As COVID-19 continues to spread around the world, it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to remain calm and not panic.
Today is our 27th day of enhanced community quarantine. I have not been outside of our yard since March 17. Only my husband is allowed to leave the house to buy food and other essential items. He can’t leave the house without his quarantine pass and mask. He’s only allowed to go to the public market on Tuesdays and Fridays, from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon. Lately, he’s been avoiding going to the public market, because even though we are strictly observing social distancing, some people are not.
We have been told by the authorities to stay in our homes in order to prevent the spread of the virus, but that does not mean that we should go crazy inside. To prevent panic, try to limit how much news you watch. Personally, I avoid fake news and the overhyped reporting that only propagates fear and anxiety. Get updates from reliable sources, and do not be that person who shares fake news. Take some time to verify what you’re sharing before hitting the share button. Google is free to use.
Avoiding contact with other people and washing your hands and staying home are things that you can do by disciplining yourself, but your ability to remain calm comes from within. That means you’ll have to take the necessary steps in reducing your stress and anxiety and promoting calmness while the virus runs its course.
Here are three of the best ways that you can stay calm and centered in times of COVID-19 panic!
Meditation & Mindfulness
So, you’re anxious and stressed as a result of the rapid spread of the virus. If you’ve never attempted meditation or any mindfulness techniques in the past, this is the perfect time to try them out and get some practice under your belt.
According to the Mayo Clinic, meditation can play a huge role in helping you maintain your mental and emotional health, even benefiting aspects of your physical health. Here’s what meditation can do for you.
Greater outlook on life (positivity)
Increased feelings of calmness
Greater self-awareness
Reduced levels of anxiety and stress
Improved focus
It’s no secret that I work for a guy in the health and wellness space. Not too long ago, I was given the opportunity to take a course called the Ziva Technique. And yes, I learned a lot in those two weeks, but my greatest takeaway is that now I know how to manage stress.
Emily Fletcher, the founder of Ziva Meditation, wrote a guest post for Ben Greenfield Fitness, and I highly recommend that you read that post. She also has a book called Stress Less, Accomplish More, which is available on Kindle, so you can easily get a hold of it.
Finding a Creative Outlet
This is a great time to try out some new (or old) creative hobbies. When you’re focused on building or creating something new, you’re reducing the amount of focus on the negativity surrounding you.
A creative outlet can be almost anything. Here are a few things
you might want to try out (if you have the supplies in your home).
Crocheting – of course, this is the first I would say!
Knitting
Embroidery
Crafting
Painting, coloring, or drawing
Singing or playing musical instruments
Taking photos or videos of things you enjoy
Building something with things lying around the house
Writing
Puzzles
Reading something and then writing an essay about it (yes, remember English 101 class?). This is a great way to take your mind off the world’s troubles.
I think everybody knows by now that I love crochet just as much as I love being a virtual assistant. In fact, I have created an opportunity for me during this COVID-19 pandemic to create and sell crocheted face masks. And I’ve even recorded a video of me playing the ukulele while singing It’s a Wonderful World.
Basically, the goal here is to find an activity or task that requires focus and makes you happy. You’ll never notice the passage of time when you’re having fun.
And if you don’t have a creative bone in your body, how about doing your spring cleaning?
Giving Back & Helping Others
Due to the enhanced community quarantine, what we can do to help others are limited. But we still can. Even if we do not belong to the essential work force.
The call for protective face shields, for example. I know at least a couple of crafters who participated in this drive. Too bad I don’t have acetate and foam to use, or I would have made some, too.
Fortunately, I was still able to do something, however little.
I joined the drive for crocheting ear savers for our frontliners. A friend in the crochet community posted a pattern and a call for crocheters to volunteer. All we need are buttons and lots of yarns. A have a few of the former, and lots of the latter. So I posted on my Facebook wall that I’m going to make those ear savers. A few hours after I posted, a barangay councilor messaged me that they want those ear savers. The following day, the Rotaract president of our town also requested some for the Municipal Health Office, and he sent me buttons!
As of this writing, I have made around 50 ear savers, and I will continue to make them for as long as there is a need. I signed up with this group, Earsavers for Lifesavers. Do check out the page and see if you would like to volunteer in any capacity.
Final Thoughts
There’s really nothing we can do to cure or stop the spread of COVID-19 (except maybe by strictly following the enhanced community quarantine rules), but by being mindful and creative, we can stay calm and centered.
And we can take this opportunity to find ways we can serve and give back to our community, however little the help may be.
