Archive for August, 2011
How to be More Productive and Start Earning More as a Freelance Designer
Friday, August 26th, 2011Being a freelance designer can be a great way to make money with your skills but the time will come when it seems you just can’t earn more. A major fear of every freelancer is the fear of not being able to earn more money due to a limit in productivity or effectiveness of the freelancer.
I have also been a victim of a situation like this and as professionals we need constant training and tools to stay ahead of the competition, and what this only means is that we need more money to keep ourselves afloat. This kind of situation is very unique and it isn’t a result of lack of skills or lack of clients, but it is simply because we can’t get more done.
If you’ve been experiencing problems with making more money as a designer due to lack of time then you simply need to learn how to get things done in less than half the time it takes without having to sacrifice quality for speed.
Having the right productivity tips and making effective use of them can make a whole lot of difference in how fast you succeed as a freelancer and it can mean the difference in you making four figures in a month or you making five figures in a month. Below are some of the tips that have helped double my productivity and thus increased my income over the months.
Work in Batches
I’ve been in situations where I have high hopes about what to do in a particular day but as a result of one big project I keep on postponing the smaller projects and at the end of the day I discover I’m unable to work on both the small and big project for that day.
One trick I recently discovered that has been working for me lately is to get all my work done in batches. I classify the kind of work I do with various clients and I identify the ones that are pretty easy to work on and the ones that take the most of my time – I group all my tasks based on how long it takes to complete a task and I dedicate a day to a group of tasks. The result is that I find it easier to get things done because whenever I start working on the simpler tasks I become pretty confident about what I’m doing and I also won’t be distracted by the bigger tasks and whenever I embark on the bigger tasks I find it pretty easy to focus on completing them because I believe I have enough time dedicated to it.
Working in batches ensures you don’t just work on any random project but that you’re able to work on a task based on its simplicity and that when you’re working on a bigger task you do it with great commitment – this will help you prevent the unexpected, make it more difficult for you to procrastinate and thus make it easy for you to get more done.
Complete First, Revise Later
Perfectionism can be a great problem if you’re involved in any kind of creative work, especially if you’re a freelancer.
We all know that the better the quality of our work for a particular client the more likely they will rehire us and the higher the chances of them referring someone else to us, and as a result we try our best to make all the work we do the best, even if it means sacrificing our productivity.
Trying to be a perfectionist poses great danger to your work so instead of obsessing over each font you use whenever you design the first letter of a particular logo why not focus on completing the task first before revising it? The reality is that nothing will ever be perfect so don’t focus on producing the perfect design. Instead focus on giving your best to your client.
Whenever you take on a new project try to outline how you will go about it, design the whole project and then come back to make your changes by doing a revision after the project is complete – trying to examine every letter and font to make sure it is perfect as you’re working on a design won’t help you at all, it makes you less productive and results in a decrease in income for you.
Time Yourself
If only we could notice how much time we waste on small insignificant things every day we would see the main reason we’re not being productive. A lot of us try to work on a particular project while at the same time surfing the web, and as a result we keep on checking our email and social media accounts every once in a while – if only we could notice how much time this is costing us!
You can increase your productivity as a freelance designer by timing each project you do – if you give yourself 40 minutes to complete a particular project make sure you don’t do anything else before that project is completed.
Another thing about timing ourselves is that it helps us become more focused. Once we are conscious of the fact that we need to complete a project in the next 40 minutes it becomes very easy for us to focus on it till it is out of the way.
Don’t Take All Jobs
One thing about being a freelancer is that you will start getting a lot of offers, especially if you know your stuff. Some offers will be highly lucrative but out of your scope and some offers will be what you find fun to do but the prices irritating. The best thing to do in a situation like this is to make sure you don’t just take any offer but the ones that will be best for you.
If you discover that you’re not that good at working on a particular type of design and that it will end up taking the most of your time the best thing to do is to avoid the job, no matter how lucrative it is. You should also do your best to ensure you avoid low paying jobs – they will only leave a stain on your career and make it difficult for you to get other jobs.
The less jobs you take the easier it becomes for you to identify and focus on what really works for you and the more likely you are to get paid for it.
Break Down that Big Project
There are situations where I get projects that I believe are too big to start working on and at the end I keep on postponing starting to work on them. As a result I discover that even after a month’s time I’m yet to touch that project.
