Freelancers Aren’t as Green as They Think
How green is your business? What do you do to reduce, reuse and recycle? You may be surprised to learn that you’re not as green as you think you are.
We humans are incredible wasters. We abuse non-sustainable natural wealth every single day, using it up for our own needs until there’s nothing left. Then what? What happens when we go to the well and it’s dry, or when we need energy and there’s nothing to give us that boost? What happens when we’ve self-poisoned our lives to the point that we become listless, drained and sick?
Not only are we wasters, we’re greedy ones too. We know very well what cost our actions incur, and we keep doing them. We modify our behaviours a little bit to assuage our guilt, or we turn a blind eye completely and pretend the problem isn’t there.
We ignore issues until they simply can’t be ignored any more.
By now, you might be ready to type out an indignant comment about your paperless office or a defensive remark about how you recycle all your paper but your neighbour doesn’t, so he’s to blame.
Save your ire. I’m not talking about the environment. I’m talking about your time, your energy, and your health. You are the most important non-sustainable source of well-being you’ll ever have… and chances are, you’re not being green enough with you.
We Only Have One Life to Live
Here’s an excerpt from page 23 of the Ultimate Freelancer. It reads:
Think of a system like a production line in a factory. The raw goods (your task) move through the machines (the steps to completion) and at the end of the conveyor belt, out comes the finished product (the result).
The arTEESTes out there would probably scream and howl at such an analogy, but the point is quite true. Your body is a machine, and you use it to produce results.
What struck me most, though, was not the words I’d written for the book. It was the call-out quote that Mason Hipp had added to the page:
Reducing waste in your organization is one of the easiest ways of reducing constraints.” – Michael Port, Author of Book Yourself Solid
We have these incredible, non-sustainable machines that help us achieve great goals like fulfillment, happiness, victory and more… and yet, if a production-line inspector came to tour our factory, he’d probably shut it down.
Three Major Problem Areas
First, there are health concerns. Freelancers aren’t known for taking optimal care of their bodies and minds. They work a lot of overtime (often unpaid) in isolation with no vacation in sight. They squeeze themselves like a lemon until they burn out.
Second, most freelancers aren’t well versed in business, nor do they know how to be the head of several departments at once. They’re down on the production line working hard on their creations, but they also have to be CEO, accountant, purchasing manager, salesperson, business analyst and marketer – sometimes even simultaneously. Worse is every action has a domino effect on all areas of the business.
Third, freelancers often don’t know how to be efficient using automation and systematic processes. Many creative types can’t relate well to the conveyor-belt system of concept to completion. They use an eclectic approach, simply doing whatever happens to be the thing to do at the moment.
Freelancers need more freedom to get the rest they need, make more money to live, and enjoy the pleasure of doing a job they love. Just a few small changes to how you do business could save energy, using less of your resources to work more quickly, free up your time, and improve efficiency so that you can be more creative.
Sounds like green is the way to go, doesn’t it?
Even the smallest effort to cut waste from your day and go greener can have huge impact on your comfort level and overall health. Email used to drive me nuts, for example, but integrating a proper management system and using clear labels has made my inbox a joy. I spare myself endless searching, stress and frustration every month.
Two other timesavers include asking clients about budget and posting your rates on your website. Can you think of other tricks that save energy, spare your resources, improve efficiency and help you have a better life? Let’s see what you’ve got, from common sense to creative!
18 Responses to “Freelancers Aren’t as Green as They Think”
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Well. Ok then. I can’t come up with a single good argument against this philosophy.
Ya gotsta take care of yourself in order to keep things flowing. You are your business. Neglect business and it shrivels up and dies
George
Tumblemoose´s last blog post…What’s stopping you from writing
I’m starting to go greener. Promise!
Shevonne´s last blog post…February 6, 2009 Interesting Items
One of my favorite time savers is setting up several Google alerts to keywords that are critical in my industry. That way, I’m always alerted to breaking news and be the first one to break a scoop (thus reducing the need to proactively monitor feeds).
Data points, Barbara
Great tip Barbara and one I use as well. I’ve even got an alert for my own username and it’s not because I’m a narcissist!
I’ve started looking into GMail’s multiple inboxes as well (accessible from GMail labs). It looks like a great way to further organise and more importantly prioritise those messages that keep flooding in.
Another great point well made James
Marc – WelshScribe´s last blog post…How To Be a Ghostwriter
Timely post. I think a little networking with other freelancers can make a difference. Just discussing a possible aproach to a client with someone who shares your world can make a difference. And, if you’re doing a stint in an agency, you might not be a lone freelancer. Make coffee, ask people how they’re fixed. Look up from what you’re doing every now and again. We know communities work.
I just came across this great productivity tip thought I’d share it here: Mark the End of the Day and Finish on Time
Timely topic – this subject is exactly what I’m writing about for a client right now, especially on managing the multiple hats entrepreneurs wear and the need for internal systems even for one-person shows.
It’s a great project to be working on!
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome´s last blog post…Carnival of Personal Development: February 9, 2009 edition
Unless I set up a call for a specific time beyond regular work hours, I turn off (or ignore) the business phone after 5:30 during the week and don’t answer it at all on weekends. I’m starting to hit the “exit” on my email notifier program for work email during the evening so I won’t be tempted even if I need to be on the computer.