Last year, I wrote about how you can start a successful career as a freelancer. If you have not read that yet and you are interested in becoming a rockstar freelancer, then you should read that one first before reading this post. 🙂
Freelancing allows you to do many things. If you’re an artist, then it is a great way to build an impressive portfolio. If you are skilled in multiple niches, then It helps you narrow them down to the ones you love best doing, then refine and improve your skills in your chosen niche. Freelancing also helps you get your foot in the industry or niche of your choice, and it can help you make a name for yourself as a business owner.
And the best part… It allows you to call the shots – work when you want, where you want, with whoever you want, at the price that you want.
If you are already a freelancer, the next thing you want to know is how to rock it. And today,I have a few quick tips on how you can become a rockstar freelancer.
Always Do Your Research
Research is key. Doing user research so you can understand the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of the people who are likely to use your product or service will greatly help you serve your clients best. This will help identify their pain points, and enable you to offer them solutions.
You should also research on the tools that are best to use for your niche. Research on what other rockstar freelancers use. Find out what are the best practices. Get to know the best platforms to use to manage your projects. This list goes on, but the operative word is research. Even if you’re already a freelancer, you can never rest on your laurels. You can never say you know everything. There’s always a new tool to use, some new skills to learn, and some new platforms to try. If before there was just Trello and Basecamp and Asana, now there’s AirTable, Mondays and AdminJa. Don’t stop with what you know. Keep abreast of what technology can offer you.
And while I don’t recommend competing for price, it also helps to know what other freelancers are charging. You don’t have to charge what they charge, but if you’re just starting out, it’s good to have an idea of what’s the industry standard.
If you’re struggling to find a client, then maybe the niche is already saturated. Knowing how much competition you have will help you decide whether or not to stick to your chosen niche, or you can find out how you can offer value-added services to your existing package. Again, you can address this by doing research.
Take Your Time
Another tip that doesn’t get mentioned often is the need to take your time.
So you’ve done your research. You’ve found out what’s happening in the industry, found out the best tools and the best platforms.
Next thing you have to do is take time to learn those tools and platforms. Learn them and compare them with what you’re already using. Will it be beneficial to switch? Or are the ones you’re using serving you well?
Take time to build your profile, too. Don’t rush things. Say you are a creative freelancer and you have a huge portfolio. Take time to evaluate your work and select the best ones to include in your website. Better to have just 10 of your best work than have hundreds of mediocre pieces on display.
Taking your time with your tasks is also important. I don’t mean to suggest that you should dilly-dally with your tasks. What I mean is to take time to understand the process and what the desired result is, so that you get it right the first time. Don’t aim for a quick finish. Aim for an efficient one. Delivering an error-free project will score you great points, whatever your freelance skill is. In addition, if you keep getting things done right consistently, you are sure to earn a very positive reputation in the industry and people will be more likely to hire you or refer you to their contacts.
Understand The Client
A rockstar freelancer is also at least one step ahead of the client, and that is possible when you fully understand the client’s goals, their pain points, and their personal preferences.
Here’s the thing… A freelancer is not an employee. A freelancer is, in a way, a business partner of the client. Understanding your client empowers you to be proactive and to take initiatives. This also reduces the number of times you have to ask questions. Say you are a freelancer specializing in travel management. Take the initiative to know your client’s preferences when traveling. Preferred departure times, arrival times, window or aisle seats, coach, business or first class, need wifi connection, passports updated, frequent flyer accounts? Get all these data the first time your client asks you to book them for travel and file them away in a safe place for your easy reference next time.
Making the effort to understand your client on Day 1 will not only make your life easier. It will also allow you to accomplish your tasks with the least back and forth with your client. And aren’t you there to save your client precious time, so they can focus on strategies and not dwell on the mundane? So yes, save your client some time. They will love you for it.
Keep Your Work Consistent
Consistent work should be more of a set default for you rather than something you are told to do. Consistent work shows you are committed to your work, commitment shows confidence, confidence shows you know what you need to do and that earns you the client’s trust. Consistency in work is good to have, but consistency in quality is a must-have.
If you do a really great job with a client, they then go and tell their tribe. Members of that tribe can become your clients, too.
What happens if you’re not consistent?
You get more clients because you’ve been referred by a happy client, But then you deliver an inferior performance for the new client. Of course, the new client will be unhappy. And guess what? One bad review can cancel out whatever good reviews you’ve had in the past.
Sell Yourself
What does this mean?
