How I use Gmail as a Freelancer

I am what many people would call the ideal writer. By that, I mean a reclusive cave dweller who may or may not decide to put on pants. I'd like to think that Hemingway would be proud...and that he would live in the middle of nowhere with an exquisite (although expensive) Internet connection that would enable him to write and shake his fist at the monstrosities of this world.

My reclusiveness is coupled with extreme introversion. It literally wears me out to be around people. I need alone time to recharge. I loved teaching college. I loved the idea behind being a paralegal (the law office? Not always so much). So, let's just say that my aversion to society (for numerous reasons) has meant an intense white-hot love affair with technology.

Yet...I also hate technology. I don't hate all technology.. I hate the urgency that it causes many of us to feel. I hate the way it makes us feel like slaves when in reality it is supposed to help us. I use Gmail. It's on my phone. It's on my Kindle. I access it directly from my laptop. I'm a freelancer. Gmail is an integral part of my business. I have clients around the world. It's much cheaper to rely on email than phone calls (and I hate talking on the phone). I also hate the constant notification of email. Used to be that the pinging sound on my phone was music to my ears. It meant business of some sort. Now? It's a distraction.

Okay, it was a distraction...until I screwed up Gmail on my phone...or at least...I thought I screwed it up. Turns out, I freed myself and made Gmail easier and more convenient for me to use as a freelancer. Here's what happened...

I had some notification on my phone. I'll be honest...for a writer, I sometimes read too fast. This time, I didn't read it at all. I can only presume now that it said, "Hi. I'm turning off your email notifications. It'll drive you bonkers for a day, but then you'll have an epiphany and then learn another amazing Gmail features, okay?" I clicked 'Okay' or 'Yes' or something. Hell, I don't know. I probably thought it needed permission to update. I was annoyed because it had gone off.

Then...silence. Later that night, I wondered why I hadn't heard my email notification tone...for hours. I was worried. I grabbed my phone and had to manually refresh my email. Yet, there was still no noise. Then I realized that whatever I had clicked earlier wasn't an update - it was to turn off automatic download of my email and the notifications. At first, I was pissed. I really do have a love-hate relationship with technology.

I couldn't figure out how to "fix it." I thought that I'd have to wait until my oldest son could fix it for me. Disgusted, I went to bed.

The next day I got into Gmail on my laptop. I was looking for a particular client email that I knew had a response that I hadn't read. Usually, I just star items that need follow up. Sometimes, I'll leave it unread just in case I overlook the star. I thought, "This is bullshit. There's gotta be an easier way." I like a clean inbox. I like to keep my email trash emptied. I'm one of THOSE types. I can't help it.

Sure enough, there was a better way. You can arrange your email to keep all unread emails together and all read emails together. Now I don't have to go sifting through email to find what I want. I can just leave it unread and it stays toward the top of my inbox. Here's the official Google Help file to do it.

So, if you're a freelancer and you want to get more done and feel like you have more control over your inbox, turn off the notifications and arrange your email for the unread messages to always be at the top. You'll stop jumping every time your email goes off. You can check it at set times throughout your day. And you'll find what you're looking for a lot faster.

Bad moods, slow times, and douchebaggery

When I woke up this morning at 6:30 am, I had three thoughts:

1. Why the fuck is it pitch black outside? Time just rolled back. Which means that if it were last Tuesday, it would be 7:30 am and pitch black outside. WTF is this shit?
2. Do I really have to get up and face the day?
3. Why hasn't my husband's alarm gone off since he had a contract to attend to within an hour?

Queue the waking him up to make sure he wasn't late. He wasn't, by the way, going to be late. His alarm went off 10 minutes later. I'm not an asshole wife. I only woke him up because his alarm has this habit of not working. So weird. 

I was in a shit mood. I wasn't upset with anyone. I wasn't in a bad mood. It was just the feeling of, "Blah...here we go again." Then, my husband fixed it by giving me that hug that everyone says they want on FB. You know, the one where all the "broken pieces" stick back together. And it was amazing. And I felt better...at least, until we hit morning traffic. 

Just in case you were wondering, freelancing (self-employment of any kind, really) isn't for the faint of heart. We've been really lucky over the last couple of years. I have a pretty sound mind for business decisions. Other than the first couple of months when I started, we've been able to predict my income fairly well. We've done alright. We aren't rich by anyone's standards. Yet, we manage to keep the bills paid, the family fed, and a roof over our head. Of course, by world standards that's pretty fucking impressive. 

