Reader Q&A: Blogging, Freelancing and Wellness Tips!

I love sitting down to answer your questions and put these posts together. It’s always funny the questions that end up hitting my inbox or DMs.

I think it tells me way more about my audience, and what you guys are going through, focused on and interested in, than any analytics or survey could tell me.

So thanks for asking, and for valuing my answers.

This round of questions fell mostly into the blogging, freelance and wellness categories.

On blogging

What has kept you blogging for all of these years?

I get asked this question all the time, which makes me think an updated post is due! I wrote on why I blog forever ago (aka 2014) and not much has changed. I love documenting what I’m doing and learning, I love sharing and I love the community blogging has given me! The fact that people show up and read my words, watch my videos and share what I do also blows me away.

What books do you recommend for freelancers or bloggers?

I really loved the 99u series by Behance and I’m due for a reread! The books have great tips on setting up a business, managing your work and developing strong habits.

Buy the books here: Book 1 / Book 2 / Book 3 *

How do you organize your ideas and content? How do you decide what goes where (video, blog post, Instagram?)

I use my bullet journal for the bulk of my ideation and organizing. Each month, I do a massive brainstorm of content ideas for video, the blog and social. Anything goes, I just have to get the ideas out of my head and on paper. Then, each week (yes I only plan out about a week ahead unless I’m traveling), I look to that list and plot out what I’ll write or film and upload. I go through DM’s and turn reader questions into posts.

As far as deciding what goes where, it usually comes down to how I can build and deliver the content best. Some things work better as a post and others just scream video to me.

What’s the most time consuming part of blogging?

For me, photography and visuals. I’m pretty particular about what visuals go with my post. I try to make all of my photography 95% original photos and only lean on stock images when I absolutely need to. I spend a lot of time each week shooting for the blog, taking images for video thumbnails and for social media. Lots of full memory cards and Google Drive folders over here!

On life and wellness

How do you manage to wake up early?

In part, I think I’m just a morning person. My brain dies around 9pm. But I’ve also worked to develop the habit of making my mornings productive and not just a relentless snooze button party. Some mornings, I do just want to lay in bed and mindlessly scroll Instagram but I push myself to get up, make the bed, get a coffee and get some writing done. Some mornings, I let my body do what it needs but usually, routine wins out.

Having a morning routine is also a huge part of my success in early wake ups! I look forward to journaling, praying and having my coffee in the quiet of my apartment before the crazy day kicks in.

Tips on making the best use of your time?

I wrote recently about time management. But my best tip is to be selfish and intentional about your time. Because when you’re hustling (or just living, honestly) time is money! Don’t mindlessly add events to your calendar, look at your weeks and months holistically and compare what you need to get done to your commitments. Adjust as you need, and remember to account for quiet and rest time.

Is there anything you do to protect your mental wellbeing when so much is happening (in the world and life)?

I log off and take breaks whenever I need to, which is helpful. I consume the news on my own time and have deleted Twitter when I knew it was too much. I’ll even mute certain terms and (when peak election news was hitting back to back) had all of my newsletters filter to a separate folder and skip my main inbox. Consume intentionally and be kind to yourself and your heart.

Morning routine recommendations?

Create one that is worth waking up for! Love a face mask? Do one every morning!! Love a certain breakfast? Prep it the night before so you can wake up to it. Include little things that will make you happy and productive and help start your day well.

How do you figure out what you’re good at?

I got this question as a DM from a few people, and I think it’s a really important one. For me, the answer is simple: spend time with yourself trying new things. Don’t be afraid  to fail or be bad at something. Always be willing to learn a new skill, and see how those skills transform themselves into new work, projects or adventures for you. The only way to determine what you’re good at is to do things, period.

On Freelancing

What tools do you use for your side hustle (proposals, contracts, invoices)?

I currently use Freshbooks to manage proposals and invoices. I’ve also used and really recommend Dubsado, especially if you’re just starting out! They make it really easy to manage proposals, contract and billing all in one platform.

Tips for pitching projects?

Get to know the clients or businesses you’re interested in working with really well before pitching your services. The better you know them, the better you know which, if any, of your services will benefit them. What are they doing that excites you? How do you think you can help them to do this better? Take meetings that don’t even involve a sales pitch. That helps build relationships, which leads to more business down the road.

Any other resources for new or established freelancers?

Follow Felicia and look out for her amazing tips and resources! She is a wealth of knowledge and following her online has been a huge benefit. Check her out on medium, her own blog, twitter and subscribe to her newsletter.

As always, feel free to leave more questions in the comments, send them via DM or email anytime you have something to ask! I try to group similar questions together and give ones that are asked multiple times some priority in making it to these posts. Have a great week!