Creativity Archives - Audrey JoAnn

HOW I STAY MOTIVATED WORKING FROM HOME

September 24, 2019

I am probably the world’s most inconsistent person. Does it freak you out for me to admit that? It is a little strange… Some days I love having a morning routine, other days I ditch it to just make my coffee and sit down at my desk first thing (ahem, that was today). Sometimes I live and die by my to-do list, and other times I just start hammering away at what I know needs to be done first, and then next, and next, no plan in mind.

It’s the beauty and blessing and also the curse of working for yourself. I’ve read all the things about time blocking, creating structure for your day, and managing time strategically. Heck, I’ve even written some content surrounding time management tools and how to stay motivated for my clients.

And don’t get me wrong — I absolutely think structure and having a plan is important, especially a big-picture plan. But it’s not more important than feeling fulfillment and progress in the work I’m doing every day. So I just want to share some of what works for me, and also how differently I approach staying “motivated” than I used to even a year ago.

ATTRACT YOUR PERFECT CLIENT BY CHANGING THIS ONE THING

May 20, 2019

When I started freelance writing, I took whatever I could get. I began by freelancing part-time when we lived in Nashville, and most of my work came from friends who work in marketing with clients in every field imaginable. I was writing email content for healthcare, regulatory compliance, and event businesses and blog posts for electric vehicle, nutritional supplements, and home security companies. I copy-edited for a local magazine and wrote an assortment of stories for them in lifestyle, design, and local talent realms. Like I said… I did it ALL.

It was honestly thrilling at first to be able to research all of these random industries that I knew nothing — and I mean nothing — about and turn that information into content that informs, educates, and converts. I just felt lucky that people wanted to pay me to put some words together as best as I could, especially given I had no real marketing background or legitimate insight into the random businesses I wrote about, other than what research I could conduct online and questions I could ask the clients. I accepted every project I was offered, and that allowed me to begin building a solid copywriting portfolio.

THE ONE THING MISSING FROM MY FREELANCE BUSINESS

May 13, 2019

If you know me personally or follow me on social media, you know I jumped into freelancing full-time about a year ago almost to this week. Last May, my now-husband John graduated from grad school with his MBA, and we packed up our stuff into a POD before driving from Nashville down to Austin for him to start a new job.

I’d been freelancing a bit in Nashville, plus nannying full-time to supplement our income, but when we moved, we decided it was a good transition time for me to jump into freelancing for real. And oh man, that was a trip (and I’m not talking about the move from TN to TX). First of all, going from working for other people to working for and relying on yourself is a whole mindset mess that I still have a hard time wrapping my head around some days.

EASY TIME MANAGEMENT HACKS THAT EVERYONE CAN USE

September 21, 2018

I went to Sprouts the other day for groceries, and after paying, I started pushing the plastic-bag handles onto my wrists, stacked like several very heavy bracelets on each arm. I’d already gotten my car keys out of my purse and was at the ready to put the shopping cart in its inside lineup before loading my groceries into the car in one seamless trip.

I was not about to waste time on bringing the cart out with me and then having to take even more precious seconds to put it to one of those cart parking spots that seem to never be conveniently located. Psh. The cashier stared as I loaded about 15 grocery bags onto my arms and, (rightfully) full of judgment, asked, “You’re not going to use the cart?”

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