7 Tips for Freelancing with a Toddler in Tow

Imagine you have a colleague at work who relentlessly needs your attention, messes up your keyboard (which makes your laptop freeze), is beyond filthy and has no personal boundaries? Working from home with a toddler is pretty much like this. In a shared office environment this person would probably have to visit HR but when your office is a corner, or at best a room, in your own home, you’ve got to somehow manage these tiny whirlwinds of energy!

It’s only after 18 months of tears, frustration and stamping feet (and I’m not on about my own toddler…) that I’ve been able to find ways to get through a day where emails have been answered and projects get completed. Here are my top 7 tips should you be on the verge of shipping your own tiny human off…

Work/Life Balance, Small Business, Self-ImprovementDeborah PanesarJuly 11, 2019freelance, freelance advice, freelance illustration, working mum, work life balance, working from home, working with kidsComment

The Art of Living (and Blogging) Slowly

It's taken me a while to dust off the old blog and begin getting into sharing posts with you lovely lot again. I've had so much I've wanted to share, but as always, not so much of time going around these days.

Mental Health, Self-Improvement, Work/Life BalanceDeborah PanesarJanuary 29, 2018the art of slow living, freelance advice, freelance illustration, live slow die old, indie bizComment

Let's keep making mistakes!

It's been one year since I proclaimed from the rooftops (well, my Tumblr page) that I was going to stop working on my business and to instead pursue designing and illustrating full time.

Reading through this post (which for some reason makes me cringe and want to delete it forever from the eyes of the internet) I can recall so vividly how burnt out, tired and quite dejected I was feeling about the whole thing. The 'tipping point' part of that whole post was true - something needed to change in order to for me to change how I felt.

12 months on, what can I tell you?

Work/Life Balance, Small BusinessDeborah PanesarNovember 11, 2016making mistakes, freelance, freelance advice, self-employement, small business advice, small biz, indie biz, freelance illustration, freelance illustrator Comments

Be Brave, Not Perfect

Ever had a month where work feels like it just is a relentless battle of one chaotic failure after another? That was the entirety of my March. Frankly, when April 1st hit I was glad to be out of that month believing I had some curse hanging over me.

It's pretty easy to displace the blame to other people, and even easier to look inwards and start blaming yourself too when things go wrong.

Self-Improvement, Work/Life BalanceDeborah PanesarApril 6, 2016reshma saujani, ted talks, bravery, small business advice, freelance advice, perfectionis, perfectionism, self improvementComment

Keeping that fear 'edge'

For the past week or so I've been working my way through my HUGE box of business cards which I've been collecting for 4 years, inputting each and every one of them into a new spreadsheet database. You might think I'm a little mad for doing this time consuming, and let's be honest, inanely tedious job but it's all part of the process I've started since reading Alex Mather's e-book How To Get Illustration Clients.

Illustration, Work/Life BalanceDeborah PanesarFebruary 22, 2016feel the fear, small business, creative business, alex mathers, how to get illustration clients, illustration, small business advice, freelance, freelance advice Comments