The last two months have been slow. Really slow. In September, we felt the pinch. No big deal. There's always a bit of a fall slump because of the back to school stuff. I don't know why. It's not me. I work just as much, if not more, than I did during the summer. I think that, in reality, it's businesses taking some time to reassess their needs now that their workforce is back from summer vacation. It wasn't a big pinch. All the necessities were taken care of. In October, it was slow again. Ouch. Double ouch when you think about the upcoming holidays. 

I took the "I'll enjoy the quiet while it lasts" approach because for me? The quiet times are few and far between. So, at first it was like a universe sanctioned vacation. Unpaid, of course. I started an art project. I did some personal writing. I just slowed down and caught my breath. 

I've always been fairly good with money. If you're not good with money, you probably shouldn't be self-employed. I've been able to make less money take care of business. So, overall...it was stressful, but alright. 

Last week, I started to panic inside. Work still hadn't picked up. My academic students already had their papers edited by me. The websites that relied on me for their editing were all caught up. Oh shit. So, I started scrambling and applying for more gigs. I landed a nice one. Of course, it's not full time work or even steady work. It's "as needed." Overall, that's fine. I love variety. 

Oh, then there was a lawyer who contacted me for writing articles for his very well to do firm. How do I know he's well to do? In addition to telling me, he sent me his website which listed all of his awards (both from the community / bar and monetary from court). So, I gave him a below average bid on four articles. It was still a good rate, a reasonable rate for me. He wrote back, "Give me your best rate." Really, dude? My life does not revolve around garage sale bargain pricing. I don't get to call my electric company and offer then $10 for my $100 electric bill. I don't get to call the gas company and offer then $20 for a $200 gas bill. That's what I wanted to say...I didn't. I responded and told him that IS my best rate. He basically responded with, "LULZ...nu-uh! Give me your best rate." So, I know someone that I won't be working with. Such douchebaggery. Do you think he allows clients to haggle his rates? That's a big fat nope.

Then, a week ago today I felt sick. Really sick. At first, I didn't think anything of it. Anyone with kids knows that they are walking petri dishes. Well, I was sick from Tuesday until Sunday. In the midst of that, the work from all of my clients began to pick back up. So, I went from panicking because I had practically no work to panicking because how will I ever get it done? 

So, as I sit here and contemplate if I write the four articles that are due, finish my pitch for a legal website, or edit a last minute paper...the dog has decided I shouldn't do any of it. In fact, she didn't want me to write this blog post to remind you of the instability of freelance work. 

There's no real reason for this post other than I'm killing time. I guess if you need to learn anything from what I said it would be continue to flesh out work or keep good relationships with "as needed" clients during the times you have a ton of work so that you have something to do during slow times. That worked for me for two years. I was lucky that my slow period was only a couple of months, but that still puts a pinch on things. 

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WAHM Lesson #67 - Sometimes Your Schedule Doesn't Mean Shit

This disclaimer will be part of every WAHM Lesson. While these are true things that I've experienced as a work at home mom, many are written to make you laugh. They may or may not have happened in the order that they are listed. So, why is there a disclaimer? Because I know certain people that read this blog simply looking for dirt. Good luck with that. You won't find any. Go away and worry about your own life. For everyone that's here to read, learn, and laugh...welcome. Feel free to comment.

I am a big, big advocate of keeping some sort of schedule when you work from home. Believe me, it's just better...because otherwise your entire day has gotten away from you. Before you know it, it's bedtime for everyone. You're exhausted and you damn sure do not feel like working. So, your schedule is your friend.

I don't time stuff down to the minute. That, for me, is a bit over the top. I get up between 6 am and 8 am unless I was already up all night. It's breakfast and family time until school time on kid week. Then, after school drop off I come home and do a couple of chores or a workout....then, I get to work. I work until it's time to get the little one from school. If I didn't work out in the morning, I go around 1 or 2 pm to the gym to get it in.

When we get home, it's snack time and then dinner time is soon upon us. Then, I try to get a little more work in either on client projects or projects of my own. That's usually coupled with hanging out with the family. And, you know, the winding down routine of the evening. Sometimes after he's in bed, I have to work some more.

Yet...sometimes....your schedule doesn't mean shit (and that's not even because of the kids). It could be family emergencies. It could be (true story) texting a client back to set up a call later in the day and their response is, "I'm free now," while you stare longingly at your shower. It could be a last minute change. If you typically go to the grocery store the evening that you are often paid, that will obviously change if your client was busy and didn't send the payment.

