If you’re Cheltenham (or Gloucestershire) based and would be interested in donating some of your time to help this worthy charity let me know! The role is largely about organising other volunteers, making sure they understand and stick to guidelines, checking the quality of recordings and generally making sure things run smoothly. It usually takes between half an hour and two hours per week depending on what crops up. It’s a non-recording role but you may get the opportunity to provide holiday or sickness cover for the teams you’ll be looking after.

If you’d like to know more I can send the job description or answer any queries. Just leave a comment or send me a tweet (@Pictors_Pen)

There are two things that really help people make the right career choices.

1. Knowing who you are
2. Getting good advice

If you’re missing one or both (like I was) it can be a tough and painful process.

Know thyself

I remember leaving university, attending an interview with a recruitment agency and responding to the question “So, what are you interested in doing?” with the words, “Um, admin?”.

It took me another few years to realise what actually made me happy at work. Before that I’d attend interviews and go for jobs that I knew would put me way out of my comfort zone, because I hadn’t figured out what I could do that would suit my skills and my personality. This is where the “knowing who you are” comes in. Choosing a job or career path isn’t just about what you’re qualified for, or even what your natural skills are. These are relevant and you should know them but there’s more to think about.

• Are you intimidated by large groups?
• Is it important for you to be able to socialise with your colleagues?
• Do you mind if your boss isn’t very approachable?
• Do you prefer large open plan or smaller office spaces?
• Are you nervous about working with members of the public?
• Are you organised, really?
• Can you work confidently as part of a team?
• Can you be assertive?

There are probably even more questions you need to ask yourself and when you’re applying for a job or attending an interview you should think about the type of company you want to work for and what sort of environment would make you comfortable.

It seems illogical at first – surely you just match your skills to a position, right? No, people are illogical because we have hormones and emotions and personalities which means our colleagues and office environment have a massive impact on our quality of life and our ability to perform.

You may not get much choice, certainly while the job market is slow, but if you don’t understand how these things affect your work you’ll never know how to make the right changes to improve your situation.

Career advice

I’ve found it hard to come by good career advice. What I wanted was for someone to tell me what sort of job would fit my skills and natural talents and how to find that type of job, including what to study at A Level and university. Perhaps it would have been easier to get that advice if I’d known more about myself to start with but there you go.

Instead I made my choices based on personal interest with no thought to a possible career path. It wasn’t the worst thing I could have done but neither was it particularly helpful.

In retrospect, I should have planned for one or two career options. That way, even if you change your mind during or after your studies you will still have something to get you started or fall back on while you prepare to switch lanes.

Got any good tips on finding the right career? Post them below and help people!

Artists will always have an ego: A streak of resilience in the belief that their art is wonderful. It’s a good thing too, as the need to compromise will always try to chip away at our self-image.

There are two kinds of artist. Ones who produce a work for nobody in particular and hope that somebody likes it enough to buy it as it is, and ones who work to a brief with a client. The first type of artist, which I suspect every artist aspires to be, risks losing everything if they fail to find a market. The second has to deal with an almost constant need to compromise.

It doesn’t matter how much you studied or what level your expertise is at – the client will tell you if it’s not to their taste or if they think it could be done better. The artist has little choice but to swallow their pride and knuckle down. The end product is always collaboration with varying degrees of client input. It may no longer be a work of art that the artist can take pride in but it pays the bills and fills the portfolio. It also exercises the mind which is something everybody needs – artist or not.

The compromise isn’t always arduous or depressing. Sometimes it’s an informative experience. Sometimes the client’s input can help create a better product for both parties. At the very least the end result isn’t usually terrible.

Personally, I’m in both categories but mostly the second one. I need money more than I need to feed my ego. Luckily I’m also good enough at what I do that my clients don’t usually impose a frightening number of amendments. Even so, some changes still rankle and I always wonder about the fate of the latest project, even after my eighth or tenth check prior to emailing. Clients may pay the bills but they will always test our ego and paranoia without even meaning to. In this way they compromise the process as well as the production.

Ironically the best solution is another compromise: Find the best clients you can and try to be the best artist you can be. It’s about more than your art or your ego; it’s about building relationships and creating something useful as well as beautiful.

A few weeks ago I remember writing a post about how happy snow makes me feel. This week it has caused me to be unable to reach the office which is a bit annoying but I’m still smiling, mostly.

I’m one of the lucky ones. I can work from home. And yes, that really is a bit of good luck!