That project that seems like a mountain really isn’t that big, and you might not realize that until you get started with it. Instead of procrastinating over a particular project because you think it is too big why not focus on breaking it down into smaller tasks?
If a project will take you three days of hard work to complete why not try to break it down into hours of work a day and days of work a week? That might take you longer than three days to complete but on the long run you will see that it is better than postponing the project for a few more weeks before you get started with it.
Procrastination is the worst thing that can happen to a freelancer and we have more time than we often think we have. Make it easy to complete big projects by breaking them into smaller projects.
Always Do Your Best to Avoid Deadlines
Some of us are used to not starting a project until we have less than a few hours to get it done. This can be really dangerous to our career so it’s important to work hard on eliminating it as soon as we get the chance.
I’m someone used to the idea of working on a particular project only when the deadline is near but in a particular month I decided to start working on a project in the beginning of the month. I only worked on my projects for the first few weeks and I got sick towards the middle of the month. I was unable to work for two whole weeks but at the end of that particular month I noticed I made more in that month than in some other months I was fully active.
The best solution sometimes is to start working on a project as soon as you get it. Don’t wait for a few more days, don’t wait for a few more weeks but start immediately! You will be amazed at how much spending a few minutes or hours on that project consistently can help you achieve.
Another reason why you should avoid deadlines is that as a designer you need ideas to thrive and deadlines only create nervousness which makes it easy for you to get ideas but when you focus on working on projects earlier on when you’re at peace you will find it extremely easy to get ideas and thus progress at whatever you do.
Have the Right Tools
Why spend ten hours trying to achieve a particular goal using a cheap tool when a better tool can help you achieve the same goal in ten minutes?
The reality is that time is money, and you need to realize that to move forward. It might cost you money to get better tools but it will save you time in the long run, and that time can be better spent improving your skills or making some more money.
If you have the right set of tools you can easily reduce a two hour job to ten minutes and you can easily reduce a two day job to a few hours. That will only leave you with more time to work and will thus create an opportunity for more potential income for you.
1stwebdesigner – Graphic and Web Design Blog
Authorize.net Emulation and Recurring Profile Updates
Friday, August 26th, 2011We’ve got two new features for you this week!
Third party gateways and Authorize.net emulation
Many third party gateways also allow you to use the Authorize.net architecture to process payments, and as of today, you can begin using them with CurdBee. To enable the emulation of third party gateways, visit your Authorize.net Module settings page, click the tick box next to Use a gateway with a Authorize.net emulator, paste your emulator URL in the Emulator URL field and click Save Changes. All transactions will now be forwarded to it. To test emulation, you can try a gateway like BluePay.
Create Recurring Profile from Invoices and Estimates
A requested feature, this update allows any invoice or estimate to be converted into a recurring profile quickly and easily. It’s just one of those things that we hope will make your workflow better, allowing you to spend less time invoicing and more time living!
Oh, we’ve also fixed a few minor issues.
Finished Recurring Profiles now show up as Completed
A bug in Recurring Profiles caused them to do something unfortunate in that they used to send invoices out for the number of occurrences specified and then just stop, leaving a future date specified as the Next Billing Date. This was confusing indeed, and more than a few users had problems with it. With this CurdBee update, this issue is now fixed, and completed Recurring Profiles should show up clearly as Completed.
Swiss German Number/Date Formats Added
As requested by our Swiss German users, we’ve added a new number format (100’000.00) and a new date format (25.08.2011) as well. Enjoy!
Work At Home And Earn Money By Bis
Thursday, August 25th, 2011Bish186ear Up To Rs 25 000 Per Mo Th With Our Ad Publishi G Job Programme This Work Is Simple All You Eed To Do Is To Post Short Text Ads Provided By Us I To Various Free Classifieds Sites L…
Chennai Classifieds
5 Differences Between Mobile SEO and Desktop SEO
Thursday, August 25th, 2011Excerpt from original article on Search Engine Land
One of the questions I get most often about mobile SEO is this: I�m already doing SEO� do I really need to do mobile SEO separately? What�s the difference between the two?