So, it's important that you have some sort of backup plan. Make sure that you know what you can work on in times where you're sitting at the ER (unless it's your own kid - then you might want to leave the work at home). Make sure that you know the consequences of texting your clients before you've officially started your day. Make sure that you have a backup plan for when your clients fall behind even momentarily. If you don't, you'll find that losing control of your schedule will drive you crazy. If you're new, you might not give working from home a fair shake because you failed to plan ahead for these instances.

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WAHM Lesson #3 - Always have a business card on hand.

This disclaimer will be part of every WAHM Lesson. While these are true things that I've experienced as a work at home mom, many are written to make you laugh. They may or may not have happened in the order that they are listed. So, why is there a disclaimer? Because I know certain people that read this blog simply looking for dirt. Good luck with that. You won't find any. Go away and worry about your own life. For everyone that's here to read, learn, and laugh...welcome. Feel free to comment.

WAHM Lesson #3 - Always have a business card on hand.

In my business card case, I usually carry four or five. Today, during the snowpocalypse I decided to stop by Taco Bell near my house. I went through the drive thru and the exchange went something like this:

TB - Hi, how are you today?

Me - I'm fine, thank you. How are you?

TB - There's no place I'd rather be.

Me - You're a fucking liar.

TB - You're right. My window has the north facing wind and snow blowing in when I open it. May I take your order?

Me - I would like two Crunch Wrap Supremes and a medium Mountain Dew.

TB - Okay. That's two Crunch Crap Supremes and a medium Mountain Doodle. (total) You'll pay at the second window.

---at the second window---

TB - I don't say this often, but I love you. I hate most everyone.

Me - That's nice. It's also the natural course of business. There are times when I hate everyone and I'm self employed...well, except I really like the guy that paid me almost $200 to write his paper on fracking.

TB - You write papers?

Me - Yes. I write more than that, but that was a nice, cushy gig.

TB - Are you serious? My wife is finishing her dissertation and it's driving her crazy. Are you able to write and edit highly educated and technical work?

Me - Well, I'd hope so or my last client is really fucked. The paper was for a master's level course. I assure you I'm competent. I have a degree and I am a former college professor.

TB - Holy shit! I think it's my lucky day!

I gave him my last two business cards. He thanked me profusely because apparently his wife is losing her mind over the dissertation.

Moral: always engage with people who engage with you...and always have a business card with you!

Monday Motivational: You Can Be Different

On Mondays when a lot of corporate employees wake up, they wish that they wouldn't have to go in. Maybe they dream of another job. Maybe they dream of working from home. Maybe they just dream of being on the beach with a drink in hand.

It doesn't really matter what the dream is that they have. They all have the same theme. They want something different. If you want something different, can you continue to do the exact same thing over and over again? No. If you want something different then you must do things differently.

Being different and doing things in a different way is okay. Of course, there are plenty of people ready to ostracize you. So,  it does take a thick skin.

You're different. If you find that living life just like everyone else is akin to wearing clothes that are five sizes too small, then it's time to find ways to be different. That doesn't necessarily mean that you quit your job today. However, it does mean that you make a plan with actionable goals and begin to take steps to achieving your goals.

You can do it.

Recipe Review: Nacho Cheese Chip Casserole

You'll see the recipe floating around online as Doritos Casserole. Recently, I decided to try shopping at Aldi's. I spent $46 (Oklahoma City) and have enough groceries for roughly five meals. I did buy my hamburger elsewhere. There's simply no difference in the price of beef at my local Aldi's. However, I also bought some great fresh asparagus for $1.99 and some lovely baby spinach.

Anyway, my goal with this review isn't necessarily the recipe itself. It is more about the quality and taste of the ingredients that I purchased from Aldi's. First, let's take a look at the basic recipe.

• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 lbs. hamburger
• 2 c. shredded cheddar
• Nacho Cheese flavored Doritos

Essentially, you cook and crumble your hamburger. I season mine with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Of course, drain it if you use fatty meat. 

Mix the meat with the two cans of cream soup. Place this in a casserole dish. 

Top with shredded cheese. Crush chips and place on top.

Place in oven at 350 until cheese is melted. This took maybe 10 minutes.

I already had cream of mushroom soup on hand. I bought my hamburger from Walmart. 

I bought cream of chicken soup, shredded sharp cheddar, and the nacho cheese flavored tortilla chips from Aldi's. 

We really liked the shredded cheese from Aldi's. It had a really great flavor. The only thing I didn't like was the price. It was actually cheaper to buy Kraft shredded cheddar from a local store. I didn't know that until I later went there to get my youngest son some chocolate milk. 

