As a Canadian business owner, it’s important to know how and when to charge sales taxes for the goods and services you sell and supply to your customers.
Source: Overview of charging and collecting sales tax – Canada Business Network
Tag: Business
The Pomodoro time management app — have you tried it? #freelancelife
So on the app store today, looking for a timer app to keep track of minutes spent on various editing jobs, I saw the Pomodoro app. It had a five-star rating! So I thought I’d try it. I was surprised it wasn’t a regular timer but a technique of breaking time into short blocks with five-minute breaks between. I’ve been using it today. Do you use the Pomodoro technique or app for time management? How is it working for you? Here’s an article on how it works.
Timing Is Everything: Time Management for Freelancers #freelancelife #ptboeditors
How do you decide how to spend your time? Do you take enough down time? Time management is pivotal when operating a small business, usually juggling several clients at once. Here is an excellent article outlining some pointers for managing your time.
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Tax Tips for Canadian Freelancers #freelancelife #taxes #self-employed
It’s that time of year again, tax season. During a work lull in January, I started to tally my income and expenses in preparation for tax time. Here is a helpful list of things you can deduct as expenses in Canada:
What’s in an adjective? LinkedIn’s 10 most overused buzzwords
Tips for Marketing Your Editorial Business #freelancelife #ptboeditors
Marketing yourself as a self-employed editor: one of the toughest challenges of operating a freelance business. This is a very thorough article discussing the ins and outs, with several good resource links.
The Proofreader’s Corner: Editorial Business Promotion — Four Mistakes to Avoid | An American Editor.
Staying Productive When Work Is Slow: 10 Tips #freelancelife
Okay, it’s 9 a.m. and you’re sitting down in your office, all dressed and ready to work. Problem is, you just sent in your last assignment yesterday and you know more work is coming, just not today! Resist the temptation to watch Pride and Prejudice (the 6-hour version), and consider trying one of these 10 ways to make good use of this extra time.
- Tackle your filing
Keep a rectangular wicker basket on a shelf in your office solely for items that need to be filed “someday” – today is that day. Go through that basket, making piles on your floor, then file everything in your filing cabinets or boxes (which you have already set up during a previous lull in work!) Clean out any papers you no longer need to keep. Take on your to-be-shredded pile.
- Update your financial records
Have you been too busy to update your spreadsheets? Do you have business expense receipts sitting around waiting to be dealt with? Do that housekeeping now, to make tax time that much easier – expect that you will be busy working by then! Are your bookkeeping methods working for you? Think of ways you can streamline your system and keep track of invoices more efficiently.
- Edit your work space
Tackle one box, shelf, or drawer at a time – don’t be overwhelmed by the size of the job. It may have been quite a while since you’ve done this! Look through a box or drawer and decide if you really need each item or piece of paper – be ruthless. If you haven’t used it in the past year…well, you know the rule. Any paper items that may contain confidential info can be put in your “to shred” bag to be tackled another time.
- Freshen your web presence
Does your website need some editing or some fresh photographs? Do you have recent work or reviews you can add? How about your LinkedIn page? Is your profile up to date and interesting? Any spelling mistakes? Take time to make intelligent comments on groups you joined a while ago or on other blog posts – remind people who you are.
- Write future blog or Twitter posts
Maintain a list of potential blog posts and add ideas as they pop into your mind. Then when you have some time between gigs, do some writing. If your blog or Twitter feed is part of your networking plan, you will need to post at least once every week or two, so take advantage of this work lull to write future posts – you can even schedule them to be posted automatically for you.
- Encourage yourself
Don’t let yourself wallow in pity or worry about future work. Re-read encouraging feedback from clients. Keep kudos like these in a document, and consider adding a positive review to your LinkedIn page or website. Keep a list of your strengths and remind yourself of all the benefits of freelance life. Count your blessings!
- Tackle a project
Keep a list of big household to-dos – things like painting, repairing, deep cleaning. A lull between paid jobs is the ideal time to check off one of these projects. You will feel productive – you have accomplished something worthwhile — and stay on top of things in your home.
- Go for coffee
Another good list to have on the go is one with potential clients or colleagues (or friends!) to see face to face. Now is the time to have that lunch or go for coffee. Do this regularly, even if you’d rather hibernate. It’s good for your mind to get out of the office and have real conversation with a human being. Be sure to keep track of mileage and receipts for any business-related expenses – coffee counts!
- Deep clean your office
Move everything off your desk, clean it well with a damp cloth, then clean each item before putting it back. Funny how dust builds up, eh? Carefully clean the fur from your coworkers off the back of your computer. Use a Q-tip and clean the toast crumbs out of your keyboard. Deal with paperwork that may have been piling up.
- Learn something new
Are there blogs or group discussions you’ve been meaning to catch up on? Take the time to comment on a post that intrigues you and consider reposting it to your own blog. Choose an essay or article from your “to read” list. Does the library have any new books in your field? Maintain a record of books you have read and a file for quotes you can use in future blog posts or articles. Write a book review. Make it a habit to learn something new every day – such as a new tip to stay efficient and productive between paid jobs!
A Beginner’s Guide to Blogging for Your Business #business #freelancing
A very thorough article on how and why to blog for your small business or freelance venture—like me!
A Beginner’s Guide to Blogging for Your Business: Blogging 101 | Flyte New Media.
Freelancing: How to Network with Linkedin #freelancing #linkedin
Great little article on the Copyediting blog offering some useful tips on networking with LinkedIn. Included are a few extra links to other resources on the subject.
Personal Branding: 5 Illusions #business #freelancing
We all do it, make an effort to brand ourselves. Sometimes effectively, other times not so. I know with my own correspondence, blog, and web presence, I’ve made a conscious attempt to convey an identity that communicates something about both my skills and my personality. Here’s an interesting article that addresses this topic well:
