#EFAChat Freelance Friday: Goal Setting for Freelancers

Transcription

1 by International a year ago #Chat Freelance Friday: Goal Setting for Freelancers Welcome to the Freelance Friday tweet chat! Use hashtag #chat in every tweet and reply to be included in today s transcript. Today s #chat is being moderated a development editor from Massachusetts. *waves* This #chat will discuss setting goals as #freelancers--and hopefully get us all on the right foot for 2017! #chat We ll use Q1, Q2, etc. for questions; please use A1, A2, etc. for your answers to each question. Tweetfolks! I'l be tweeting with fellow freelancers for the next hour. Join or mute with #chat!

2 #chat Let s introduce ourselves. Where are you from, and what do you do? James Fraleigh, freelancer copy editor and proofreader in northern NJ, 2 days from my 8th anniversary as a solo act! Welcome to #Chat! Welcome to #Chat! And \o/ for your upcoming anniversary! I'm a freelance fiction & creative nonfiction editor based in NJ. Participating in #chat today! Welcome to #Chat! #Chat Alright I'll get our questions started. Keep introducing yourselves as you join us!

3 #Chat Q1: Aside from meeting & beating deadlines, what kinds of goals are important to your work and to a healthy life as a freelancer? A1 Deepening my skills & knowledge of my craft and its tools, meeting fellow eds and learning from them, and working for readers. #chat #Chat A1 It's important to me to develop strong working relationships with my author clients and with editing peers. A1 Also taking enough time for myself away from work, either to read widely, absorb what I've learned, or do absolutely nothing. :) #chat Great goals for any #editor, #writer, or fellow #wordnerd! #Chat twitter.com/jamesfraleigh/ Rachel A1: Diversifying my technical skills and learning more about the software I use regularly. #efachat

4 #Chat You have likely heard of SMART goals before, but just in case, here s a link: projectsmart.co.uk/smart-goals.php. #efachat A1 Also reading from my growing library of fiction writing craft books and grammar reference books. #amediting. #Chat Tackling the acronym out of order as an informal framework for the chat, let s talk about measurable goals #Chat Q2: What kind of metrics are important for your professional goals? YES! Great way to replenish and still build skills! #chat twitter.com/nikkibuschedit A2 Getting faster at doing the same sort of work, which helps increase the hourly rate on project/per-page-fee projects. #chat

5 A2: Personally, I'll be growing my business in 2017 (hopefully) so I'm working on metrics for number of projects and average $/hr #efachat A2 Expanding my total number of clients, so the loss of one won't harm my earnings. #chat A2 Increasing my editing speed without compromising the quality my clients appreciate and expect. #efachat #chat Skipping ahead to the time-based element of a SMART goal... #Chat Q3: How much do you differentiate short-, mid- & long-term goals in your day-to-day work? How do you decide what to work on first? A3 I have a Gannt-type chart to ensure I'm not overloading myself, for long-range planning. #chat

6 A3 This is something I'm increasingly working on. I've found the #PassionPlanner to be a huge help for prioritizing goals #Chat A3 I break things down by week and go by deadline, and sometimes mix editing and proofing on the same day if both are in house. #chat Ooo! Do you use specific software that you'd recommend? (We'll talk more about tools later, too) #Chat twitter.com/jamesfraleigh/ A3 Or sometimes I can single-task for a full week, and use a very different job, or one due further out, as a respite from same. #chat ME TOO! (I think I should note that this "me" not an -endorsed "me") #Chat twitter.com/nikkibuschedit Rachel A3: I break down projects into tasks. Projects with more tasks (and complex) are prioritized first. Each day I knock off a few.#chat

7 A3 Actually low-tech; just a simple, very loooong Excel chart. Colored stacked horiz. bars represent projects. #chat Your previous answers got at many of the aspects of attainable goals, so I'm going to jump ahead on my list here... #efachat #Chat Q4: How can you keep yourself accountable for the goals you set? If you re just joining us, welcome to Freelance Friday! Jump in at any time with hashtag #Chat. A4 Accountability was definitely a process. :) Hours worked is my primary statistic of ensuring progress. Also use pages+chapters #chat A4 Check weekly goals daily & monthly goals weekly. Periodically refer back to my overall yearly goals #Chat

