Are You Your Own Worst Client?

Did that question make you stop and think? After getting my about page updated, I got to thinking about the difference between working for clients and working for myself (on my own projects). When I work for clients, I make sure to establish the parameters of the job, communicate regularly, deliver what I promised and meet all deadlines. But what about when doing work for myself?

Like many writers, I have a list of pet projects as long as my arm. I’ve never been short of ideas, and I jot these down using one of my tools of choice so that I don’t forget about them. If you’ve been reading the blog or my newsletter for a while, you’ll know that finding the balance between working for clients and working for myself is a hit and miss affair. (And I’m not the only one, if Dana’s post on procrastination is anything to go by.) Client work always comes first. That’s what makes my clients keep coming back for more.

I wonder, though, if I’m doing myself any favours that way. Whenever I set aside the time to work on my own projects, I get great results (like my blogging and writing ebooks). And those are the projects that will guarantee a sustainable income for my writing business into the future. Working on my own stuff has never been my first priority but, for at least a few hours or a day each week, it should be. If I gave the same dedication to my own projects that I give to client work, I’d soon have a raft of stuff completed — and my to-do list would be a heck of a lot shorter. So, once again, I’ll work on that.

What about you? Are you your own worst client?

(Photo: cheetah100)