My writing schedule: Snafus and goals

My freelance writing schedule has become totally unrecognizable, and needs to be revived.

The shakeup has definitely been caused by the events of the last month.  I was sick for two weeks, which did the worst damage -- it was a butt-kicking kind of cold, especially the cough, and I didn't feel like doing anything while it was hanging on.  I gave up a lot of babysitting (as much because parents didn't want to expose their kids as because I didn't feel well), and didn't get all that much freelancing done, either.

Last week and this week I babysat a lot, which kept me from reestablishing my freelancing schedule.  Plus, I had a lot of stuff to do last week that had been ignored when I was sick -- like cleaning, and laundry.  And then this week I had to get ready for company, so more time was devoted to cleaning and finishing up projects.

I'm hoping for a return of sanity next week, especially since I don't babysit until the end of the week, which should give me several solid days of freelancing.

Setting boundaries

I don't know why, but setting boundaries has always been one of the toughest things for me.  Over the years I've gotten better about it in my personal life, yet I still have trouble with it in a professional aspect.  I often overburden myself because I have a hard time saying, "No, I can't," or even just, "No," when someone says they need me.

I've been trying to remain aware of when I'm letting myself be taken advantage of or overworked, however, and recently I had what I consider a pretty major victory.

Star Wars Day: May the fourth be with you!

I haven't posted in a few weeks, mostly because I've been pretty busy.  Once taxes were accomplished, I had my birthday, plus some more fallout from the divorce to deal with.  And on top of it all, I got really sick with a horrible cold that lasted for about two weeks.  I didn't work much -- on anything -- during that time.

But on to better and geekier things!  As all good geeks know, May 4th is Star Wars Day.  Because, you know, "May the 4th be with you."  Punnery at its finest!

Tax Day for freelancers: 2015 in review, and plans for 2016

Tax Day this year falls on April 18th -- something about them not wanting the next day to be Saturday.  This also means, for freelancers, that your first estimated tax payment is also due on the 18th.

My first few years of freelancing I was always ahead of the game, getting my taxes done early.  After a while, though, I stopped being as organized about recording my income and expenses throughout the year.  This meant that it all had to get done at tax time, which made preparing my return so much harder.  This, in turn, meant procrastination and last-minute filing.

This year, I did a little better, finishing my taxes a week ahead of time.

Working from home: Loathe it or love it?

I saw this post the other day and meant to share it much sooner:

The Awful Reality About Working From Home That None Of Us Work-From-Homers Want You To Know

As with all GIF lists these days, it's an entertaining post, especially for those who know what it's like to work from home.  But do you agree?

Busyness, scheduling, and Camp NaNoWriMo

The last few months have been busy, to say the least.  Some weeks I think I'm settling into a manageable routine with freelancing and juggling my other things (babysitting, the barn, etc.) effectively, and other weeks I feel like I'm scrambling just to stay afloat.

I'm thinking I'll need to set some limits on things going forward, such as how much time I allow babysitting to take from my freelance hours on any given week.  I also need to finish unpacking (yes, I still have some things that I have yet to unpack!) and get a few other projects done so that I can focus more on freelancing.  I'm not very good about juggling too many things at once, I'm afraid!

Speaking of juggling multiple things at once... This month is Camp NaNoWriMo.

Rough week

This has been a rough week.  I agreed to babysit for one of my families while their school was closed, and quickly regretted agreeing to so many hours.  It basically meant a 12+ hour day yesterday, including my barn chores, and only a slightly less long day today.  When you add in the fact that I got home last night to cat puke on my bed, a long evening of doing laundry, and only three hours' sleep...  Well, suffice it to say that I'll be glad to put this crazy week behind me.