There are some who would say that there is no difference between desktop SEO and mobile SEO. It�s a topic that often garners friendly debate � Andrew French, �a fellow Mobile Mondays columnist, has even gone so far as to say�there is no mobile SEO, just SEO for mobile search.
To me, this is like saying �there is no oncology, just a branch of medicine for cancer.�
On the one hand, yes, oncology is a branch of medicine for cancer, just as mobile SEO is a niche within SEO that deals with SEO for mobile search.�On the other hand, if my general practitioner thinks I might have cancer, my next step is not to have him or her diagnose and treat the cancer. My next step is to a specialist, an oncologist, who will help me diagnose, treat, and hopefully remove that cancer.
Likewise, SEO for mobile sites can be done by SEOs, or even webmasters without an SEO background, who apply general SEO principles about accessibility, relevance and marketing to mobile search. But there are nuances and differences in optimizing mobile sites that don�t apply to desktop sites, and some that apply more to mobile sites than they do to desktop sites.
Sherwood Stranieri covered one of these differences in�The Mobile Content Dilemma: Brevity Vs. Optimization. When it comes to text on a website, SEOs in general are going to push for more keyword-rich text to convey the relevance of the page to search engines, and Web designers are going to push for less. This applies even more to mobile sites, and it becomes harder to justify the SEO best practice of putting at least 250 words of relevant text on a mobile webpage.
There are different standards for mobile sites because of the different user experience, and SEOs who try to apply general best practices to optimize these sites are generally going to fail at implementation. Someone who has done mobile SEO regularly, however, will understand the nuances and attack the problem with enough precision to make a difference.
Mr. Stranieri�s is one example of a difference between mobile and desktop SEO, but it�s not the only one. In an�upcoming seminar, I�ll be presenting 18 differences between mobile and traditional SEO, and there are probably even more than that. Let�s focus on a few of the more crucial differences here.
Continue reading on Search Engine Land.
Natural Search & Mobile SEO Blog
Samsung Banned From Selling Some Galaxy Phones in the Netherlands
Wednesday, August 24th, 2011
A Netherlands judge has banned Samsung from selling several models of its Galaxy smartphones because they may infringe on an Apple patent. Apple had filed claims against Samsung for infringement of several patents: one that protects a method of scrolling and browsing photo galleries, another that involves how the phone responds to screen taps, and a third related to the unlock image and a handful of design patents…
Shree Krishna Computers And Peripherals
Wednesday, August 24th, 2011Bisa170we Are Deali G Wholesale A D Retail I All Ki D Of Computers Laptop Peripherals A D Accessories Hard Disk Mother Board A D Memory Chip Bra Ded A D Assembled Plz Co Tact For Query A D Quotatio …
Chennai Classifieds
Visalus Review – Is Visalus A real Home Based Business?
Wednesday, August 24th, 2011In this Visalus review, I will be answering some key questions for those who are currently researching Visalus as their home based business? Who is Visalus? The facts exactly that they feature their customers? Will be the business opportunity that they give you a legitimate one? Let’s begin my Visalus review.
Visalus is a overall health company that operates underneath the leadership of co-founder and CEO Ryan Blair. They feature products in relation to weight-loss, anti-aging, and nutrition. The products include nutritional shakes, nutra cookies, and vitamin supplements for example.
Their flagship method is themselves by Vi Challenge Kits. These kits range in price from $49 to $249 monthly. These challenge kits have been well praised by many, and there certainly are a large number of testimonials, and before pictures of those who have transformed their lives and their bodies with one of these products.
Visalus offers an incentive for their Body by Vi customers to touch on this program to others. If a customer invites 3 friends to become listed on the process by buying a Challenge Kit of equal or greater value to their personal, the referring customer will get the next months kit free of charge.
Visalus offers their manufacturer product line via a large network of Distributors, representing the multi-level marketing (MLM) home business opportunity they are becoming well-known for.
It is possible to join Visalus as a Basic Distributor for $49. However, if you desire to increase your profits, and be involved in all of the various benefits and opportunities that Visalus offers, you will have to purchase a professional Success System for $499 or $999. The additional cost from the $999 package could be the 30 additional Sample Packs you will receive for distribution for your prospects. With all three packs, you may get a 30 day free trial offer for Vi-Net Pro Marketing System. After your first Thirty days, this can cost an extra $24 monthly.
