My freelance island

Amy Derby posted over at her new blog The Freelanceaholic Life about her freelance survival kit: all the stuff she'd need if she were stranded on a desert island with only her work. (Funny how that sounds like fun to us, but would be considered a form of torture by many non-writers.)

My freelance island tends to move around a bit. I'm like a cat: I change my favorite spot periodically. Right now, I'm spending a lot of time working at my desk, but my other favorite places include my rocker, the porch (when the weather is nice), and the kitchen table.









I used to work in bed sometimes, like Amy does, but I haven't done that in a while now.

I'm one of those people who can work wherever, so I'd probably be fine on a desert island. In fact, I often find that I get more done if I work someplace else — although I prefer the library or a coffee shop to a desert island! However, next spring and summer (and maybe this winter, too, as warm as it has been) I want to try taking my computer to the stables and working there while Panama grazes. It's nice and quiet — a perfect creative setting!

Wherever I decide to work, I always take these things with me:

* Laptop - At a little over 3 pounds, my Averatec has assumed security blanket status.

* Pen and scratch paper - Just like Amy, I find that being able to write things down is still a necessity, no matter how pro-computer I am.

* Time sheet - A little over a year ago, I started keeping track of the time I spend on each project. It allows me to determine my hourly rate for each project, and also will make the IRS happy if I ever get audited, as it proves that I really do use my laptop for work 75 percent of the time (well, more actually).

* Timer - I recently started using a kitchen timer to try to motivate me to keep my focus and not get distracted when I'm working. It works — sometimes.

* iPod and speakers/headphones - I go through phases (like right now) where listening to music helps me focus.

Also like Amy, often I have one or more of our fur-children with me. My black cat, Cleo, is my porch buddy. Either one of the cats might hang out in the office window while I work, and Prince (my white cat) likes to steal my seat in the rocker. Periodically, one or both of the dogs hang out with me, too.





So that's it — my freelance island! What does yours look like?