Allow me to introduce myself. Yes, I’m an Octopus. But more importantly, I’m a creative. I’m resilient, clever, and smart, and I like to have my hands in many projects at the same time — it energizes me! My mentor (and best friend), The Owl, is helping me navigate this new and exciting journey we call freelancing.

You see, I’ve always been creative, and earlier this year I was drawing on my new coconut (I like to jazz it up and use it to hide from my enemies!). I couldn’t help but show it off to my friends. They loved it, and a few of them wanted me to draw on their coconuts, too. Before I knew it, I was taking orders nonstop — I could barely keep up. Then, the Owl encouraged me to sell my coconut art. And would you believe people actually want to buy it?! Now, I’ve caught the attention of companies who pay me to work on creative projects. Thanks to Creative Circle and my lovely recruiter (and The Owl, of course), I’m building an impressive portfolio.

2022 has been a year filled with tons of questions and some answers, too. I learned the basics of freelancing — finding and navigating client relationships, building my personal brand, making sense of the hiring process, and so much more. Freelancing’s opened a whole new world for me; I’m grateful to spend my days being creative and working on passions, and often working at home alone or bouncing ideas off my good friends. It sure hasn’t been easy, but I’m more fulfilled than I’ve ever been. Thank you for taking this journey with me. Keep up with me as I navigate life as a freelancer. 2023 is going to be one for the books — or the magazines, if you will.

From the ocean and back,

Oliver

 

See more about me here.

The Big Apple just took a BIG step.

As of November 1, 2022, almost all employers in New York City must now list a salary range on all job ads, promotions, and transfer opportunities. The law applies to any job that can be done completely or partially in the city — whether in an office, out in the field, or from home.

While this law applies specifically to workers in New York City, its impact is already rippling out, with employers beginning to list pay ranges for jobs nationwide. Suppose a company has any plans to allow work to be done remotely. In that case, it makes sense for them to publicize pay ranges on all jobs because the NYC law also applies to non-NYC organizations that want to post job ads for work that could be done remotely from anywhere in the United States, as long as that includes New York City. Citigroup and Macy’s have already started doing so, and a growing list of companies like Google, IBM, American Express, and more have shared that they plan to do the same. As of mid-November, 60% of job listings in NYC have posted salary ranges, according to Glassdoor. By January, many more businesses will comply because those that do not will be reported to city agencies with 30 days to fix their job postings. Otherwise, they can be fined up to $250,000 per violation. New York isn’t the first place to roll out such a regulation. Colorado has helped lead the pay transparency charge. They have had a similar law to the one recently passed in NYC since January 2021, which requires companies to post a salary band for any job that could be done from Colorado, which includes folks working remotely from the state for a business based elsewhere in the country. Some companies have tried to skirt compliance with this law by barring Colorado residents from applying. But economic experts concur that this is far less likely for the New York City talent pool, which has some 4 million private sector workers. Colorado, in comparison, has a labor force of about 3.2 million in the entire state.

Pay transparency may soon become the norm, not the exception, in the United States.

Pay transparency laws are sweeping the nation and are likely to keep gaining ground. Starting January 2023, states including California, Washington, and Rhode Island will similarly require companies to list salary ranges in job postings. While some workers fret that laws in these states won’t apply to them, it is clear that these actions will put pressure on other states. Forward-thinking businesses are starting to work on this before it officially becomes a legal requirement.

New York City’s pay transparency law may help workers from Oregon to Texas to Delaware and beyond better prepare for salary negotiations because they can get a benchmark for their actual market rate. In the age of working from home and digital nomadism, some companies are doing away with location-based pay, which means that their NYC salary range may become what they offer everywhere. But at the very least, seeing what an NYC company is paying for a particular role can be a jumping off point to figuring out what you should earn in your market. Employers are quickly adjusting to this new norm, raising wages to attract top talent in this competitive market.

