Well hello to you my reader chums! Freelancing is HARD. It's an up-and-down road for sure and getting used to that wave is all part of being a freelancer. I have to admit, this wave is something I struggle with, especially the quieter periods. 

If you're new to freelancing or struggling with your mental health, here is my advice on dealing with the quieter periods as a freelancer. 

Focus on the admin side of your business

Freelancing is a blessing and a curse as it's forever either busy or quiet. With that in mind, in busy periods, it can be harder to deal with the admin side of your business. Whether that's emailing, following up on invoices, updating your website or organising your calendar, these tasks are tedious but great to do during quieter periods.

Work on your website/update your portfolio

Your website and portfolio showcase who you are, what you offer and the quality of your work. For all prospective clients, they want to know this information and why it's crucial to ensure it's up to date. This means adding all new projects to your portfolio and keeping your website updated with relevant prices and information.

Delve into passion projects

I love a passion project as it really helps boost my creativity and spark my imagination, which in turn, benefits my work. Passion projects can be whatever you want them to be and a focus which will take you away from work but also give you a focus when things are quiet. My passion projects include this blog and my novels. 

Work on the marketing for your business

Marketing is key to helping build your personal brand and grow your online presence. In the quieter periods, this is the time to work on your marketing. Whether that's setting up an email marketing newsletter, mapping out your monthly social media content or writing blog posts. Whatever your marketing strategy is utilise this time to enforce working on it.

Pitch/search for new clients and work

Looking for work is difficult and tedious especially when a project comes to a close unexpectedly. Utilise this time to search for new clients and work. This could be pitching for a company you love, reaching out on LinkedIn or searching on freelancer-type websites. 

Go to networking events

Networking I found is one of the best ways to meet new potential clients, learn who is in your industry and grow your skills. Plan more networking events during the quieter times as you'll have more time and energy to focus on speaking with others.

Revisit and update your positivity log

In the quieter periods, for me, self-doubt hits like a tonne of bricks. At this time, you should (if you haven't already) create a positivity log and revisit it this time. This log should include any feedback you've had from a personal and professional perspective.

I hope you enjoy this post. What else would you add?

Thank you for reading <3

 Well hello you my reader chums! I'm a big murder mystery nerd and especially love it when a book is set somewhere local. My partner got me this book and I was very intrigued by the title and how it was about a writing group, and from an author I hadn't heard before.

If you're a fan of dark humour, and honesty and are a writer yourself, you will love The Write Way To Die by Jo Bavington-Jones - and here is my full review.

Plotline

The plot is about Amy who leaves her job at the vets to pursue her writing career. When one of the customers, Jenny comes in one day and mentions she's a writer too, she invites Amy to join her writing group. There she meets many like-minded writers and every week they have the opportunity to share ideas with each other. When the pandemic happens, their weekly meetings are moved virtually and they begin exchanging their murder stories, for everyone to enjoy and critique. Each story has a different tone to it and when it gets to Robert's story, his story is the darkest of them all, with the aim to make a killer nickname for himself.

Characters and relationships

The protagonist Amy is a brilliantly written character of a truly honest woman, who is unapologetically herself - and that's why she was really great to read about. I love how she dared to walk away from her job and pursue her writing dream, even if she struggled in the process. Her obsession with chocolate oranges made me laugh as she was even more relatable. She was typically British in every way and the perfect protagonist for a novel like this. 

Amy's best friend Cameron had to be one of my favourite characters because he seemed like someone who always knew how to have fun and bring joy. I loved their relationship as it was real and honest, and how every good friendship should be. It's one of those friendships that shows you can meet a good friend at work and continue that friendship.

My favourite friendship though had to be between Amy and Jenny because as the plot goes on, you see how it blooms along the way and gets stronger. Whereas with Amy and Cameron, their friendship had already been built if that makes sense. I love that they shared their passion for writing and were essentially the leaders of the writing group.

Overall thoughts 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and its concept. Initially, when I began reading it, I wasn't sure what to make of it as it seemed quite slow-paced and focused more on the character development side of things. However, as the book continued and the different stories were shared of all the fiction murders, I was hooked, reading all the different perspectives. It's one of those books where you need to sink into it for a while and learn the context before you can fully appreciate it - and then you will love it! 

I loved the writing style of the author and how it was honest, simple and as if the protagonist was just sharing her thoughts. Also, I enjoyed how she was able to change perspectives based on whose story she was telling - a very clever addition to the novel.

Ending

The book gets darker and darker in a comical sense from the middle to the end and I wasn't sure how it was going to end. Sometimes with a book, you get an inkling of how it would end and even though I had an idea of what would happen, I didn't think that would be the ending of the book. It ended in such a dramatic way and completely threw me off guard but that's what I love about this novel, it was very unexpected in many parts of the plot.

