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It's demoralizing, sometimes, how easily an event can set you back when you're trying so hard to move forward.
Here I am, working on a number of different projects to earn a living, packing my lunch in the morning to save money — and then I get a call from my mechanic that my car needs $1,400 worth of repairs. The next day, it’s up to $2,700. (I think that's about the Blue Book value of the vehicle.)
Read MoreOne thing I hear a lot from those who are struggling to work for themselves (or to transition to working for themselves) is a tendency to put non-client-related projects on the back burner.
In the absence of real, actual, scary consequences from a boss or client, we shirk deadlines and procrastinate on the things we aspire to do for our own benefit.
The way around this is to treat yourself — your future self — like your boss or your most important client. In truth, that's what you are.
Read MoreI count the time spent staring off into space (and some days, there is a lot of it) as work.
The rule is that as long as I'm not putting something else in front of myself to distract me or otherwise trying to escape the present moment, it counts.
I know that it takes me about forty-five minutes to write and revise a blog post and another ten minutes or so to format it. However, it might take me a half hour beforehand to figure out what I want to write about. Therefore, I include that, plus a buffer, in my time estimate when I'm organizing my daily tasks.
Read MoreWhen I was a kid, I would become deeply engrossed in an activity and only vaguely register that my mother was trying to get my attention to ask me to do what I considered to be an unpleasant chore.
When she left the room, I would not be able to recall what she had said; I'd be left with only the prickle of discomfort that had penetrated my youthful cocoon of self-centered fun-seeking.
Read MoreWe’ve seen the moving TED talks where kids in Kenya or India talk about how desperate they are to have an education and how grateful they are to be able to go to school. But to kids who already have the amazing privileges of speaking English, living in the United States, Internet access, and literate parents, formal education doesn’t carry as dramatic a promise of advancement. It doesn’t feel like an incredible gift — it feels like a burden and a bother.
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