We really liked the cream of chicken soup from Aldi's, too. It had a really good flavor. It came out of the can easily. The top of the can is an easy open can. I was worried that it wouldn't have enough flavor or that it would be salty. I was wrong! 

We could go either way on the nacho cheese flavored tortilla chips. They were fine for the casserole. However, they are not something that we would just eat with a sandwich or for a snack. The texture is really strange (and this is coming from someone who loves the Great Value brand nacho cheese tortilla chips). They are a little salty as well. The cheese flavoring is good. 

I paid .59 cents for the soup, $2.79 for the shredded cheese, Had I known it was on sale at a local store, I could have saved almost a dollar. I paid $1.19 for the chips. The hamburger was purchased elsewhere for about $8. So, this meal cost us roughly $11. We are big eaters. Tonight there were three of us instead of five, but we ate the entire pan. Even the picky five year old liked the recipe. The hamburger was the most expensive component. You could probably save more if you used ground turkey or if you can find hamburger on sale. 

Monday Motivational: Having Dreams and Mundane Motivators

Well, today is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Of course, there are purists out there (and they have every right to it as long as they are indeed pure to the idea of equality of races). I believe that Dr. King would also be in the corner of those seeking more out of their individual lives. He would be incredibly appreciative and supportive of people of any race who look to get more out of life and to better care for their family in a way that best works.

So, what's your dream? If you're on this blog then my guess is that at least to some degree you want to be a freelance writer. However, this blog post isn't just written for those who want to make a living by peddling their words and thoughts. I'm talking to all the dreamers. I'm talking to those who want to go back to school. I'm talking to those who want to recover from past hurts. I'm talking to those who want to take on a new career (even if it isn't writing). Now, with your dream firmly in your head...let's discuss.

Turn the Dream into a Goal

My grandmother was an incredibly wise woman. My mother would tell you that I act just like my paternal grandmother. They didn't get along, but I consider it a compliment. My Grandma Rita was and still is my hero. She only had an eighth grade education. She survived the Great Depression. She was a single mom when her first husband left. She worked as a nurse's aid to support her children. I remember when I was little how she would do whatever it took to make sure my very odd childhood was as normal as it could be for its circumstances. That meant when I stayed with her I got chocolate milk and chocolate donuts for breakfast (both of which I hate - but dammit the woman tried so I ate them).

She bought me empty notebook after empty notebook. I drew. I wrote. I scribbled. I did it all while sitting at her feet as she crocheted or watched her soap operas. She would color with me. She would even grade my work (when I asked).

My grandma taught me one thing early in life. You turn your dreams into a goal by learning to be accountable. One way to do that is to assign your dream a date of completion. Now your dream is a goal.

Take Action Toward Your Goal

Look, if you're an adult with family responsibilities...I totally get how you feel overwhelmed and think you can't accomplish your dreams. I started college on a whim (yes, on a whim) when I was 28. Man, it doesn't seem that long ago. I stayed up many nights while working full time and caring for my family. It was hard, but I graduated in 3 years with a four year degree.

When I was building my writing business (which was another dream that turned into a goal because of a medical issue), I started it by doing things on the side while teaching college. When I started writing full time, I still hadn't built up my business to exactly where it needed to be to comfortably make the leap (but sometimes we do things because they must be done and we make the best of it).

Moral: there are things you can do right now to move toward your goal even if you are working and have other obligations. They don't have to be huge steps or actions...but to get to a goal - you do have to put one foot in front of the other.

Use the Mundane to Fuel You

I do most of the housework. Bull doesn't...but it's not because he's some jerk who thinks that because his wife works from home that she has time for the housework. If I need help or even if he thinks I need help, he helps. He knows that mundane activities serve a purpose for me. When I'm doing a load of laundry or a load of dishes he knows that I'm using that time to focus on my projects and set my priorities. I can't do that if I'm sitting in front of the computer. As much as I wanted to write this, I have my priorities nagging at the back of my mind telling me this is a waste because it's not part of the 20% of activities that make money. Yet - this is important.

I use my time to figure out three things that must get done every day. I choose three because it's a number that isn't overwhelming. I don't usually stop with three things, but if I have to then it gives me a sense of completion. Yes, it can be hard to choose those things. I finalize my list in the morning while doing my stuff.