I hope you enjoyed this post. What book are you currently reading?

Thank you for reading <3

 Well hello to you my reader chums! Turning 27 this year, I definitely felt the weight of that pressure that I'm now in my late twenties and the comparison of everyone's lives. It's weird how much everything changes from your early twenties to mid-twenties and late twenties, regarding people's expectations, your own expectations and the pressure to have it all.

There have been many moments this year where I've had the '27 panic'. I'm not entirely sure if it's a common thing but I've heard that 27 is a make-or-break year and I can see why. If you're in your late twenties and feeling like you're not where you're meant to be, here is how to deal with the pressure in your late twenties.

Focus on what you have achieved

In times of self-loathing and picking all the negative things about yourself, you need to refocus on the positive things. These include your personal achievements, who you are what you've achieved. We all have different achievements and you should be proud of what yours are. When I look back, I'm shocked about everything I've done in my twenties; the endless travelling, running two businesses, writing five books, building a marketing career, and a lot of personal growth - it has been a wild road.

Remind yourself that everyone has different priorities and goals

Nobody is the same, that's the beautiful thing about life and the human race. We were born to be different and lead unique lives from each other, that's how we all gain perspective. With that in mind, everyone is different when it comes to achieving goals and reaching the typical milestones society tells us to do in our twenties. You don't need to have achieved everything by this moment and for those who have bought a house or had kids, you've still got time to do that, focus on what you've done and know, they're on a different timeline.

Know that your twenties are incredibly young

I keep having to remind myself that being in your twenties is YOUNG. Why does society tell us we need to do everything in our twenties? Whether that's travel, getting married, having kids or investing. Your twenties is the decade to start figuring out who you are and what adulting is. The decision-making part in your brain doesn't form until you're 25 so why should you need to make any big life-altering decisions before then?

Avoid the social media doom scroll

Social media is toxic in so many ways but especially for comparison. I'm easily swayed when I see someone else doing all these amazing things and almost forget social media is a highlight reel. It's only showing the finished products of achievements, not all the sacrifices and the hard work that went into it.

Know, you don't need to rush - everything comes with time

Stop rushing. Take a step back and enjoy the moment, enjoy the process for that matter. The best things come in time and so should the goals you want to achieve. It feels a little more accomplished knowing you waited and worked hard, rather than rushing everything and feeling stressed. The final product is great but the journeys are what the stories are for - don't forget about the journey as you're too focused on the end goal.

Set attainable goals

The pressure can lead you to think up goals you're unlikely to achieve, creating even more pressure and stress. It's important to set attainable goals for where you are at in life, your income and for what you actually want to achieve (not what society tells you).

Stop comparing yourself to your parents and grandparents

The generations before us used to do everything at a much younger age but that's because times were different, expectations were different, ambitions were different and the economy was different. There's no point in comparing as circumstances were different and you can only work as necessary to achieve your goals in this timeline, not the past.

Your twenties are your first years of adulthood

I saw this video recently which said, age 18 is your year one at adulthood which means in your twenties, you're only a couple of years old in your adult years and it's true. You're living the adult world for the first time, away from the comfort of your parent's direction, earning adult money for the first time and having responsibilities. You're not meant to get this right, you're meant to fail, learn and pick yourself up again.

I hope you enjoyed this post. What other tips would you add?

Thank you for reading <3

 Well hello to you my reader chums! I'm obsessed with Vietnam; I've been twice and I'm completely and utterly in love with the country. I dream of going back all the time as it's such a wonderful place, packed with the BEST food, gorgeous sights, lovely people and a friendly feel.

You can travel to Vietnam for a shorter or longer period, however, 2 weeks gives you enough time to immerse in the culture and explore some of the country's best sights. If you're planning a visit to Vietnam, here is my 2-week itinerary to Vietnam.

3 days in Hanoi

As the capital city, Hanoi is a bustling environment everyone should experience. I love the buzz of Hanoi; the endless traffic, crowds of people, cool coffee shop scene and historic sights are everything to get a glimpse of city life in Hanoi. The famous sights include the Vietnamese Women’s Museum, Train Street, Hoa Lo Prison and Hoan Kiem Lake, as well as trying a classic Egg Coffee.

1 night in Mai Chau

Escape the taste of city air and head to the quaint, rural village of Mai Chau. Many visitors want to see the rice fields in Vietnam and you should too. Most travellers opt for Sapa Valley, however, during my time, it was too early in the season to see the Valley which is why I went to Mai Chau. And, I'm super happy I did. This village is traditional and rural, ideal for a night away in the country air. I booked a cabin which overlooked the rice fields and it was a dream to see and spend the day cycling around the village.

