I’m notorious for my delinquency and procrastination, but even I must admit that publishing a State of the Union – aka my annual “year in review/new year plans” blog post – in March is pushing the boundaries a tad. However, after the very eventful last few months – which I’ll

You don’t make it to your 30s without earning a few scars along the way. I’ve probably had more than my fair share. But you also don’t make it here without picking up a few nuggets of wisdom. While I could fill an entire book with the memorable quotes and

You spend a bit of time on #techTwitter and you’ll see everyone proclaiming their growing MRR – monthly recurring revenue, or how much they’re collecting from customers each month. It’s become a symbol to the world of how successful the tool or app they’ve built is doing. In fact, across

One of the hardest things to do when you’re a solopreneur is take a break. But guess what… You need that damn break! Not only is necessary to keep you from burning out, that’s the whole reason you got into this, remember? Freedom. Flexibility. Going to the beach in the

Some days, you fall off the wagon. You had a good streak going. Past you is really proud of present you’s commitment to seeing things through, and future you is grateful for the new habit you’ve acquired. But then shxt happens. Life gets in the way. Unexpected elements you hadn’t

It’s easy to get swept away with all the pretty templates and decorative ideas we tend to see floating around social media each day. For me, however, the aim of my productivity game has always been simplicity. Put simply, my goal is never to create the most complete, comprehensive system

I’ve always said I never want a husband or kids. And I found it a cruel joke that the universe saw it fit to give me – not my family-oriented siblings who all have spouses and kids – the responsibility of taking care of my elderly dad. I’ll admit, at

My words are my bond Do whatever you say you’re going to do when you say you’re going to do it. If for any reason that is not possible, inform clients about changes as early as possible. Implement 30 – 50% time buffers for deadlines on every project to minimize

1. Me First In order to be the best version of myself, I need to take care of my needs, desires and protect my time and space before giving of myself to anyone else. 2. Systems + Maintenance I believe the best method for achieving success is to set, adhere

I’ve become used to being the only “other” in the room. As a child in school, I was often the only one from a rural area, while others in my class came from the city. Of course, that meant that back home, I was the only child attending a school

The graveyard of untaken online courses is filled to the brim with good intentions. Our highly optimistic former selves are always certain that soon, we will have some time in our schedule and we’ll get to them then. But soon never comes. And the pile of unattained achievements just gets

For the past two years or so, my 80+ year-old dad has been planning a multi-day trip around Jamaica. He picks a rental car, lays out the itinerary, and even arranges accommodation – everything! Yet, on more than three occasions, he bails at the very last second. So I asked

When I started this blog, I wasn’t ready. When I started freelancing, I wasn’t ready. Heck, when I started adulting, I wasn’t ready. Confession: I’m still not ready. Inside, I am kicking and screaming and praying that someone takes me back to high school and the comforts of having no

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I’ve been on a mission to replace as many Google products in my life as I possibly can. Along my journey, I’ve found some really great products – many of which I would strongly argue are better than their Google counterparts. Some are free,

You’ve probably heard that Google is evil. They’re tracking your every move online – even when you’re not directly using their products – and they’re selling your data (and the data of visitors to your website) and making massive amounts of money off it. Soon, they will amass so much

By becoming a freelancer or small business owner, you pretty much agree to get a masterclass in bill collecting. Following up on invoices becomes a part time job. I’ve had clients take months to pay for work they insisted was “urgent”, or refuse to pay because they outsourced the work

Becoming a successful freelancer can be very fulfilling. However, the road to success is paved with potholes. I know, because I’ve been at this for almost 10 years – and while I’ve had some great times, it’s been more like a rollercoaster ride until I finally got a good grasp

Imagine yourself at a conference with over a thousand attendees. You’re the big name on the ticket. They came just to support you and they’re eager to hear what you have to say. But instead of getting on stage, you’re at the door hawking tickets – hoping to pack the

I’ve been on a mission to declutter the house I share with my dad, and it’s been one of those projects that drags on and on with no end. Considering I live in a 2000+ square foot home, my dad is a packrat, and he only agreed to have me

The best ads are the ones that make you take notice, change your perspective, or have a strong emotional reaction. As a marketer, I’ve been exposed to, and analyzed, many ads over the years, but these are a select few that stuck with me along the way. 1. The Real

Over the past 10 year, since graduating from university, I’ve made some… unconventional life choices. After a few years of living on my own, I chose to move back in with my dad so that I could focus on growing my freelance business without the stress of finding rent. Being

Anyone who’s fond of reading ebooks swears by the power of having a Kindle reader. They love the paperwhite display, the portability and the long battery life the most. I, too, love ebooks, but I have never owned a Kindle device in my life. Nor do I plan to get

When I decided to start freelancing in 2011, all I had was a laptop and a penchant for words. I didn’t even have a credit card, so even if I wanted to pay for online tools, I couldn’t. Fast forward ten years later, my expenses are still quite minimal, but

If the earlier the bird, the bigger the worm it catches, then I’m out here catching pythons because I wake up religiously at 2am. I know, you’re probably thinking I’m nuts, but just wait until you hear my explanation. Initially, my 2am sessions were just to get work done while