Letting your mind wander and consider the steps it will take to finish your projects is key to success. It doesn't have to be dishes and laundry for you. Just find something you can do where you can think, but not wear yourself out doing it. Think in small steps. Ask yourself what is one small thing that you can do today that will bring you one more step closer to your goals.

Find something mundane to indulge in. I say that because for us creative types, it can be hard to focus on what's in front of us when we are on our laptops or computers. We might get overwhelmed when we think about everything that needs to be done and how we are actually doing something. Don't do that. Step away.

Now that this post is written, I'm going to go tackle my three daily priorities (or as we call them - my Irish bulls).

WAHM Lesson #2 - Interruptus Maximus

This disclaimer will be part of every WAHM Lesson. While these are true things that I've experienced as a work at home mom, many are written to make you laugh. They may or may not have happened in the order that they are listed. So, why is there a disclaimer? Because I know certain people that read this blog simply looking for dirt. Good luck with that. You won't find any. Go away and worry about your own life. For everyone that's here to read, learn, and laugh...welcome. Feel free to comment.

So, during this last week I was reminded again that working from home isn't about the ability to work without interruptions. It ends up being an attempt to work around interruptions. Usually, we have a pretty good flow on the weeks that the tiny one is home with us. However, this week was totally unusual. We had more than our general share of things that happen when you work from home with children. It's been a week of anytime work has been commenced (or was perceived as being commenced), that shenanigans occurred.

Parents, it's a good thing to pay attention to your children. However, it is not a good thing that you make them the total center of attention 24/7. Otherwise, you will raise a high maintenance person who won't be able to function in society because they will learn life isn't all about them. Well, I really didn't mean for this to turn into a parenting lesson...but that's what it is. Yes, they really are only little once. However, they learn a lot of things when they are little (including manipulation). So, if you want your children to grow up to be more well adjusted then you must teach them self reliance and not try to keep them as a baby forever. That is for any child regardless of their developmental progress. You should encourage your children to the best they can in their abilities and always push for them to learn a little bit more (not in a mean way). Don't limit your children...or they will then start to limit themselves. You become their learning limitation...that voice in their head that tells them they aren't capable.

Anyway, so - the interruptus maximus spirit has invaded House of Punk this week. During the first part of the week it wasn't that big of a deal because it usually straightens itself out as the tiny one realizes he doesn't have to act out to get attention. In fact, he has his on toy laptop to work with me. I call him my personal assistant o'fun. On Wednesday, I learned that it is entirely possible for me to write more than 2k words in an hour. My previous record was around 1800 words. That night I wrote around 2600 words in an hour. I'm really thankful for clients who provide good research.

So, make sure you have a plan...realize that if you work from home and interruptus maximum moves in with you or visits on a weekly basis that you must have a plan to deal with it. This may include, but is not limited to, working when the kids are asleep. Yeah, I said it. You'll actually have to be sleep deprived if you aren't sleep deprived already. The thing to remember is how much you want or need to be able to make an income from home...and that it's more than work - this is a lifestyle.

Day 3 - Le-Vel Thrive Review

Yesterday was day three for us. I took only one of the two vitamins because I noticed that the package said to take one or two. Since I'm still waiting on my actual shipment to get here, I only took one. I felt pretty good. My mood was great. I was super focused. Bull and I have decided that it is worth the around $4 per day for me to feel this good. He's feeling pretty damn good, too. He doesn't like the shake mix. He doesn't like the Activate or the Boost that can be mixed into drinks. He does love the vitamins and the DFT patch. I like the patch as well. I've learned with the shake that I shouldn't try to use the whole packet. It's just too much for me. Today I used about a fourth of it. Bull couldn't find rice milk (apparently it is no longer kept in the dairy aisle like it was when I was a kid) so he came home with soy milk. Can't say I'm a fan of soy milk. I am drinking it. I added a bit of vanilla so that I can stand to drink it.

We decided that I should sign up as a distributor because then I get the vitamins, patches, and everything else for less. It's certainly not a cure, but I'll take how I feel over how I used to feel any day of the week. It's free to sign up.

WAHM Lesson #1 - Never Go Pee Alone

This disclaimer will be part of every WAHM Lesson. While these are true things that I've experienced as a work at home mom, many are written to make you laugh. They may or may not have happened in the order that they are listed. So, why is there a disclaimer? Because I know certain people that read this blog simply looking for dirt. Good luck with that. You won't find any. Go away and worry about your own life. For everyone that's here to read, learn, and laugh...welcome. Feel free to comment.