Pay transparency is an essential tool for closing gender, racial, and other minorities pay gaps

Historically underpaid groups, like women and people of color, stand to benefit the most from these new laws. Proponents of pay transparency legislation say that it helps remedy pay gaps in individual companies by highlighting how dramatic the pay disparities might be. The picture is still quite stark. Women who work full-time in the USA still only earn $0.83 to every dollar a man makes — a figure that nosedives when you look at the pay disparity for Black and Latina women, who earn considerably less than white women due to the compounded impact of racism and sexism. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Black women are paid $0.58 for every dollar a white man makes. CNBC reported that “in 2021, Latinas working full time were paid approximately $0.57 for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men, the National Women’s Law Center reports — when part-time workers are included in the comparison, Latinas only made 54 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.”

Over the last several decades, mounting evidence points to pay transparency being an essential tool in closing gender and racial pay gaps. Posting salary ranges can help create more equity around pay. However, it may not be able to prevent women and minorities from being offered salaries at the bottom-of-the-range—while other candidates, like white men, negotiate top-of-the-range salaries.

The wide-ranging impact of pay opacity

The sad truth is that historically, companies have been able to offer certain groups of employees, like women — and especially women of color — lower salaries than are typically offered to white men. Research indicates that women and people of color tend to ask for less money, which published salary ranges can now help remedy.

In many countries, including the United States, pay opacity has been a core tenet of the job market and has traditionally benefited employers rather than employees. It’s enabled organizations to keep compensation rates flat even in the face of mounting inflation. Or when market rates for talent have risen, workers have not had reliable reference points to assess whether they are being paid fairly.

A culture of salary secrecy has benefited companies that have been able to keep wages lower, but things are changing. The last few years have significantly shifted the dynamics of the job market. Low unemployment and labor shortages across many industries have likely contributed to this push for greater transparency. Workers feel more empowered to speak up, while businesses have had to work harder to attract top talent.

Pay transparency laws help make hiring and applying for jobs more efficient

Pay transparency also helps eliminate information asymmetries, where a prospective employee’s expectations for pay differ vastly from an employer’s, helping make hiring more efficient for job hunters and employers alike. If salary expectations are too far apart, it’s now easy to disengage from opportunities that are not in alignment.

In the short-term, increased pay transparency may lead to higher turnover as workers see that their skills are worth more than what they’re currently paid, emboldening those who discover they are underpaid to head towards greener pastures. But in the long run, a less-opaque job market will lead to greater stability because retention rates will rise, benefitting workers and companies alike. Soon, almost 25% of Americans will live in a state with some pay transparency legislation. If companies are not providing salary band information to potential and current employees who will come to expect this data, they will wonder what these organizations are trying to hide. These laws may have started a transparency revolution in the employment market.

About the author.

An award-winning creator and digital health, wellness, and lifestyle content strategist—Karina writes, produces, and edits compelling content across multiple platforms—including articles, video, interactive tools, and documentary film. Her work has been featured on MSN Lifestyle, Apartment Therapy, Goop, Psycom, Yahoo News, Pregnancy & Newborn, Eat This Not That, thirdAGE, and Remedy Health Media digital properties and has spanned insight pieces on psychedelic toad medicine to forecasting the future of work to why sustainability needs to become more sustainable.

Freelancers are (unfortunately) used to hearing questions from family and friends who don’t quite understand what they do or how it all works.

Yes, we get that working as an independent contractor can be challenging to wrap your head around. If someone has been a corporate desk jockey their whole career, they may need help to fully grasp the freelance thing. Questions naturally abound—How do you make money? How do you handle multiple clients? Do you ever get out of your PJs?

Younger folks’ career paths may seem relatively “unconventional” to older generations—but freelancing is fast becoming more the norm than the exception. According to research published by Fast Company, 48% of Gen Z workers are freelancers, with about half of working millennials also working as independent consultants in some capacity. By 2027, 86.5 million Americans will be freelancing—about half of the U.S. workforce.

While we understand some generational confusion, that doesn’t mean that the questions don’t get (sometimes very) annoying. While it may fall on us to educate about the freelance world, we can still have fun doing it.

Here are some top questions pesky family and friends will likely ask about your freelance career this holiday season—and how to respond.

1. “Do you actually make money as a freelancer?”