As a freelancer, I highly doubt if you’ll ever have a marketing budget. Most freelancers I know don’t even have personal branding. So let’s say you are among those who missed the memo on the importance of branding… what do you do?
You only have your skills and your experience to bring to the table. You have no products to sell. Just yourself. So make sure you package yourself well. Polish your about page on your website. If you don’t have a website, at least have an account on LinkedIn. Be visible on social media, but be very careful on what you post. Be the person that you want your client to be working with. Be the consummate professional.
Being a freelancer can be scary sometimes, but it really isn’t that hard to rock it. Try to practice the quick tips I mentioned above, add in a dash of determination, a pinch of perseverance and whole lot of hard work and you’ll be on the road to rockstardom,
Remember, the word freelancing starts with free. It’s the freedom to do what you love, and being paid while doing it.
I’ve been a small business owner since 2006. I poured my heart into launching my virtual assistance service from a small computer table in our living room, right beside my baby’s crib. I had my share of sleepless nights when clients gave me tight deadlines. I sacrificed weekends and holidays for more billable hours. I scoured the internet for free courses so I could learn other skills. I brought my work with me to soccer practice, doctor’s appointments, piano lessons, and answered emails on my phone while queueing to pay at the grocery.
All these things I did because I was committed. Committed to deliver the service I promised, and more.
But what I learned over the years is that appearances can also contribute to the success or failure of any venture, especially when you’re just starting out in the business, in whatever industry you choose. More so if you’re a freelancer. More often than not, people think that creating an account on a third-party platform or submitting resumes is enough to win clients. And then those who actually think about creating a cyber presence simply take advantage of free websites or informal email addresses. But if you want to be taken seriously, you will need a more professional presence. After all, you only get one chance to make a first impression.
So how do you make sure that your business is reaching your ideal clients?
Brand Your Business
There’s one quality that every major brand has in common, no matter the sector in which they operate. From Chanel to Coca Cola – the secret is consistency. These companies have all developed the power of their brand, starting with articulating a vision and values for what they do, all the way down to considering a tone of voice for their communications and a logo which conveys what they stand for. Small businesses and solopreneurs can also benefit from this approach. Establishing a brand can give you a story and a way to compete that isn’t about price alone. Developing a professional-looking logo is easy these days, and with tools like Templafy you can create a suite of materials to give a professional and consistent approach to any of the documents that you or your team need.
Build Your Website, or Do a Makeover
Your business website is your shop window to the world, and the first port of call for customers, business partners, investors and suppliers. So it makes sense to ensure that it looks brilliant and works smoothly. Work with a web designer or work with a customizable premium template to set up something based around functional design, which meets web accessibility standards and makes information easy to find, while also meeting SEO requirements. Build up quality content that enriches the user experience and positions you as a thought leader. Outline your terms of service and your contact details and give clear calls to action throughout.
Suss Out Your Social Media
Social channels are vital and highly effective ways for small businesses to find new clients, advertise their services and showcase what they do – in fact, if used correctly, they may be the only form of advertising that you need. So spend some time learning what channels your audience uses, conduct some social listening to find out what topics and concerns they have, and create a list of the most relevant hashtags in your area. You can then focus on making some good quality content to point people to on your site – think genuinely helpful information, not a transparent sales pitch.
In summary, if you have a small business and are still building a client base, you need to establish your brand, build a website and create great content that you can share on social media platforms that your ideal clients use.
Indeed, there is no place like home. Home is command central for me, being a work-at-home and homeschooling mom.
We’ve been homeschooling since 2009. And I’ve been attending homeschool conventions since 2014. You’d think that I’ve had my fill of conventions, but no. I still look forward to it every year. Especially since we went indie.
I once wrote about Adult Homeschool, and how learning should never stop. It’s the same view I have about attending conventions. And it’s not just about learning from the speakers. It’s about learning from our fellow homeschool parents, networking with them, sharing your best practices, and listening to theirs.
This year’s convention theme is No Place Like Home. And to say that I’m excited is putting it mildly.
Cultivating a Lifestyle of Learning Through Family Time
by Gina Guerrero-Roldan
Function Hall 1
How to Build a Homeschool Parenting Community
by Dawn Fung
Function Hall 2
Panel: Government Exams for the Independent Homeschooler
Panelists: Cristina Buen and Eliza Cornejo
Moderator: Laksmi Maluya
Meeting Rooms 2-3
5:00pm-5:15pm
Mini-break
5:15pm-5:30pm
Closing Remarks
Function Halls 1-2
5:30pm-6:00pm
Expo Visit
Function Hall 3
I’m most interested in the homeschooling high school breakout session because yeah, we’re homeschooling high school now.
