Freelance Writing for Nonprofits

Long time, no post. C’est la vie. Been really busy with NonprofitMarketingGuide.com.

But here is an article that got me to log back in here: Why Work-Life Balance Is a Bad Idea by Michael Gilbert. His point is that work and life shouldn’t be in conflict; they should be integrated.

As a self-employed professional, I have always felt that way. I struggle with balance in other ways — time on client work that pays now versus blogging or research that may or may not pay later, working in the evening when my kids are preoccupied with TV or video games versus forcing all of us away from the screens to do something together, face to face. But I do not see these as work-life conflicts, but rather time management struggles on my part. It’s all important, and it’s all part of me.

This debate reminded me of another one I’ve been having with myself lately: To what extent should I try to wall off my personal life when I’m using social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter? If I am just “professional” on these sites, then I lose out on connecting online with “personal” friends. But I don’t have time, nor do I think it is really possible, to maintain two different profiles on various sites. And I have lots of people in my life who are both important professional contacts AND good friends. I care about what they are doing in all aspects of their lives, and they probably feel the same way about me. And does revealing personal information in a professional setting really have the potential to seriously hurt me anyway?

I’ve decided that the answer to that last one is either “no” or “I don’t care.” I think there is value in letting potential clients see the “personal” side of who I am along with the “professional.” I’m a package, a complete human being. While I’m not going to force any of my professional contacts to wade through personal information on what kind of music I like or who I’m voting for on my main sites like NonprofitMarketingGuide.com, I’m not going to hide that information from that percentage of people who are interested in connecting with me through social networking sites.

And honestly, there are lots of nonprofits that I would NEVER consider taking on as clients because I strongly disagree with their mission statements. So why shouldn’t clients have access to information that tells them more about my personal missions in life if that information is truly important to them? In many cases, it’s all going to be irrelevant to the discussion about working on a project together. But when it is relevant, why hide it, especially when so many benefits come from social networking otherwise?

What’s your take on these questions?

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So it turns out that going outside makes your brain work better.

According to Brain Based Biz, the fresh air helps in many ways. Your brain gets more oxygen. The natural world stimulates your brain in new ways. Working memory kicks in and lets you solve problems in new ways. It relaxes your brain and brings calm.

This is the exactly the justification I needed for my sketchy patio furniture shopping behavior. While some people would shop based on how comfortable the furniture is for sunbathing or entertaining, I’m looking for a patio set that will allow me to work outside. I want a solid, smooth table top that I can write on, not one of those iron tables with the woven mesh tops or some weird bumpy pattern. I also want comfy chairs that sit high enough against the table that I can type on the laptop comfortably.

Some may say that shopping for patio furniture based on your ability to work on it is a sure sign of workaholism, but I’d argue that it’s a perk of the work-at-home lifestyle. What could possibly be better than watching your kids play in the sandbox outside among your flower garden in the middle of the day, while you are supposed to be working? Granted, I can’t do serious writing while watching the kids, but I can definitely catch up on email and RSS reading. An even when I’m not watching the kids, I still like to go outside, and then I really can get some good writing in.

Do you like to write outside? Let me know by leaving a comment.

Thanks to Jeff at Donor Power Blog for the tip.

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My post on staying mentally and physically fit while working at home has been included in the Work at Home Moms Blog Carnival for May 13, 2006.

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One of the beauties of being a self-employed professional like a freelance writer/editor is the ability to work at home and set your own daily schedule. The drawback is that those liberties can turn you into a sloth who sleeps late, works for two hours and then eats on the couch all afternoon, while telling yourself that you are simply trying to break through “writer’s block” with a little Oprah therapy. (Yes, I speak from experience, but this was way before I had kids — I haven’t had a slothy day since the first one was born three and half years ago.)

Both physical and mental fitness can be a challenge for work-at-home pros. I have found this to be especially true since my second child was born in January. My commitment to fitness is being tested every day as I work to lose the pregnancy pounds and stay mentally sharp on about six hours of sleep a night.

Here is how I’m doing it:

• I bought a treadmill. Getting to the gym just wasn’t going to happen with everything on my desk and my kids calling out to me all day. This way I can work out while the baby sleeps in her swing within my view and the toddler is watching TV or otherwise entertaining herself (she is good at that, thankfully). I can step right off if either of them needs me, and then step right back on. No loading everyone in the car; no excuses about bad weather.
• I made a public commitment. I write a quarterly column in our local newspaper and in the last one I wrote, I made a public commitment to do our local Susan G. Komen 5K. A copy of the article is posted right by my desk. There is nothing like telling thousands of people you are going to do something to make you actually do it.
• I keep up with current events. I make time every day to watch the local and national news and to at least glance at the newspaper, if not actually read it. Thinking about politics and what’s happening in the world helps keep my brain engaged in pursuits other than my work and my family, and I think that keeps me sharper than if I focused on my little world alone.
• I volunteer. I manage websites for two organizations as a volunteer (our local Democratic Party and our church). Again, this forces me outside of my own work and way of doing things.

Working at home is a wonderful experience, but it does require some extra planning on your part — including ways to keep yourself mentally and physically fit.
This post was written in response to the “Question of the Week” from the Work-at-Home Mom Bloggers.

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