Cue the *eye-roll* — this one gets us every time. I mean, it’s not often you ask full-time professionals detailed questions about their salary. But believe it (or not), this is often one of the first questions lobbed when family discovers you’ve gone to the freelance side. At the risk of delving into a doctoral discourse on your financial history, you can nip this one by being concise and to the point.

How you might respond:  Yes, I’m making money—in fact, freelancers typically make more (often far more) as independent consultants than in traditional full-time jobs. Boom.

 

2. “When are you going to get a real job?”

Oof—this one rankles. Doing work consistently for several clients and getting paid for it is essentially the definition of j-o-b. While being a freelancer is not the prototypical norm, we are often better paid for our skills and experience.

How you might respond:  When this one is lobbed my way, I explain that while I don’t report to an office or work a classic 9-to-5 schedule, I am working all the time, often longer than those in more traditional careers.

 

3. “Aren’t you worried about your future?”

Ah, the future, the lovely “certain” future. Freelancers and standard FTEs alike are all susceptible to job insecurities. Layoffs are a thing—ask the high-paid folks from Twitter, Meta, and other tech behemoths who recently got pink-slipped. Most freelancers are acutely aware of the pitfalls of not having enough work to cover a slow month (or, gulp, year), which is why we cover our bases and plan for rainy days.

How you might respond:  Yes, I’m worried about my future, but guess what—you should be too, which is why you need a solid financial plan.

 

4. “So, what’s it like to not have a boss?”

Questions about freelancing can swing wildly from irritating to starry-eyed. For those frustrated by their own work leadership, imagining freelancers frolicking happily, with no upper management to contend with, is the stuff of fascination station. But it’s important to (maybe after having a weensy bit of fun with it) remind family and friends that being your own “boss” is not quite as glam as it sounds.

I share that I’m responsible for things I’d rather toss up the ladder, like accounting, insurance, payroll, and more. And the truth is everyone answers to someone. Yes, there’s no direct supervisor—but freelancers function at the mercy of their different clients. They are accountable to the people who write them checks, so it often feels like there are multiple bosses at once. Ouch. It’s not the pretty rose-colored Vaseline on the lens view that most people picture.

How you might respond:  Share that while you love being in charge of your workday and career trajectory, going it solo also comes with challenges.

 

5. “I bet you take vacations all the time, right?”

People often assume that freelancing is synonymous with jet-set trips to exotic locales. And while the ability to work anywhere is great, an actual “vacation” is one where you can actually unplug and disconnect from the digital grid—and typically requires quite a bit of advance planning.

I remind folks that there’s no PTO in the land of the freelancer. Shutting things down for a week or more involves planning ahead and oodles of communication with clients. It’s more complex than picking a cool destination, packing, and setting an out-of-office response.

How you might respond: ”While I do have the option to work from wherever, it can (somewhat ironically) be more complex to get away. True vacations require a lot of prep and planning, which means they don’t happen as often as they do in my fantasies.”

 

6. “What’s your five-year plan?”

Five years? Freelancers often don’t have the next five minutes planned. Sometimes there’s an idea of what one would like to accomplish in the next five years, while other times, it’s more about planning for next month. If you don’t have a five-year plan mapped out and color-coded, that’s perfectly fine. And even if you do but prefer not to go into detail about it, this genius response keeps the mystique.

 

How you might respond: ”While I could tell you, it would ruin the surprise.”

 

__________________________________________

 

Bottom Line

The best overarching advice for annoying questions about your freelance career? Get curious about their curiosity. Why are they asking—are they just curious? Concerned? Jealous? Both? It will help guide how much fun or seriousness you inject into your responses. So, when Uncle Larry asks when you’re going to get serious and go to law school, you can let him know that you’d love to chat about this but must check on the roast and then lament how you’ll be sitting on opposite sides of the table. Or, get a little cheeky and tell him you’ll get right on that as soon as you get his tuition check.

 

About the author.