Our first homeschooler is already a degree holder at 19. After she finished elementary homeschool, she went to a Science high school. Then for the two younger kids, we decided to go independent. It was scary, yes, but we felt that the provider we chose was not a match for us. We were not getting the assistance and direction that was promised to us when we first enrolled with them. So after three years of not feeling good with them, we just didn’t enroll anymore.
So the second and third child were homeschooled independently. We just downloaded the curriculum from the DepEd website and played it by ear from there.
And when I say play it by ear, we were really going at it blind.
But I guess we have done something good.
Our middlechild now has her elementary certification from the Department of Education, and with it came two awards. She was given the Medal for Academic Excellence from the Office of Sen. Ralph Recto, and the Highest Rating Award from the Department of Education District Office. She garnered the area’s highest exam score in her batch.
She’s now preparing to take the certification exam for high school this year.
Meanwhile, our youngest child is also preparing to take the certification exam for elementary. The jury is still out whether he will take the path that our firstborn took – homeschool to 6th grade, then regular Science high school, or take the path that our middlechild took – homeschool all the way through high school.
Whatever he decides, we will just be here to support.
Hence the need to attend the convention. I need fortitude. I need inspiration. And most of all, I need to connect with homeschooling moms who have become friends throughout the years, online.
I hear they are still offering the Early Bird Rate until September 1, so please, if you are homeschooling or planning to homeschool, register now! And if you are reading my blog and you are going, I would love to meet up! We can bond over crochet or quilling during breaks. I’m even thinking about bringing my ukulele!
More than a month ago, my long-time dream of visiting The Attic Yarn and Craftery finally came to fruition. Together with my crocheter friends Jean and Gen, we trooped from Mandaluyong all the way to Marikina just to have a glimpse of yarn heaven.
Tip: If you’re planning on visiting the Attic Yarn and Craftery, too, wear shorts. 🙂And have your favorite firstborn, who loves yarn as much as you do, tag along.
And what heaven it was! I didn’t want to leave anymore, seriously! I just wanted them to adopt me so I could stay holed up in there for the rest of my life, doing what I love – crafting. From the moment we stepped into the threshold, I just knew it was exactly how I want my retirement space to look like.
Yarns, fabrics, projects, tools… I was like a kid in a toy and chocolate factory combined.
I met the owner, Cecille, online. That was back when I was still selling yarn mixes.
Yes, I used to sell yarn mixes, too, in case you didn’t know. So the projects you are seeing on my Facebook and Instagram channels are actually made from my own yarn mixes unless otherwise stated.
Ces and her daughter Ceryl used to buy from me in bulk. In fact, theirs were my biggest invoices.
At that time, The Attic Yarn and Craftery was already carving its name within the crochet community and was becoming the top of mind go-to place for crochet needs. I used to wonder, what do they need my yarns for? They have such gorgeous yarns already!
But then I understand how crafters’ minds work. We want everything! My mixes are different from what they’re selling, so yes, it made sense to me. And I’m grateful to them for appreciating my mixes. In the same manner that I so love their yarns!
Uhmmm… I’m still waiting for inspiration on what to make with my DK Colors cake, so you are welcome to send me suggestions/recommendations.
Visiting their shop requires at least a day in advance notice. They are an online store, after all, so they’re not always ready to accept visitors. Insert an introvert doing business. 🙂
But that day, Ces graciously said yes when I asked if my friends and I could drop by. And amaze-balls! The place is totally Instagram-able!
My photos don’t do the place justice, so you just have to see it for yourself.
Or you can simply buy their yarns online and experience amazing customer service.
And I love how they handle their yarns! The way their inventory is maintained, how they are packed to ship to their customers, you’d feel that they are just not there for the business. They’re there because they love crochet and crafting. They take care of the yarns the way a crocheter would take care of them. And they take care of their customers like they’re long-time friends.
I can go on and on about how I simply love The Attic Yarn and Craftery and the people behind it, but I’d rather invite you to check them out to see for yourself. Like them on Facebook and follow them on Instagram if you want a daily dose of eye-candy. If you are a crocheter, buy their yarns!
As for me, my retirement goal is clear. I’m going to have a space just like it, but with a little bit of twist. It’s not going to be just about crochet, but I’ll have a space where I can laze around and read on some days, write on other days, and craft every day! Libre naman mangarap! 🙂