2 days in Ninh Binh 

Ninh Binh is another destination which is growing in popularity and features the most gorgeous nature scene with caves, nature reserves and endless seas of greenery. Over two days, you can spend your time visiting the ancient capital of Hoa Lu and exploring the attractions in Tam Coc, from the pagodas, and rugged limestone cliffs to boat rides on the river.

2 days in Cat Ba Island - and a day trip to Ha Long Bay

Coastal life is calling your name on Cat Ba Island and the perfect spot to take a day trip to Ha Long Bay. You can do the day trip from Hanoi, however, it takes a lot more travelling within the space of a day than is necessary. Whereas in Cat Ba Island, you can experience the beach scene of the actual island and book your trip to Ha Long Bay.

2 days in Da Nang

The last stop on your list is the charming Hoi An. I adored Hoi An; the endless bicycles, the ancient look and the quirky cafes, restaurants and shops. Plus the art scene and wonderful lanterns across the river are a vision to witness. Hoi An isn't massive, however, it's a great base to roam around, take things slowly and book any excursions, such as a cooking class.

I hope you enjoyed this post. When are you planning to visit?

Thank you for reading <3

 Well hello to you my reader chums! I've been wanting to be a freelance writer since I was in my teens; the thought of doing my favourite thing of writing, and working on my accord sounded like a dream to me. I've been freelancing since April this year and I love being my own boss, searching for clients I like and taking on projects which I'm passionate about.

However, freelancing is anything but easy and I've learnt a lot since starting out - many things I didn't know and other things I wasn't aware fully of.

If you're planning to start freelancing or in the early stages, here are the things nobody tells you about being a freelancer. 

It's either really busy or quiet - there's no in-between

This wave of work is something I'm getting used to as both being really busy and quiet have their cons - and it's about learning how to cope with both of these. Each month for me is either having too much work or being so quiet, I'm worried work will come in. I find the busy months are easy to cope with by organising my calendar and booking breaks, whilst the quiet times I use for working on my own business growth and building new connections.

Lots of admin is involved

The admin is real. If you've ever worked in an admin role, you'd know the types of tasks which are involved for a business. As a freelancer, you'll need to do this yourself (unless you hire an employee). This admin can involve sending invoices, emailing, website updates, organising business meetings and managing workloads.

Invoice chasing is real

Sending invoices is all part of being a freelancer to get paid for your products and services. However, what I've noticed is how for freelancers, many businesses won't take the invoices as seriously as employees' wages and sometimes, they're delayed. This means you'll likely be chasing invoices in one way or another. The best thing to do is to have a contract in place, especially if it's a retainer client as then they'll know which day payment is due.

Freelancing isn't as shiny as LinkedIn makes it sound

Scrolling on LinkedIn is a blessing and a curse as there are plenty of posts which gloat about how they've made millions of pounds as a freelancer. However, in reality, the majority of freelancers don't earn big cheques of money like that. It's possible to be successful and make an exceptional living after years in the business, and committing to it, but not overnight. Don't compare yourself to the people on LinkedIn as like any other social media platform, it's a showreel of people's lives and a form of pushing sales for courses.

Building a client base takes work and time

This leads me to this: for any substantial business, it takes time to build it up and it's the same with freelancing. It takes time to make connections and build up a client base of retainer clients, project-based clients and those who are going to refer you. This isn't going to happen overnight so don't try and rush the process or expect success a week in, because that's very unlikely. 

You're HR, marketing, CEO and everything in between

Typically as a freelancer, it's just you running the whole gig, from being the CEO to all the other teams. You'll be your own HR, booking in holidays, and sick days and your own marketing team, learning to promote yourself and build your personal brand on different channels. Likewise, you'll be in the accounts team, sorting your invoicing, income and tax. Unless you outsource for other essential roles in a business, you'll be doing this all yourself and need to make the time for that or do the training. 

Time management and communication skills are crucial

Freelancing takes many skills, however, two of the most important ones I've learned are time management and communication. As you're your own boss, you'll need to get used to learning how long it takes you to do a certain task, work on a project and spend in meetings - as it can help you map out your income projection and the total time everything takes you. Whilst with communication, it's how you present yourself to potential clients, current clients and past clients, as well as other business professionals you'll meet along the way. Communicating effectively will help with better results, in person and virtually.

It's constant grafting and showing your worth

Freelancing is tough. It means constantly grafting and working at building those connections and pitching for work. New business should always be in your mind. Constant grafting means showing your worth as many people may want to lower your rates or don't understand why you charge as much as you do for your business.

I hope you enjoyed this post. What else would you add?

Thank you for reading <3