Welcome, Goddesses! Or, How I Handle Epic Stress….
I realized quickly when checking my stats today that the 30 Days of Goddess Ecourse went Live. Today. Somehow, I failed to note that July 31st in the US is August 1st in Australia….because I'm brilliant. Or as my two year old says – mama – you a gen'us. 
Since I'm a part of said Ecourse, it stands to reason that I should have been better prepared for my new visitors. Or, at the very least, thinking on Australian time.
So, with my apologies for my "genius", off we go!
Stress Management for Freelancers (and Others of the Mama Variety)
As you may have gathered from my beautiful groveling above, things can get a little hectic around here. I homeschool a preschooler and a first grader, run a home business, and manage the household and urban homestead with the help of my lovable husband. That's a lot to juggle, and some days, it's enough to make me cry uncle. However, I'd like to offer some tips/guidance/ways I keep from losing my mind completely.
Remember That It's Only Temporary
Even on the worst days, I know that all I have to do is survive the next 15 minutes. And then the next. Some days, that's all that gets me through. If even THAT doesn't get me through, it may be time to phone a friend, or start looking for the corkscrew and the red wine.
Plan In Extra Time
When dealing with two small children, I know that my plans will never, ever, EVER turn out the way they should. Embracing a certain level of chaos is just part of working mama-hood. So, when we have to be somewhere, I flat out lie and say we have to be there 30 minutes before the event starts. I lie to the husband to. He knows this, and he's okay with it (for the most part). So sue me. I'm happier, there's less yelling, and we're even on time sometimes.
Pick Your Battles
For me, it's not worth fighting about some things. They want to make a crap-ton of noise? It's raining outside? Ok. That's why earplugs were created. They want to make a mess? Ok. They help clean it up. I grew up with a mama who yelled and was generally unhappy – my goal in life is to enjoy myself and my kiddos, and not miss a moment of happiness. Those moments slip by so, so quickly. So, if I'm having a rough day, we stay in our pajamas, eat scrambled eggs off of paper plates, and watch lots of movies. I'd rather be a happy slacker mama than a stressed out overachiever – any day of the week.
Call in the Troops
When necessary, don't be afraid to ask for help. I have full time childcare, because I simply couldn't do the amount of work I do, from home, without it. If someone is sick, or I'm about to lose it totally, I call a friend and ask to come hide at their place, sans kiddos. Don't be afraid to not look perfect and ask for help – doing so may be what helps other people see you as an authentic, real mama that they can relate to. Speaking honestly has been the start of a ton of great friendships for me.
Freelance Writing Jobs for Beginners
With the economy getting rougher every day, more and more people are looking for ways to supplement their family's income from home. Some have lost their jobs, while others are simply feeling the pinch as gas prices and grocery prices rise. If you're new to the freelance writing game, but are interested in learning about freelance writing and how writing online works, you've come to the right place. Let's talk about freelance writing jobs for beginners and how to get started.
Online content writing is very different from fiction writing, traditional journalism, or academic writing. Online freelance writing jobs are generally focused on creating commercial content to drive advertising traffic to websites. This means that you'll be researching and writing about a wide variety of topics – some of them interesting, some of them not as interesting. You'll need to learn a little bit about Search Engine Optimization – the art of putting keywords in the right places throughout the content that you write. Think of this type of content as a big word game – you're putting the correct words in the correct spots in the content, while saying something interesting that readers actually want to read.
Freelance writing jobs for beginners aren't extremely difficult to find online, but you do need to know where to look. There are multiple sites that regularly hire freelancers on a large scale. These sites are commonly known as "content mills", and if you don't have time to market yourself, maintain a web presence, and look for private clients at higher rates, they're a good way to break into the world of working online. They pay regularly by Paypal, direct deposit, or check, and can provide you with a steady to semi – steady income from home.