I am planning to take it a bit easier over the Christmas period (from about the 23rd December to 4th January 2011, if you’re interested). I’m also currently without a work phone as it is at the office. Nonetheless, deadlines are being met thanks to my lovely lap top, reliable Internet connection and trusty data storage system.

Merry Christmas!

A few years ago I thought I would rather boil my own head than listen to radio two. We always have the radio on in the morning when we drive to work and we used to listen to Chris Moyles on radio one. As time passed by I started to realise I couldn’t stand the way Chris Moyles spoke. His conversation bored me. It irritated me to the point where I was genuinely cross about listening to him. At the same time my other half realised he couldn’t stand the music that was played and repeated over and over. We tried other stations and ended up avid listeners of radio two.

I was getting older. I realised that I liked it.

I am now old enough and settled enough not to feel guilty about avoiding nightclubs. I am old enough to refuse vodka shots. I am old enough to wear comfortable shoes if I like. It’s brilliant.

I’m also discovering more interests. I read the Times, Economist and things like Asia Pacific futureGov and New Scientist through choice. I research things because I want to – not because my tutor or boss is telling me to. I have fun at work by doing a good job.

I’m not saying that passing my 28^th birthday was like pressing a magic button (no innuendo please). But the passage of time has naturally changed me and given me the chance to improve my life. I’ve gained the confidence to relax in my own skin.

Is it horrific to know that it’s taken me almost three decades to reach this condition? Not to me. I’m enjoying myself far too much to lament my history – it wasn’t all bad and it has led me to the happy place I’m at now.

At the moment I’m even looking forward to hitting the big 3-0, although it’s a couple of years(ish) until that milestone.

For now, I’m content with what’s happening and I feel like there are a lot of possibilities that are open to me, or will be soon. That definitely has nothing to do with my age. That is about the people that are in my life now who’ve helped me grow and improve.

How about you? Are you enjoying life’s changes or are you worried about where it’s going to take you?

It seems appropriate to be writing this post on Freelancers’ Day, two years (and a bit) after I first started working as a freelance copywriter. The time has whirled past and as I’ve become increasingly busy it has become harder to maintain the personal blog, even though it’s something I really enjoy doing.

That’s why today I am making a special effort to take time out of my schedule to write something that’s not for a client. If you saw my interview with Ellie Stevenson you’ll know that I’m supposed to be participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) as well as working. Writing another novel was, like this blog post, meant to help me balance my time between things I have to do and things that are just fun to do.

Sadly, this year’s novel has come to a standstill and my work, the list of things I ‘have’ to do, is the cause. I often lamented the imbalance between work and free time when I had traditional ‘9-5’ jobs, especially because all of those jobs required me to work overtime including coming in on Saturdays. I saw freelancing as a way to take control of my diary and work on projects that I chose.

It’s worked, mostly. But as with most problems, when you try and run away from scheduling issues they tend to follow you. Perhaps my work/life imbalance was down to me, not my old employers? Or maybe I stayed too long in positions that necessitated overtime because I had a hard time saying “no” or “that’s enough”? Whatever the reason was before, I don’t have any excuses now. My scheduling issues are mine alone. If I take on too much work I’ll squeeze out the fun stuff like blog posts and NaNo that I want to do too.

You know that phrase, “You can’t have your cake and eat it”? I just can’t see the point of having the cake and not eating it.  Besides, I know people whose lives are a lot less balanced than mine, but that’s their life and it’s none of my business.  

My goal for the New Year is to achieve a permanent balance between everything. Is this too much to ask?

Following a busy and somewhat stressful couple of weeks I decided to write a post about coping with stress. My advice on this topic may seem a little odd. Let’s look at the stressful situation:

I have a mountain of work to do for a couple of clients. Not so unusual, right? The problem is I’m having trouble understanding these clients. They seem to ask for different and even opposing things at the same time. How do I know what they really want? How do I know where I stand?

If you’re expecting a mind blowing answer here you’ll be disappointed. I just did my best to get through and luckily I’ve been able to keep on top of the situation. Even so, the writing of articles and emails to fulfil and negotiate these tasks has been alarmingly stressful. I had to find a solution. It could not include screaming at my clients.

My answer? More writing.

If writing is stressing you out, keep writing. Just make sure you’re writing something else which is fun. How does this help? I will tell you.