8 A4 I also monitor how many words/pages edited per day. Best way to measure how productive I am. #efachat A4 I still work to achieve my more overarching goals. Being less tangible, they don't have steps that are always as clear. #chat Rachel I look at my archived tasks/projects for the last few months. That compares what I THINK I did with what I actually did. #Chat A4 I think for career/development/education goals, a mastermind group is a great way to ensure shared and individual growth. #chat #Chat and : I too use the words/pages/chapters breakdown, both in editing & writing. >.@rachel_rona Good thinking! I so quickly move to the next project that I am often surprised to be reminded of what I've done. #chat

9 #Chat Q5a / Do you ever find it hard to judge your speed/progress on projects w/ less familiar benchmarks? (#Chat Q5a is open for anyone to answer. Just tagged those who had mentioned that set of metrics). If it's new work to me, such as the 1st time I XML-coded a CE project, that'll make it tougher. #chat Jake A4 mastermind is great route--not just writers/editors! Business peeps from different industries #Chat twitter.com/jamesfraleigh/ Agreed! I've found that my version of this, my "It's Done List," is often a refreshing change of pace! #Chat twitter.com/rachel_rona/st. I think we should ask production editors how fast a project unfamiliar to us usu. takes/benchmark. #chat

10 ...Or a swift kick in the pants, too! lol #Chat A5a Yes, most definitely with #DevelopmentalEditing projects. Harder to measure speed. #chat. It's in both our interests to meet the standard, and we've already taken the job, so why not ask? #chat Production editors everywhere shower with special holiday cheer for this one! #Chat #Chat Q5: How much are your clients goals entwined or at cross-purposes with yours? How do you meet both? Rachel Sometimes we worry asking will make us seem less professional. But better to know! #chat

11 . When I was a PE, I welcomed Qs from CEs. Increased the odds I'd get a better product back. #chat. Asking for sensible benchmarks differentiates series freelancers from dabblers & gets repeat biz. #chat On dev/copy/other editors asking production editors for their input on benchmarks and metrics #Chat #truth twitter.com/rachel_rona/st. Good grief, "serious," not "series." Shows we all need copy editors sometimes! #chat Rachel A5: Benchmarks are key. Also, setting up check in meetings for longer projects is good. can lead to misinterpretation. #chat Well I do enjoy editing books that are in a series! LOL. #Chat

12 I've got a few more Qs I can ask, but if you have specific requests for follow-up or new directions for the me! #efachat That said...#chat Q6: What are your best tips for resetting your expectations for yourself after missing a goal? Moving along...#chat Q7: What resources/tools/tech have helped you stay on-target? Rachel A6: If you keep a time long or project tracker, you can use the data to see where something may have been derailed. #efachat A6 Use it as a learning experience & going forward, try to create more rational goals. #efachat A6 See if there was a reason specific to me why I fell short, then note that for the next similar project. #chat

13 There were some great mentions earlier including & the #PassionPlanner. I'm going to RT two other mentions... #efachat A6 If it showed I wasn't really a good match for that type of genre, function, client, or work, might be time to wind it down. #chat A7 Combo of handwritten & computerized tools: Absolutely as well as FreshBooks. #Chat A7: On a Gantt-chart solution #CHAT twitter.com/jamesfraleigh/ *Tough* call, but a necessary one no matter what your field. #Chat twitter.com/jamesfraleigh/ Wow, just two minutes left! Any remaining questions? Follow-up requests? #efachat

14 . I turned down a once-lucrative returning client this year b/c of this. My heart is happier in my current work. #chat Well I'm going to step back from active moderation of #Chat. Please do keep chatting if you'd like. Transcript will be open till 4:15pm. Thanks. It was tough as hell, and I'm allergic to saying no to work, but I asked future-me what was best. #chat. Many thanks for moderating, and a safe holiday season and a prosperous 2017 to us all! #chat It s time to end today s #Chat. The written transcript will end here. Thanks for a great discussion!