Tag: Gig Economy

Tools & kit March 31, 2021March 31, 2021

New tools for timesheets and blogs – @TimeCamp and @NewsBlur

I have new tools to play with.

Timesheets

I’m a writer and I work, almost exclusively, on a value basis: we agree a price and I deliver.

Charging by the hour/day or, worse, per word is a killer for both quality and trust.

However, I’ve always kept timesheets for my own analysis, so that I can see how much those value-based projects actually cost me in bloody, sweaty, teary hours. They used to be simple Excel spreadsheets, one for every project, so I could work out the actual cost per hour arising from either my poor estimating or delightful rat-holing. But, I always knew that created hidden gaps.

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Work February 24, 2021February 24, 2021

Take time to think big – @DanielPink

Harried by the relentless, depthless demands of email, social media, Zoom, phone and Slack?

Here’s a great idea from author Daniel Pink, originating with statesman George Schultz – the Schultz Hour.

Pinkcast 4.07. This is how to carve out an hour a week to think big. | Daniel H. Pink

Image: Claudine Gossett Photography (via UChicago News)

Freelancing February 17, 2021February 17, 2021

On Indies and little breaks – @ThisIsSeth

Seth Godin is always worth reading.

Here he is on the importance of recognising what type of indie (independent, i.e. sovereign professional) you really are…

Independent workers, founders, creators and organizers are often lumped together with a simple term, but that one-size-fits-all model fits no one.

Read, and select, here.

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Freelancing May 28, 2020May 28, 2020

Craftspeople, paths and time – @thisisseth

Seth Godin posts a couple of considerations for independents.

Firstly, on time and deadlines…

It’s amazing how much slack people will give you if you’re proactive about what you see and what you know. No need to make promises you can’t keep, and no need to hide from the promises you’ve made.

Secondly on the different strategies available, along with the consequences…

1. Honor the noise in your head.
2. Embrace your market.
3. Stay busy.

Two pithy posts worth a deep ponder. Read them here and here.

Photo by Nicolas Hoizey on Unsplash

Echoes through time April 6, 2020April 6, 2020

Echoes through time: Give your heart to your trade

Give your heart to the trade you have learnt, and draw refreshment from it. Let the rest of your days be spent as one who has wholeheartedly committed his all to the gods, and is thenceforth no man’s master or slave.

Marcus Aurelius (AD 120 – 180), Meditations (4.31)