In agile software development, there's something called a retrospective. This happens at the end of the development cycle, so every week or two. The goal of the retrospective is to two fold: to praise the team for what is going well and to encourage those behaviors, and to look at what the team needs to improve, and to chart the progress of that improvement. The same concept can be applied to freelance work. There are a number of ways to do a retrospective, the simplest being to ask yourself … [Read more...]
Learning To Accept Change
July 23, 2010
Making the move to become a freelancer can be scary. Any change can be scary. Knowing the elements of a successful change though, can make it much easier. Enter this book: Switch, by Chip and Dan Heath, the same gents that wrote Made to Stick (Amazon affiliate links). Switch is a book about making change easier using a simple framework that boils down to three techniques: directing the rider (the analytical side of you), motivating the elephant (the larger, emotional side), and shaping … [Read more...]
Welcome To Your Freelance Lifestyle
July 22, 2010
Welcome to the first day of your freelance lifestyle. People quit their jobs all the time, and for many reasons. Some people have abusive bosses they need to get away from. Others seek to spend more time with their families, their friends, or traveling the world. Whatever the reason, going out on your own can seem like a scary proposition. However, a growing number of people are striking out on their own, despite the economy. And they are turning out just fine. There are good and bad … [Read more...]
