you kill it first thing, you’ll have more to celebrate when it’s time for lunch. Don’t procrastinate over unpleasant tasksIn a traditional workplace, you probably had someone to make unpleasant phone calls or write emails to clients that you didn’t want to talk to. Now part of being a freelancer means you have to do these things yourself. But just do it! The stress that comes with putting something off and continuing to dread it will only hamper the quality of your work so deal with it pronto. Avoid getting sucked into your inboxMany freelancers rely on email as a way to keep tabs on clients. It’s certainly better than being glued to the phone all day. Yet those messages can keep coming in all day long. And if you keep answering them as they come in, you’ll get off track fast. Instead, tackle all messages you have in the morning, allowing only a small chunk of time for responding. Don’t check again until later in the afternoon when you set aside another chunk of time. Otherwise, you’ll spend all day playing virtual whack-a-mole with your inbox. Create a distraction-free work environmentAt your old 9 to 5, it was your coworkers and the free donuts in the break room. At home, it’s your TV, YouTube videos, social media, and even that laundry you didn’t put away that distracts you from getting work done. That doesn’t mean you should work, work, work, work, work with no breaks. Get tasks done and as you do, use one of those otherwise distracting things as your reward. Perhaps the laundry isn’t such a reward, but by staying on task during projects, you’ll get them done faster and have more time to live your life. Decline when necessaryWhen you first start freelancing and building your name, you take on whatever projects you can get. But once your reputation is cemented and you have people beating down your virtual door for your services, you can afford to be choosy. If that means telling a pushy client "no" when you had planned a weekend to spend with your family, then say so. You deserve a life too. Don’t forget your personal needsYou might be one person running your own show now but you have to meet your personal needs. When you worked for someone else, you had weekends. You had evenings. Unless you’re on deadline, take that time for yourself. If you find you never have those times, then refer to the above: decline when necessary. You have to make time for yourself to be your best at what you do. Always make time for sleepAnd finally, the most critical time management tool for any freelancer is to make time for sleep. It’s tempting to stay up late to finish a project, but when that alarm wakes you up super early, you’ll pay for it by being tired all day long. Sleep is when your body repairs itself inside and out. In fact, sleep is one of the most important things you can do to bolster your health and well-being. Set a bedtime and stick to it nightly. After a few weeks of better sleep, you will see a difference in how well you manage your time, not to mention how well you feel! By taking the time to organize and balance your life as a freelancer, you’ll find that you get things done more efficiently. Don’t compromise yourself when prioritizing, and make sleep a huge part of that equation to see the biggest difference of all. via Freelancers Union Blog https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2019/10/23/how-to-keep-freelance-work-from-eating-up-your-life/ |
AuthorI have 5+ years experience working as a medical transcriptionist. When I am not working, I enjoy sports like playing basketball or judo. I love making friends and connections. Archives
April 2023
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