Category: Nonfiction

Read Pauline Shen’s nonfiction articles, essays, and anecdotes.

Candid Talks, Nonfiction, Writing

Five Effective Practices from the Commuter Workforce that I Use as a Freelancer – PART TWO

Pauline Shen

Freelance writing is a long game. You’ll need to treat each new project with the long-term outcome in mind. When you’re working for yourself, accountability falls on you to organize your work in a productive manner. I have adopted five practices from my experience in the commuter workforce that help me as a freelance writer. In PART ONE of this topic, we covered:

  • Meditative Mornings and Active Afternoons
  • Chunking Non-billable Items

In this post, I’ll discuss:

  • Get Your Team on Board
  • No-Work Zones
  • Keep at it
Continue reading “Five Effective Practices from the Commuter Workforce that I Use as a Freelancer – PART TWO” →
Candid Talks, Nonfiction, Writing

Five Effective Practices from the Commuter Workforce that I Use as a Freelancer – PART ONE

Pauline Shen

In my prior collection of commuter jobs, I saw enough co-workers engaging in workplace shenanigans to know that dressing in business attire or a uniform isn’t quite enough to maintain professionalism. There are facets of human nature that always seep through no matter the front you put on. So why do so many work-from-home articles advise dressing-up just to sit in your own living room?

I have adopted five items from my personal experience in the commuter workforce that help me as a freelance writer. These five things keep my work running smoothly. And, no, it does not involve pulling on pantyhose or having to iron a blouse that no one will see. Let’s be practical.

Here’s my top five:

Continue reading “Five Effective Practices from the Commuter Workforce that I Use as a Freelancer – PART ONE” →
Candid Talks, Nonfiction

Time Management – How to PART THREE

Pauline Shen

How do you manage your time as a freelance writer? PART THREE

In PART ONE of this topic, we established that managing activities is only one part of the equation. In PART TWO, I introduced the crucial element of scheduling in a way that feeds motivation rather than increase the likelihood of burnout. In this post, I’ll describe the final three (out of five total) techniques that work for me at the present time. These are:

Continue reading “Time Management – How to PART THREE” →
Candid Talks, Nonfiction

Time Management – How to PART TWO

Pauline Shen

How do you manage your time as a freelance writer? PART TWO

In PART ONE of this topic, we established that managing activities is only one part of the equation. What’s crucial is to schedule them in a way that feeds motivation rather than increase the likelihood of burnout. So in this post, I’ll describe the first two of five total techniques that work for me at the present time. If you see something here that you can emulate, great! I hope it works for you as well.

Five techniques that ensure I stay on track with my freelance career:

Continue reading “Time Management – How to PART TWO” →
Candid Talks, Nonfiction

Time Management – How to PART ONE

Pauline Shen

How do you manage your time as a freelance writer? PART ONE

When I was young, I used to fantasize about having a remote control that could pause time and freeze everyone (except me) in place. I’d imagine all the things I could do while the passage of time was on hold. Of course, an added advantage was having everyone else paused along with it. There’d be quiet and stillness as well as solitude. Think of all the books I could finish. Imagine all the projects I could get done. Oh, and all the sleeping-in and loafing about I could do instead of rushing around.

Continue reading “Time Management – How to PART ONE” →