When you achieve sales, and commence building your organization of distributors below you, you’ll have an opportunity to be involved in 8 compensation methods that Visalus employs. Included in this are:
Direct selling & Personal Customer Commissions
First Order Bonus
Weekly Enroller’s Pool
Fast Start Bonus
Team Commissions
BMW Bonus
Leadership Pool Bonus
Ambassador Star Bonus
These compensation methods are created to reward not just customer acquisition, but team development and leadership as well. When you start to create a large organization, and raise the sales volumes of the team in general, this comp plan that Visalus employs will become a very lucrative one.
In my opinion, Visalus is definitely a legitimate company that gives sought after products in a booming health and fitness industry. This is a multi-level marketing business, so the practices of contacting relatives and buddies, and taking part in home meetings will still apply. For those who have a solid need to build this business, and also have a desire for the products that they offer, Visalus can be a solid opportunity to partner with.
Remember, If only the finest of luck in your search to get a home-based business that is best suited for you personally you.
Achievements in different Multilevel marketing demands developing a productive marketing strategy.Check out more Visalus Reviews.
Get Ad Posting id Absolutely Free (Only for today)
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011Real Online Ad Posting Job is available at Spectral Activities. Give only 4 hours per day to your computer and earn Rs. 28,000 per month. We give you highest payout. �If you take 5 ids today you can get one id of same value absolutely free. So, don’t miss the chance.�For more details, call at 9235399801,�9235399802,�9235399803,�9235399804 or �9795330730oremail us at spectraljobs@gmail.com or visit us at www.spectralactivities.com
AP01A128
Ways To Create A Conversion Friendly Site.
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011If you start with a strong foundation in the beginning, overtime you can be successful at achieving a high conversion ratio for your website. In time, a website that doesn’t have a strong foundation will crumble. The article below gives you a clear idea as to what you can do to create this very foundation [...]
SEO Rescuer.com
How Identity Guard Services Safeguard Your Personal Specifics
Monday, August 22nd, 2011The risk of losing your privacy on personal information is increasing at an alarming rate posing danger to ones security. Identity thieves have perfected the techniques of gaining access to one’s database and accessing information regarding ones finances, assets and credits. This information can be used to carry out bogus transactions, acquire loans or sell out property without your consent. It is therefore imperative to seek Identity Guard Review services to safeguard your personal details against any planned intrusion.
Cyber thieves often target access to your credit card details and finances. With this in mind, you will need to protect your financial information no matter what it takes with identity theft services. This service will solve this for you either as it will protect your credit account information both in real time or run a check later automatically through its programmable featured application.
The service helps you to monitor your credit report and keep an eye on any change that may occur without your authorization. The service sends a notification to the user in case the user’s account is interfered with. This service provides a more reliable means to keep track of one’s transactions compared to that offered in credit bureaus.
Various technological developments have exposed internet databases to a high risk of intrusion and theft of information. Most of the personal information with financial institutions is maintained in this form. This service carries out an online surveillance and picks up any information that relates to a registered user’s account and alerts the user of any suspicious activities in their accounts to curb the distribution of the information.
The internet search is extended to public data banks and records to ensure all information maintained about an individual is correct. This helps to capture illegal transactions that may have been carried out by people who ended up representing one’s information wrongly. It also informs one of any errors in the records that could be used by an intruder to access ones personal information.
The service also provides internet protection for ones personal or business computer or laptop. The target here is rogue surfers who attempt to install foreign software and applications into ones computer which enables them unlock ones security systems. It blocks suspicious websites and emails which could be used for this purpose. Regular updates of the software ensures total protection always.
The reporting option provided by the service is prompt to capture and send an alert immediately a suspicious action is detected. It uses common communication methods to create its reports, mainly the email messages and mobile phone text messages. This allows for timely action to cancel or suspend the transaction.
Victims who want to protect themselves against fraud can use this service, as it provides them with recovery assistance. With its resources and features, the provider can be able to troubleshoot and recover any lost information, and in the long run setup measures to guard against future security breaches.
Using Identity Guard review gives one the confidence to carry out day to day activities and transactions without fear of possible losses through frauds. It also protects one’s assets and securities. The overall benefit is the security of ones personal information with identity protection.