The “greenest” process I’m trying to implement right now is resting when I’m tired. If I’m tired a 20 minute project expands to 2 hours (to include 40 minutes of hair-pulling and an hour of banging my head on the keyboard). I need to remember that “rest is a weapon” (Bourne, The Bourne Identity). Unless I’m up against a hard deadline, even an hour of sleep will cost less time in the long run than continuing to flog a tired brain. Just in case someone else needs that message…
This year I’m focused on creating info. products that will bring in ongoing passive revenue as opposed to freelance copywriting for clients in which every job is a custom project that I can only sell once. That’s how I’m going green this year.
Then again, I’ve been “green” since the day I was born.
Susan GREENE
Great post! Thank you! Eliminate waste from every area of your life and you will become more efficient. Efficiency is so important! Get rid of distractions and most importantly fear. The previous post spoke about how fear holds freelancers back, but it also harms efficiency. Don’t waste time with restricting thoughts. Envision it, then do it.
Chris Collins´s last blog post…Abstract Paintings by Loz Verney
Your thoughts and insights are sound. As a writing business takes off, anything that saves time is a plus.
For example:
* Why hunt for writer’s markets when you can subscribe and get them in your Inbox?
* Why have to hunt up blog carnivals to submit to when you can save your favorite carnivals at Blog Carnival for future handy reference?
* Have a favorite site? Why not save it as a shortcut to your desktop so that it’s within easy reach?
* Do you want to increase your readership/commenting at other niche blogs? Sign up for Google Alerts, so these alerts come to you, over having to do a Browser search.
These time-saving steps really help to cut down on repetitive tasks.
Write and Earn a Living´s last blog post…Mashable Blogger Toolbox: Great Site for Blogger Bloggers
Hee hee, talking about client budgets gets 60+ comments but talking about saving time and having a healthier life brings in only a handful? Hm hm!!
I’m all for a healthier life. Just for the record.
@ Write and Earn – I’ll add some to your list. How about sorting bookmarks into proper categories for faster retrieval? And making one good selection of where to guest post instead of burning up while trying to hit as many places at once?
@ Chris –
Damned straight. Fear is a HUGE waste of energy and a monumental obstacle. Ditch it, and watch your world open up. Well said, my friend.
@ Susan – That’s a great way to save energy. I’ve written a few products for our own selling purposes, but I still sell to others as well. And each time, I hand over the work thinking, “Why didn’t I do this for myself?”
Time to cut that and start benefiting.
@ April –
Rest is a weapon. (Why couldn’t I think of that?) You are so right that catching some rest instead of tiredly dogging away at it is a MUCH smarter thing to do. Damn. That’s a smart tip. Thanks!
@ Alex – Ahhh, yes, internal systems make everything go right, don’t they? You know what’s funny? You and I were discussing your Wii session this evening – and when you mentioned you were going to have a game, I thought, “What a lucky guy.” Get an efficient internal system going, figure out the priorities, cut the clutter from our life, and we can all play Wii more often!
Heh. Now. If only I can find MarioKart around here in the boonies…
@ Marc – Wait – what?! Days have an end??!! Ohmigod. THAT’S what’s wrong with my life!
@ Laura –
Amen.
@ Barbara – Me and Google Alerts… we go back a long way. Good tip, that!
@ Shevonne – Promise? Show me the money!
@ Tumblemoose – While most would think my single goal in life is to never have anyone argue with me, I’m excellent in a good discussion and debate. I’ll try to come up with something more controversial for you!
Interesting! Have any of you guys heard of the ‘Ecofont’? One way for freelancers and copywriters to be 20% greener…
http://blog.thesggroup.co.uk/Home/Entries/2009/2/9_Dutch_Cheese_%26_the_Ecofont.html
@James Yeah well Homer Simpson’s philosophy of using the TV to tell each day apart wasn’t working out for some strange reason.
I learnt some valuable lessons about ‘going green’ a couple of years ago when I was finishing my first novel while also working full-time as a professional copywriter.
I was working up to 20-hour days because I was so determined to hit my deadlines (in both disciplines). I lost a lot of weight and was a complete wreck by the end of it. I went green. Literally.
But like I say, it taught me some great lessons and I will never, ever do it to myslef again. Promise.
Iain Broome´s last blog post…Write for Your Life Podcast #1: Me, me, me!
Back when I had employees I’d sometimes get a call from one of them on weekends because he was working on something and needed advice.
You need to understand that I did allow total flex-time – he could work or not work whatever hours he wanted and that was fine with me. But I sensed that he was working too much and getting tired and stupid because of it so I “yelled” at him. In a nice way, of course, but I made sure he understood that rest and recreation are a critical part of life and that he needed to work less, not more.
Too bad most of the other dolts had exactly the opposite attitude
Tony Lawrence´s last blog post…Recession and Service Businesses
I am such a fan of using systems for results.
I’m also a fan of the factory of factories. I think the E-Myth helped shape me, but also I’ve learned to produce a lot more results at work by setting boundaries (timeboxing) and finding the most effective and efficient techniques within those boundaries.
Knowing and leveraging the system is key!
J.D. Meier´s last blog post…Avoid Mental Burnout
Businesses are created to make money. Show them the way that by being green you can save time and money – and you’ve got a winner.
The idea is not to fight them, but to show how it is in their best advantage.
Example: Paperless offices reduce business costs and help the environment.
Ruth Stark´s last blog post…The paperless office – replacing paper with electronic forms