An award-winning creator and digital health, wellness, and lifestyle content strategist—Karina writes, produces, and edits compelling content across multiple platforms—including articles, video, interactive tools, and documentary film. Her work has been featured on MSN Lifestyle, Apartment Therapy, Goop, Psycom, Yahoo News, Pregnancy & Newborn, Eat This Not That, thirdAGE, and Remedy Health Media digital properties and has spanned insight pieces on psychedelic toad medicine to forecasting the future of work to why sustainability needs to become more sustainable.

The past month has been a tech blood bath, with numerous big-name companies embarking on sweeping layoffs.

In just the past few weeks, Meta culled 11,000 workers, and now there are rumors that Amazon will let go of 10,000 employees—and of course, the company at the forefront of these mass tech layoffs, Twitter, who quite infamously, slashed half its workforce. It is disheartening to see so many highly skilled people losing their jobs, but even more so to learn how many discovered they were no longer employed.

Before looking at the crude methods used by some of these companies to thin their ranks, here’s a simple reminder that behind these numbers and percentages are human beings who made sacrifices to grow these companies, launch new products, craft strategic plans to boost revenue, and forged boldly into the digital sphere, crafting various devices and products that so many of us use daily. These people built their lives around work they believed in, working late, coming in early, missing kids’ soccer games, and more to help these businesses grow and succeed.

In the case of Twitter, there was little to no communication with employees following Musk’s takeover. Staff received a memo on a Thursday morning confirming that some layoffs would commence the following day. Affected workers would receive an email to their personal email by 9 a.m. the next day. But just hours after the initial email was sent, warning of coming layoffs, some Twitter staff began losing access to their work platforms like email and Slack. Notably, Musk’s name was absent from the memo and subsequent layoff notices, which were simply signed “Twitter.” About half of the company, 3,700 full-time employees, were ultimately let go, many who, after years of service, had no thoughtful conversation withHR or even an email, but rather a harsh pulling of the plug.

Now, independent contractors appear to be next on the Twitter hit list. And the company seems to have doubled down on letting people go without letting them know. Contractors are not being notified at all—they are just losing access to Slack and email. Their managers figured out their consultants were terminated when they just vanished from the system—poof. They heard zilch from leadership. Some contractors have shared that they are worried about whether they will receive their final paycheck since many ended up on teams with no full-time employees after the first round of Twitter layoffs.

The response from former Twitter employees has been robust—but it seems that new management is not listening. Melissa Ingle, a content moderation contractor for Twitter, shared the following:

Chaos has reigned supreme at Twitter following Musk’s acquisition of the business. Some laid-off staff has now been asked to return after the company realized they were essential to operations. Other staff members have filed a lawsuit, on the grounds that they were not given enough advance notice before being let go. A current Twitter employee has described the current environment as “ruthless,” as shared with Business Insider’s Jyoti Mann.

Just this week, Musk gave Twitter’s remaining employees an ultimatum—they had 36 hours to commit to ‘hardcore’ Twitter or take three months of severance. Employees were asked to click an icon to respond if they wanted to stay and commit to building “a breakthrough Twitter 2.0.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, record number of resignations have rolled in, so many, that Twitter closed their office building and disabled employee badge access. All this has just added turmoil to an already roiled time, illustrating a current and ongoing example of what not to do when laying off staff, which begs the question: what are good ways to manage layoffs?

+ Give information

Give employees information about the business problems underlying the need for layoffs. Give more detail than you think necessary; this will increase trust with the remaining employees, who will get word of what happened. Fear spreads—information helps quell it. You may not always be able to avoid layoffs, but you can manage the process respectfully.

+ Be certain your layoffs do not discriminate

Ensure there is no discrimination against protected classes of employees and that the layoff criteria are practiced equivalently across all company sectors. Some companies use last hired/first-to-go when determining who to lay off. While this avoids possible allegations of discrimination, experts do not recommend handling layoffs in this fashion as you are likely cutting out all your experienced recent talent or your young, diverse hires. A better bet is to ask managers to make a business case for each person they want to retain.

+ Do the best you can afford for soon-to-be former employees

When layoffs are necessary, do the best you can afford for the employees you are laying off. Offer a healthy severance package, extend benefits to help bridge the divide until they find their next opportunity, offer career placement services, and other economic assistance to help make the layoffs as manageable as possible for employees.

