A reader wrote in: I’m looking for a web app (cheap or free) that will allow me to enter projects as they come in and track how long they have been incomplete. Since part of the project involves waiting for client revisions, I can’t set a completion deadline, but I would like to track which […]
View PostHow can a freelancer take a vacation?
I’m on vacation. I arranged for other freelancers to help my clients while I am spending time with family. And today I spent about an hour working. Mostly I was sending files to others so they could make changes for the clients. Some of the time was spent on the phone with the freelancers, helping […]
View PostRush jobs, rush policies, and rush fees
ASAP! Need this today! Urgent! Top Priority! A lot of my projects have quick deadlines. And I’m happy to accommodate those when I can. But doing rush projects makes it difficult to schedule other work, and often means that I will be pushing off other client work and working long hours or on the weekends. […]
View PostFollow Up Friday
Yesterday was the last day of school for my son, so I want to get my work done so we can do something fun later. I woke up early and went right to the computer. I have a couple of client projects to work on, but I started with something else. Follow ups. I’ve decided […]
View PostShould I charge a rush fee?
Q: I just had a call from a client: he needs an ad created and it’s due to the newspaper tomorrow! As it happens, I’m free. But should I charge a rush fee? And how much do other people charge? A: It’s reasonable to charge a rush fee for such a fast turnaround. I know […]
View PostHow can I work odd hours without having clients contact me at odd hours?
Q: I thought that ‘freelance’ meant I could work when I wanted to. I get energized at night and crank out my best creative work from 10pm to 2am. My clients seem to think they can call me at any time, and who can blame them? They see that I email them at midnight! How […]
View PostDo I have to work all the time?
Q: I feel really lucky to have some great clients, but one is making me crazy. She calls me at 7 in the morning and 8 at night. She emails all the time, even on weekends. I’m always working on her projects. I want to give her great service, but I also need some time […]
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