WAHM Lesson #1 - Never Go Pee Alone

I've been potty trained for 31 years. I've been wiping my own ass since I was six years old...so, 30 years. However, if you have a young child or a precocious child and you're a WAHM...you cannot go pee alone. Now, that doesn't mean your kid has to come in and supervise your tinkle time. It does, however, mean that you need to save your work and possibly make sure that your child is near or otherwise occupied. I mean...unless you like totally reformatting your work because your little helper decided that you work needed some artistic embellishment.

Yep, that's right. The entire ebook that I'm writing for a client was turned to the "Title" style in MS-Word. It's an easy fix...and yes...I laughed (and then told him to go play on the piano).

I want to work from home!*

"I want to work from home!*" is a common exclamation that I hear from people. They want to spend leisurely mornings in their pajamas and only work when they "feel like it." They want to take long lunches and hot baths during the afternoon. I hear all of the things that they want to be able to do...but I never hear about the actual work they will do. This is generally because they just "don't know" what they can do from home (which is a load of crap).

Then, they ask for me to help them find something they can do from home. I totally understand that it can be a hard task to find a legitimate work from home job. I said job and not a business. So, from that perspective I do understand why new people need help. What usually happens is that I begin sending them leads and then they find reasons why they can't or won't do them.

If I send them a lead on a virtual call center that is hiring, they don't want to "do sales" or "call center" work. They don't want to "have a set schedule."

If I send them a writing lead, they "don't know how to write."

If I send them a lead on being a virtual assistant or project manager, they don't want the "drama" that comes from taking orders from someone else.

Please understand that now when I hear someone say to me, "I want to work from home!*" that the asterisk is for the following:

"I don't really want to work. I just want to get paid for doing nothing because clearly that's how everyone gets paid."

If you want to work from home, sometimes you take what you can find while you look for or figure out what you truly want to do from home. There is nothing wrong with working for a virtual call center. Even Apple hires people to work from home....so does American Express. It sure as hell beats sitting in a cubicle, doesn't it? Yet, everyone wants to bitch about it if it's an option for them. A virtual call center is one of the easiest jobs to get. You need very little to get started besides a computer, a headset, and a relatively quiet work place.

I know, I know...there's your next excuse, "I have kids and pets and they don't know how to be quiet!" Well, god forbid you learn to work around their schedule. Yes, that does mean that you will work nights. Do you want to work from home or not?

Here's the deal about other work from home jobs (and even many virtual call center jobs such as with 1-800Flowers)....so many people want to work from home that this is just as competitive (if not more so) than a traditional job. Thankfully, lazy people that have excuses (and yes...they are excuses - we are all tired...we all have other responsibilities...but you either want to work from home or you don't) make it easier on the rest of us. You don't last or you just don't get the job.

Working from home doesn't mean working whenever in the hell you want. Most work from home jobs (jobs...not businesses) still require some sort of a schedule. Time management is your friend. When you learn to adhere to a schedule, you teach your children an important lesson: life is not free and we make decisions in order to make a living. Toys and food are not free.

You do not get paid for doing nothing. You do not wake up rich. If you want to make money from home then you get to work...just like the rest of us. Get over it or get back into the traditional work force.

You're making this far too hard on yourself!

Lately, I've been exposed to a lot of frustration. It's not from my clients. It's not from me. It's from new work from home people...they're frustrated because much like the U2 song...they still haven't found what they're looking for (online)!

So, they come to me complaining about how it's hard or how they can't get started because no one is looking for people in the field that they are interested in doing for work. I ask them about their search terms (and where they are looking).

The response is generally:

"I just ran an Internet search that says 'how to become a (insert job choice here)' and all I got back was pages that wanted to sell me something! I thought you said you don't have to pay to work from home."

Well, you don't pay to work from home as a job as opposed to business. However, you do pay out in your time, your sweat, and maybe even a few tears. Hey, freelancin' aint easy.

You are making your search far too hard on yourself. Yes, there are people out there looking to make money selling info products. To some degree, that's okay. I have a book about freelance writing. There's nothing wrong with trying to make money because you know something that others want to know. You can avoid those sites by simplifying your search.

Here are some examples

hiring telecommute (job name)

hiring freelance (job name)

virtual call center

work from home chat agent

Do you see how much easier that is than an entire sentence? Those still aren't fool-proof searches, but you'll avoid most of the things that want money. You'll still find people looking to scam you...so be careful. If it looks to good to be true, it probably is... So, you need to do your research.

Just stop making this harder than it needs to be. We all learn from experience. I did. We all do. Don't make your life harder than it needs to be!