The Bottom Line

When layoffs must happen, remember that humans are on the receiving end of job terminations. Do not do a mass meeting, video or telephone conference call, or send an email to let people go—they deserve better than that, and it will reflect poorly on your company.

Bungling layoffs are essentially a negative branding campaign because how you sunset employees will be discussed far and wide in your industry—especially if you are a big-name company like Twitter.

You can manage letting people go in a way that those who remain are encouraged by your effective, compassionate handling of the situation. Layoffs are never easy and always create uncertainty and fear in the workplace—but there is a way to manage them so that you win in the court of public opinion.

 

About the author. 

An award-winning creator and digital health, wellness, and lifestyle content strategist—Karina writes, produces, and edits compelling content across multiple platforms—including articles, video, interactive tools, and documentary film. Her work has been featured on MSN Lifestyle, Apartment Therapy, Goop, Psycom, Yahoo News, Pregnancy & Newborn, Eat This Not That, thirdAGE, and Remedy Health Media digital properties and has spanned insight pieces on psychedelic toad medicine to forecasting the future of work to why sustainability needs to become more sustainable. 

Whether someone you know has been laid off, downsized, fired, or seen freelance work dry up, job loss is one of life’s most stressful experiences.

 

Aside from the obvious financial concerns, the stress of losing a job can do a real number on relationships and overall mental and emotional health. Our jobs are more than how we make a living—they influence how we see ourselves and how the world sees us. Our work often provides a social outlet, structuring our time and giving purpose to our lives. Finding yourself out of work can give rise to anger, depression, and shame—grieving what has been lost and anxious about the future.

 

The past few weeks have been rich in headline-making tech layoffs. In just the past month alone, Twitter slashed half its workforce, Meta culled 13% of its workers, and now, there are rumors that Amazon will lay off 10,000 employees. The landscape has downshifted in the tech world, a downturn that may be coming for other industries soon. With layoffs on the rise, understanding how to show up for someone reeling from the impact of a job loss is a skill worth honing.

 

After a colleague, friend, or loved one has been let go, it can be difficult to know what to say or how to help. Steer clear of platitudes like everything happens for a reason or what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. You want to comfort and support the person who has been laid off—but in a way that is authentic, empathetic, and non-judgmental.

 

Here are some ways to show up that are genuinely helpful and impactful.

1. Listen.

The most significant thing you can do for someone you care about who has lost their job is to be there for them and actively listen. Offer verbal and nonverbal encouragement and give them space to share their feelings of anger, shame, sadness, guilt, or relief. Only they can tell you what they need in the moment.

 

2. Be an emotional support.

For many people, their jobs are inextricably entwined with their sense of self-worth, which is why being let go can cause such emotional distress. Let your friend, family member, or colleague know you are there if they need to rant, talk, or cry. Remind them that they are talented and valuable regardless of their employment status.

 

3. Know what you should not say.

According to Fast Company, there are seven things you should not say to someone who has just become unemployed. Certain statements like everything will be all right, everyone is looking for jobs these days, or be grateful for what you have, may alienate your loved one, perpetuate a sense of helplessness, or make them feel unsupported.

 

4. Help them in their job search.

Finding new work can take time and effort. If you have contacts in your friend or loved one’s industry, passing along their résumé, making personal introductions, and inviting them to happy hours to network can be hugely helpful—all things you can do at any stage of your career.

 

If you work in different fields, you can lend your expertise. Great at writing? Help edit and wordsmith your friend or family member’s CV. Have web design chops? Help craft an online portfolio. Have a stocked home office? Let them come over and print, fax, and scan their hearts out.

 

5. Send a gift.

Losing a job is a layered, distressing experience. The fear of financial duress, the slog of searching for new work, and waves of anger, frustration, and sadness can be all-encompassing. For many, feelings of self-worth, value, and competence are tied to their job, which can become untethered when it is lost. Luckily, however, there are many ways for you to show that you value your friend or loved one. Flowers and food are classic gifts in times of crisis. So is going to a nice cocktail bar and giving pace for your friend or loved one to vent. Feeling cared for in a low moment can help someone feel valued and put some pep in their step.

