"Simply not solvent!

lovelybirchtrees

Dear Seaxwyn

Keep going on working on the procerastination. Being selfemployed myself since 1988, I know how I could relax and not get it done. I find that lists and small rewards work for me - once I finish 'X' task, I can go out in the garden for a few minutes - and use a timer to measure the 'few minutes'. I also get a buzz out of crossing things off the list so I don't have to move them forward to the next day's list.

The down side of this is that my house is a shambles - you can write in the dust, just please don't date it!

Seriously, I find that if I cn get a good start in the morning, it makes all the difference to my day. This is aided, I am aware, by not having to shuffle children off to school.

Just really wanted to say work at it and the procrastination can be beaten and that will lead to the debt being beaten.

Seaxwyn

Thanks lovelybirchtrees for the lovely message. I'm encouraged that you say procrastination can be beaten because I have to beat it.

Boring post alert - this is to record my thoughts so I can set them aside and do some work this evening.

I've been thinking over the 6k challenge I rashly signed up to - not to mention the daunting prospect of racing champion debtbuster hypno - and realised that there is not a hope of me reaching the 35k target without radical change. While my signature appears to show £2k reduction since January most of that is loan repayments and the total for credit cards and overdraft is only £500 lower than January, and actually £700 higher than on 1 May. So I'm not really making progress and need a new approach.

I have tried to think of things I could sell but I really don't have much of value. Most of what I own was tatty before it ever came to me. I thought of taking up matched betting but it holds no appeal. And I realised that what I have to do is just raise my game as a freelancer.

As well as my well documented procrastination problem, I also have a tendency to undercharge for my time. It's part of some stupid psychosis of low self-esteem.

From now on I'm going to make real effort to stop time-wasting and get through a minimum of six hours billable work each weekday and three hours each weekend day. That's a minimum. And i'm going to start charging for all the time spent on a job, including admin, thinking and time-wasting time. After all people hire me because of who I am, so they need to pay for the baggage that goes with that. With some exceptions, I will make a half day my minimum billable unit of time (that doesn't quite square with the six hours thing, well I'll work that out).

I'm going to try and avoid jobs that are pure writing for a while as they tend to cause me block problems. I get plenty of work that involves editing, strategising, overseeing designers and other stuff, and I tend to get on with those better than when it's just me all alone with a blank page. But I can never tell when a block is going to set in so I need to work out some strategies for next time it happens.

hypno06

Where are you Seaxwyn? A whole week has passed and you haven't posted on your diary. And your blue light is on too - are you ok?

I hope it is just that you are busy building up lovely billable hours, and that you are not whiling away the time working out your next hypno-sabotage event?

Seaxwyn

hey hypno, thanks for the visit. I'm fine and yes I have been working hard this week. I've just checked my diary and am amazed and proud to say I can bill for five whole days this week. Hooray!!

I'm waiting to update this diary next week as I've got a lot of money coming in and going out in the next few days and I want it all to settle down and take stock.

hypno06

Good news on the payment you are able to make and even better news on the work front. I have had a good week this week too - not exactly made my fortune, but if every week were to bring me in as much money as this week, then I would not be worrying about the monthly payments in any way. Hmm..... I must try harder I think, to get good weeks every week!

We await your signature update with anticipation (and not a little jealousy )

Have a good weekend.

Seaxwyn

I've just totted up my debts and revised my signature and am delighted to be £3500 less in debt than I was three weeks ago!

Now the sub-35k-by-Christmas target is really achieveable. In fact I'll meet it on minimum payments alone.

The big reduction was due to getting paid for a big piece of work I'd been doing over two months. This is unlikely to be repeated: most of the work I do is paid in smaller chunks.

Not so good news is that the ceiling of our living room collapsed today. It turned out the shower has been leaking for months and a huge volume of water had built up. The ceiling is ruined and will need complete replastering. We had two plumbers here for four hours so their bill will likely be steep. On the plus side, they fixed the shower which quite apart from leaking has been malfunctioning for over a year.

We couldnt talk to the insurance company because of the high volume of calls they were getting from people dealing with 'real' floods. I really hope they will cover the cost of replastering and redecorating the room. If they do, it may turn out to be a godsend as that room badly needs redecorating anyway. A redecorated living room would lift all our spirits and improve the energy of the room. However we really can't afford to pay for it so just have to wait til the insurance co. can talk before deciding what to do. The room is habitable now, it just has a huge hole in the ceiling!

hypno06

Good news on the debt front, but not so good on the ceiling. Hope the insurance are able to fit you in soon and that you get it sorted.

I so want to be under £40k, but sadly it is not happening at the min. I will not be defeatist though and I will get there by christmas - the race is still on!!

Seaxwyn

Hypno, I have every confidence that you will get there. Look how much you paid off in the first 5 months of this year. Ok you have slowed and slipped back a little this month, but normal service will be resumed soon and you will be the right side of 40k. Certainly it does feel nice.

chevalier

Sorry to hear about your ceiling. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the insurance sorts it. We have a similar nightmare at the moment as our oil tank started leaking, and affected next doors cellar. Going to take months to clean the kerosene out of the soil. Grrr.

chev

Seaxwyn

chev I remember the drama of your oil leak. What's happening? How are you going to clean the soil and will it cost thousands?