29.06  PIKE: Halfway there is better than nowhere at all   |  Pike takes a philosophical look at the mid-point of the year, with some good advice on how to prepare yourself for the downhill rush to December.

So currently we’re all on the slippery (and currently frosty) slope towards the end of the year. The world as we know it has changed forever, and we must now forge ahead into the P.M. years (Post Michael), our Sony Walkman (I'm old school, OK) set permanently to those opening bars of 'Billie Jean' which Quincy Jones said would be too long to turn the song into a hit...

Perhaps you're currently taking a mid-year break, to breathe in the mountain air (Bergs Draken, Swart or Cedar?), gambol with the lambs, etc. It only makes your work better if you can take some time to re-connect with family, friends, pets, the TV guide, trees, clouds, Table Mountain, your childhood, your sticker collection, your – well, you get the idea. It’s a worthwhile practice to pull yourself towards yourself, after thinking nothing but “work” for months. And if you are, as I must assume, a hard-working, self-promoting freelancer, award yourself a much-deserved hot chocolate for managing to survive half of this undeniably Recessionary year.

But what of the rest of the year? What I would suggest is that you take an afternoon or evening, just before the hectic rush to December kicks in, to sit down and quietly assess your progress in terms of meeting goals for the year. Have you achieved at least half of what you set out to do?  In assessing that, ask yourself the following:

• Where are your strengths this year? And your weaknesses?
• Do any particular jobs stand out as awesome successes or failures – and why?
• Are you happy with your working environment(s)?
• Have you grown in terms of your creative and/or business knowledge?
• Most importantly, do you still feel, through the hard times and the good, that you're on the right path in following this wayward, sometimes lonely, constantly challenging freelance lifestyle?

 
So that's all the touchy-feely stuff. Then cover the basics of your business for 2009 - for you are a business and a brand; not just a scruffy hippie with strange sleep habits and a shiny laptop. So to look at the nuts and bolts:

• Are your billing system/financial systems up to date and accurate?
• Are you aware of and on top of all your possible tax implications? August is provisional tax time, remember. I know a great bookkeeper if you need one.
• Is your hardware and software virus-free and working reliably? And when last did you back up?
• Do you have a dynamic, up-to-date CV and porti?
• List your regular clients, the ones you want to BECOME regular clients, potential clients you intend to approach and any clients you may think it makes more sense to part ways with. It's all about putting your energy where you will be most stimulated.
• Give yourself three new goals to meet by Christmas; and none of them are allowed to be "to track down that suddenly rare ‘History’ DVD/CD box set of Michael's"
• Pray to whichever god (sorry, God™) lights your way, or simply meditate for five minutes (think positive) to draw good vibes down upon your enterprise for the rest of the year.
• Then hit the gym, even if you don't feel like it. It just clears your head and actually makes work more enjoyable.

All of that aside, if you're still a successful freelancer and haven't caved in and taken some full-time job you don't really like, for less than you deserve, you're doing great. You're free!

And that makes all the moeilikheid worth it.

- Pike