 

6. Keep checking in.

People typically check in immediately after hearing about a colleague, friend, or loved one’s job loss. But after the first couple weeks, when the calls and flowers have dried up, your friend or family member will likely be mired in job application limbo for months to come. Checking in regularly and just asking how they are doing means a lot. Refrain from immediately asking how the job search is going; let them tell you what is happening. If you at a loss for what to say, let them know that you are there to listen if they ever want to talk.

 

 

Bottomline

The stress of losing a job can seem overwhelming—but there are many things you can do to help, from uplifting spirits to just letting someone know they are valued and have worth.

 

If invited to do so, share any ideas you may have for possible new opportunities. Support their grief and growth and be a sounding board for new ideas. Doing so can make all the difference.

 

About the author. 

An award-winning creator and digital health, wellness, and lifestyle content strategist—Karina writes, produces, and edits compelling content across multiple platforms—including articles, video, interactive tools, and documentary film. Her work has been featured on MSN Lifestyle, Apartment Therapy, Goop, Psycom, Yahoo News, Pregnancy & Newborn, Eat This Not That, thirdAGE, and Remedy Health Media digital properties and has spanned insight pieces on psychedelic toad medicine to forecasting the future of work to why sustainability needs to become more sustainable. 

Monotasking is the practice of eliminating distractions to focus on a single task for a specified amount of time. Essentially, monotasking is for every human trying to be productive in this digital age, but I’d like to talk about monotasking for creatives, and those with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD).

I first learned about monotasking through a CreativeMornings event hosted by Cave Day about a year before the pandemic. Thankfully, I started practicing monotasking on my own during the pandemic and highly recommend everyone to try it.

 

ADHD and Creatives

Caterina Gawrilow and Sara Goudarzi from Scientific American write, “Two core symptoms, inattention and impulsiveness, suggest a connection between creativity and ADHD. Inattention, which occurs more frequently in those affected with the disorder, likely leads to mind wandering, or the drifting of thoughts from an activity or environment. Such drifting can lead to new, useful and creative ideas.”

As a creative with ADHD, I struggle daily with daydreaming and a lack of motivation. I struggle to do tasks I have zero interest in doing. I call them loathful tasks, which typically relate to finances, taxes, insurance, business expenses, etc.

It’s not that I don’t understand or comprehend loathful tasks; it’s that I don’t feel energized while doing them. The only positive I get is in the completion, and the more I procrastinate, the greater joy I have when it’s done. Completing an enjoyable task feels like getting a raise. Completing a loathful task feels like getting your teeth cleaned. Is it necessary? Sure. Did it fuel me with more energy or happiness? Not exactly.

Although, it’s worth mentioning that nearly 20 years after being diagnosed, I no longer feel my ADHD is a flaw; it is my superpower. Kristin Wilcox Ph.D. agrees in her article, The Link Between Creativity and ADHD, published on Psychology Today, she wrote, “Creativity is one of the superpowers of ADHD, and a lot of human progress has been thanks to “outside-the-box” thinkers.”

How do I monotask?

For context, I work remotely, usually at home with my dog and without humans present. I know this makes things a bit easier for me than others, but I recommend scheduling at least one hour a week to increase productivity. A productive session of monotasking means doesn’t always mean completing the task I set out to do, but knowing I got more done in that session than if I hadn’t blocked out distractions is how I determine success. There are a few necessary steps I adhere to for monotasking effectively:

Why it’s so important for creatives?

Monotasking is great for all types of tasks, but when I need to gather information to send to my accountant during tax season, it’s exactly what I need.

Creating a mood board, choosing swatches, selecting a typeface, or building a layout are creative tasks that I often deem more enjoyable and inspiring. It is not uncommon for a creative to simultaneously work on a handful of creative tasks and feel energized.

Personally, I can maintain attention on creative tasks, but when I need to gather information to send to my accountant during tax season, I’m basically a toddler repeatedly asking, “why?”