My favorite places to send new writers are:
Textbroker - This site requires you to submit basic profile information and a writing sample. Once you've done this, you'll be given a ranking that determines your per word rate. You can then claim jobs, write them, and submit them to and editor. Quick, simple, and an effective way to work from home. Pay is twice monthly by Paypal.
oDesk - This site allows you to submit a profile, take skills tests, and then apply for jobs. A year ago, I'd have told you to stay far, far away, as most of the jobs listed were for overseas workers and paid extremely low rates. Now, however, I'm seeing more and more jobs listed for $13-25 per hour and up as businesses attempt to outsource to freelancers to cut costs. I've picked up several clients here recently, and it seems to be turning into a decent online job site.
eCopywriters - Requires a sample and application. Pays twice monthly. The topics are frequently insurance and health based, and pay .02 per word and up.
CM Copywriting - CM has a rigourous application process, which is passed by less than 2% of applicants. The test involves three sample briefs, each taking around one hour to complete. Those lucky enough to pass will write for clients such as BMW and Oracle. CM pays rates that are dependent on experience. You can apply by visiting CM's application page
So, what are you waiting for? Work up a few samples, dust off that resume, and startputting yourself out there. Worst case scenario, you make $8-10 per hour as supplemental income. Best case scenario, you earn far, far more and are able to make a full time living working from home. Either way, you've done something positive for your financial situation, and you've done it from the comfort of your own home.
How to Do Computer Work from Home without Being Distracted By Interruptions
Working from home with children can be a daunting task. After all, accomplishing computer work from home requires a certain degree of concentration. For those of us with the luxury of a home office, numerous interruptions can still quickly become a plague (I'll cover handling computer work from home for mamas who don't have their own space in my next post). For example, in the twenty minutes it took me to write this post this morning, I was also rocking my three year old while singing Three Little Birds by Bob Marley, teaching her about the dangers of the paper shredder, and explaining to her why it was NOT okay to chase the 50 pound black lab around my office. Although my day is filled with many of these joyful interruptions, there are a few tips and tricks I've learned over the past five years of a full time freelancer.
Offer a Bribe (Ahem) Reward to Reinforce Desired Behavior
I'm not above providing everyone in my home with ice cream, for example, on housecleaning day. I write out a list of simple cleaning tasks that I'd like accomplished, pass it on to the husband, and then retreat for a few hours of quiet working time. Lock the door, put in the ear plugs or headphones, and ignore the chaos, then take everyone (including myself) out for a treat. If my girls can stay out of my hair and engage with the child care provider during my designated work time for the whole day, I try to make special time to go out for a walk, go to the park and run around, or go swimming with them. They look forward to their special time with me all day, and I'm not split between two worlds.
Work in Small, Manageable Chunks
Instead of thinking in projects, or huge batches of articles, or numbers of pages, I try to think about things in smaller pieces. I work primarily using the Pomodoro Technique, so I try to group all my projects into 25 minute tasks. Write X number of words, email and social media for 25 minutes, etc. Then I use the 5 minute breaks for simple things like throwing in a load of laundry, refilling my water bottle, or grabbing a snack and checking my blood sugar (I'm diabetic). This allows me to work and take care of my household and my health at the same time.
Live in "Day-Tight" Compartments
In the book How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, the author speaks about how to manage business anxiety. One method he discusses at length is to approach your life with the metaphor of a submarine. For the modern generation, think of a starship with multiple decks. I'll forgive you if you geek out for a moment 
Subs are designed so that if there's a leak, each compartment can be shut down so that no air or water can escape, and the crew can retreat to a safer area and get to the surface. These water-tight compartments save lives. In this book, Dale Carnegie talks about managing stress by living your life in a similar manner. Allot each day's tasks to that day. Don't worry about what's going to happen tomorrow or what you didn't do yesterday. Instead, seal each day up into a tight compartment in your mind, and make sure to live it to the fullest. Since applying this technique, I've managed to dramatically cut down on the internal distractions, and now I find that I can focus much more easily on the individual task at hand, without worrying about future work, where my next gig is coming from, or other worries that tend to stalk a small business owner.