• Writing something else will take your focus away from the stressful writing project
• It will lift your mood and banish negative thought patterns
• It will boost your confidence because you’re doing something you enjoy so you’ll feel good about yourself
• It will keep your brain working and it’ll keep you at your desk so it’s easy to switch writing tasks when you’re ready to tackle a bit more of the stressful project
• You can use the fun writing task as a reward for completing various milestones in your stressful writing task

I’ve recently started to put the fun back in writing by joining NaNoWriMo. I completed the challenge last year and it was heaps of fun so the chance to write another novel under the wave of worldwide enthusiasm that NaNo provides seemed ideal.

You can see my interview about NaNoWriMo here. Or check out the main NaNoWriMo site here.

What helps you get over the work-stress blues?

What’s especially strange for me is that some of his advice relates to things I’ve already done (or attempted) but on a slightly different scale. For example, he says you should learn sales, either by going on a course or choosing a job that will train you – even if it means taking a pay cut. Shortly after joining the ‘rat race’ I did just that, taking a job with a pay cut to learn about sales. After a while, I felt that the job wasn’t getting me to where I wanted to be and the lack of oportunity drove me elsewhere. I viewed this as a failure. According to Kiyosaki, this was a success. I just have to keep a different goal in mind.

What is the goal? To achieve financial freedom and make money work for you. To get out of the rat race!

My personal history and culture have taught me to strive for a steady job, to work hard and climb the career ladder. Kiyosaki poses the question people often forget to ask: “What do I want?” Is the clear career path and steady employment going to achieve my aims? Or should I be looking elsewhere?

The ideas are not a ’to do’ list, or even a ‘what to think’ list. It’s about making your own decisions, getting an education and really thinking about what you want to achieve in life and how your financial  plans relate to that. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to make money (so long as you’re not one of those ‘get rich quick’ enthusiasts or anyone with a ‘can’t do’ attitude).

As I said, it’s an eye opener, and some of the advice and opinions may be hard to swallow. I’m not saying you should take Kiyosaki’s word as gospel – just keep an open mind!

Have you ever realised half way through the day that you’re spending a lot of time thinking about and doing things that you don’t really want to be doing? These are the things you do because you should.

I should clean my car out

I should finish the DIY

I should write that blog post

I should finish that book

I often catch myself saying these things in my head. When I want to do something, I normally just do it straight away, or as soon as possible. I don’t use the word ‘should’. Instead, if I think about it, I say “I can’t wait to get home and finish my new book”, or, “I hope the client gets back to me soon so I can start that blog post!”

There is a world of difference between ‘should’ and ‘want’. Life would be a lot easier if we could organise ourselves so that we only do things we want to and there are no ‘shoulds’ in sight! One problem: unless you are an extraordinarily happy, upbeat sort of person you will never get rid of the ‘shoulds’. That’s why for most people a day at work is a bag of mixed blessings. You hated the early start but you loved the weekly catch up meeting. You were depressed by that phone call but you enjoyed learning about saving kittens.

But what about those days when everything is a ‘should’ and you’ve forgotten what it was you ever wanted?

Perhaps it is time to change your career, or take up a new hobby. But before you act, take a little time to reflect and ask yourself some serious questions:

1. Why did you take the job?
2. Have you ever enjoyed it?
3. Is there anything at all you still like or enjoy?
4. If you left, how would you cope financially and what could you do instead?
5. Is it reasonable to do what you want for a career? (I.e. can you make enough money while living your particular dream?)

Sometimes people feel stuck in their career- especially in the midst of a recession and it’s not always possible to quit and follow some crazy dream. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t think about it. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to find a way to balance out the ‘shoulds’ and the ‘wants’. Maybe you think that’s impossible, but have you really considered the options? We don’t always have to stand still.

It’s reasonable to expect a little rough with your order of smooth but when the rough becomes the main course, not a side, it’s time to rethink!

So what do you want?

That’s why I jumped at the chance to volunteer for the Cotswold Listener when I saw it advertised on Twitter. It won’t take up too much time, the office is within walking distance of my own and the work sounds fun and exciting! Assuming I don’t screw up this evening, I’ll be a reader for the Cotswold Listener audio magazine. It’s for blind people in the Cotswolds to keep them up to speed with local events and news but they also have features just like normal magazines.

I’m really looking forward to getting started! It’s very different from the ‘workplace enforced’ volunteering I did when I was in ‘normal’ employment. Back then I used to help out with school gardening projects. It was fun but I think I’ll prefer being a reader more.

There are lots of opportunities available for people looking to volunteer and it’s a great way to have fun as well as being a CV builder. You can even try and arrange your own voluntary projects – you don’t always have to wait for the opportunity to find you! I enjoy donating to charities but I know I don’t have the financial resources to help everyone. Why not donate a little time instead? It all helps!