I’ve had numerous conversations with peers, colleagues, and other creatives at networking events revolving around the unexpected parallels of “easlily inspired” and “struggle to focus.” My theory is, creatives produce ideas daily, making us more adept at looking and thinking outside the box, therefore, more susceptible to distractions (i.e. procrastinating loathful tasks). Monotasking is key for removing distractions to achieve clarity and focus.

Whether you’re creating a new brand identity for a client or preparing for tax season, monotasking is a great tool for productivity.

Before monotasking…

Scheduling
I decide how much time I need (anywhere from 45 minutes – 3 hours), and I block off my calendar. If you’re in an open office, I suggest booking a conference room or using headphones. You could consider having a sign at your desk that signals to coworkers you’re “in the zone,” asking them to only interrupt if necessary.

Preparing
I consider if there is anything I’ll need before getting started (files or information from another person, supplies from the store, etc.). Anything that will put a wrench in my productivity.

Bonus points if you are lucky enough to find a coworker who wants to monotask with you that helps with accountability. Working remotely, you’d be surprised at how powerful a video call without conversing can be for monotasking.

At the beginning of my monotasking session…

Phone (MOST important!)

I put my phone out of sight and on silent. I’ve found it’s best to charge my phone in another room. Occasionally, depending on what I’m working on, I may need it nearby for secure logins, but as long as it’s out of view, it makes all the difference to my productivity.

Do not disturb
I enable do not disturb on my laptop (and iPad, if I’m using it), so notifications will be silenced. I’ll even quit Slack or any apps that I won’t need and may send a notification. I know there are options to create customized focus settings on the Mac OS, but I haven’t advanced to that level yet.

Noise
I work best with background noise to drown out any other noises that may interrupt me, and I prefer listening to catchy music without lyrics. Two of my go-to playlists on Spotify are Jazz in the Background and Bridgerton. My favorite way to listen to music is to play from a speaker across the room, not from my device, because it feels like I’m in a different space, like a coffee shop. Of course, if I work in a public, I use headphones.

Timer
I purchased this hexagon clock/timer for my desk that, when turned to a specified side (5, 15, 30, 45, or 60 minutes), the timer will start counting down. I don’t do well with a countdown in my field of vision, so I typically face it away from me or put it behind me.

If I’m trying to focus for a longer session, I’ll set the time for 60 minutes of focus time, followed by a 15-minute break, then another 45-minute focus. There are variations depending on how much time I have, but I always try to work in a break for sessions that are an hour or more.

During monotasking…

If an unrelated task, idea or thought pops into my head that I also need to do, I write it down in the notebook next to me. This way, I don’t stress about trying to remember. At the end of the session, I will go through every note I made, ADHDing it to the necessary task list, doc or browser tab.

In conclusion

Monotasking is a game-changer for me. I think most creatives can relate to being easily distracted, then frustrated by the distractions and endlessly disappointed in ourselves for the lack of productivity in a day. Each day I successfully execute a session for monotasking, I feel good about myself because I can live in the moment when I’m having drinks with a friend or dinner with family instead of feeling guilty that I haven’t sent in my expense reports yet.

 

About the author.

Kristi is a freelance Art Director & Brand Designer. Her work is playful, yet organized. She enjoys working with contrasting elements. When she’s not working, she’s usually out and about with her dog, Mila, spending quality time with loved ones and traveling.

View her work at kristidoran.com.

We are still in the sizzle of a hot job market, which makes it harder to attract and (retain) the best freelance talent. To help you better understand how to succeed in this market, Creative Circle surveyed over 400 people to learn what they search for when applying to roles and how they see themselves in the more global work landscape.

Contract work can be a double-edged sword—higher pay, flexible schedules, and more diverse opportunities often come at the cost of benefits like healthcare and paid time off. A tight labor market has some independent workers re-evaluating what they want from the companies they work with—here are some exclusive insights to help you stay ahead of the pack.

Perception and Semantics

Contractor, freelancer, contingent worker, talent, candidate, or consultant—synonyms? Maybe not. When referring to non-full-time workers, we often use these terms interchangeably. However, some of the responses from our survey question, where we asked the workers to self-identify were unexpected. For many, the definitions are conditional on the type of work, length of the assignment, and if they are working through an agency or not.

