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At the end of Q2, I hit my target income for 2020. (This is crazy to say, especially when most of the journalism world is in freefall.) I will say, it's led to a mindset change. Here are some things I've learned since, that I'm hoping to implement moving forward
* If I need to send about 5 emails to figure out how to get paid for a story that nets a few hundred bucks, that story is not worth it.
* If I can't just focus on the reporting / writing / editing of a story and it's too high drama, I will not do it.
* If I can't just focus on the reporting / writing / editing of a story and it's too high drama, I will not do it.
* Things I now think about when taking on new work / pitching new clients:
- Is this interesting? Will I have fun doing it?
- Is this a client I'd be excited to work with?
- Will it pay me well? (Except, now pay is no longer a trump card for prestige or passion)
- Is this interesting? Will I have fun doing it?
- Is this a client I'd be excited to work with?
- Will it pay me well? (Except, now pay is no longer a trump card for prestige or passion)
I think it's fascinating that I've gotten a lot more pickier about what I choose to take on now that I'm not focused on feeding my bank account. No longer saying yes to the assignments that feel lukewarm.
(Also hello if you're someone who might hire me for assignments for the rest of 2020, yes, you still have to pay me heartily. I will never ever compromise on my rates)
It may surprise nobody to learn that running my podcast has inspired me to take a harder stance on running my business. Especially on setting boundaries on how much time I spend on particular assignments.
A few things to note.
* My target income was $50k. (Frankly: not very much for someone who likes to take about 8 weeks of vacation total a year.)
* My target income was $50k. (Frankly: not very much for someone who likes to take about 8 weeks of vacation total a year.)
* And yes, really, there are no secrets to this. @jenni_gritters and I have honestly shared everything there is to know about how to run an ironclad freelance business on @TWC_pod -- go take a listen!