 

—

“Contractor if working with a staffing company, freelancer if on my own.”

—

“If through an agency: contractor. If freelancing on my own: freelancer.”

—

“It depends on what the role is. Sometimes contractor, other times freelancer.”

—

“Both freelance and contract. Depends on length of the assignment.”

—

“The culture of the company that brings in the contractor determines the difference: some companies provide the same treatment to contractors as full-time employees, and some do not.”

 

Send Me All the Things

One of our survey questions asked: When working with a staffing company, what types of jobs do you want sent to you? Nearly 70% of those surveyed answered: Send me everything close to my role via email, even if it’s not a perfect fit as compared to the 16.7% who responded: Send only roles that match my experiences and preferences.

Given that one of the perks of working with a staffing company is to have opportunities sifted through and matched with candidate preferences, we were struck by the response to this question. Does this speak to the independent and multi-talented spirit of freelancers—a grasp for autonomy of choice in an uncontrollable world? Perhaps. With the job market still hot, what we have gleaned is that individuals want roles that offer growth and new experiences.

 

Do Benefits Outweigh Benefits?

One of the big draws of freelance work is that it is typically remunerated at a higher rate—a huge benefit. But perhaps, unsurprisingly, contract employees still often desire more generous benefits like health insurance when seeking freelance opportunities. There is a push/pull between the increased financial benefit of freelance versus the stability of full-time job that may pay less but comes with more benefits like healthcare and paid time off.

Many workers view the lack of benefit offerings as standard industry practice. Their perception seems to be conditional on the type of contingent worker they may be. For example, are they freelancing independently or working with a staffing agency?

The way temporary employees see themselves may influence their expectations when seeking roles. When asked to rank listed benefits in order of priority, 54% selected healthcare as their top priority. When asked, “Do staffing companies’ benefits packages influence your decision to work with an agency or not?” 48% responded “yes.”

Further investigation showed that when explicitly working for a staffing agency (i.e., Creative Circle), many participants consider healthcare benefits a mandatory offering. However, many responses also indicated that while insurance and other benefit offerings would be agreeable, they did not consider this a mandatory practice.

 

—

“It depends. If the assignment is going to be long-term and the client isn’t looking to hire me, then the benefits package will be a mandatory consideration. If I am working with Creative Circle to help me get hired by a client, then this is less of a consideration.”

—

“No. I’m a freelancer, which implies open-ended. If the rate is right, I’m not thinking about benefits. I’ll work the back end.”

—

“Health insurance is a must, especially when working freelance without a company like Creative Circle, it’s much harder to get reliable insurance that covers a lot.”

 

“Nothing is mandatory. Health benefits are nice….”

 

Maybe there’s a Magic Bullet?

Our survey findings show that freelance workers have different needs and desires that hinge on where they are looking for work. Many candidates consider benefits offerings when working with a staffing agency but are less likely to do so when pursuing independent freelance assignments. But perhaps there is a middle ground—Health Savings Accounts or HSAs.

 

These health accounts can be a great option for freelance workers and do not cost employers anything (though it may make the opportunity more attractive if they contributed). HSAs are mobile, so can travel from gig to gig, and can provide a measure of benefit, in a space where they are often not expected.

 

As the freelance world begins to look more and more like a traditional 9-to-5, companies are struggling to remain competitive when seeking top talent. With the addition of some stop-gap benefit measures, at little or no cost, agencies can diversify themselves, reaping a better (and happier) crop of candidates / contractors / consultants.

 

About the author.

An award-winning creator and digital health, wellness, and lifestyle content strategist—Karina writes, produces, and edits compelling content across multiple platforms—including articles, video, interactive tools, and documentary film. Her work has been featured on MSN Lifestyle, Apartment Therapy, Goop, Psycom, Yahoo News, Pregnancy & Newborn, Eat This Not That, thirdAGE, and Remedy Health Media digital properties and has spanned insight pieces on psychedelic toad medicine to forecasting the future of work to why sustainability needs to become more sustainable.