We’ve written before about why we think having a blog is an essential tool for freelancers. But we also recommend that you make a habit of reading a few blogs from a freelancers point of view as well. Freelancing can be a lonely life at the best of times, but especially now while we’re all working from home. Following a blog can help you connect to other freelancers, keep you up to date with industry news and issues that might affect you and your work and pick up tips on how to get the most from freelancing life. To help you along, we’ve put together a list of our top seven must-read freelancer blogs. These blogs are funny, informative, thought-provoking, and full of useful insights to support you on your freelancer journey.
At the moment, when it can be tempting to rush from one task straight into the next, taking five minutes of your day to sit back with a cuppa and read one of these blogs can be a welcome brain reset, calming your mind and allowing you to refocus on the next thing on your to do list. So stick the kettle on and get reading!
Freelancer News
Freelancer News is a blog that mixes in informative articles about issues that affect freelancers with helpful how-to guides on things like tax, websites and finding clients. We love that they sometimes cover more off-the-wall topics like choosing the perfect houseplant for your home office! They publish about 2 articles a month, so it’s easy to keep up with their content.
The Freelancer Blog
The Freelancer Blog is the home of Rachel, a mum of four and self-confessed freelance workaholic. Her blog contains business-focused content that will answer all your questions about marketing, finances and strategy for freelancers and small business owners. This blog is practical and to-the-point, and helps us consider aspects of freelance life that we sometimes push to one side, like contingency strategies and brand outreach.
Mindful
Mindful isn’t specifically aimed at freelancers, but couldn’t we all use a little support with our wellbeing in these strange times? With the tagline “healthy mind, healthy life”, Mindful contains blogs connected by the theme of mindfulness with a focus on mental wellbeing. If that sounds a bit airy-fairy for you, it isn’t. Blog topics are varied, from practices you can use to bring calm from journaling to yoga, to musings on concepts such as time and trust, to articles exploring the hard science of the brain. The layout and imagery are really joyful and peaceful, and we appreciate the diversity they are trying to bring to their writing and representation. This blog couldn’t be more perfect for when you just need 5 minutes of me-time in the middle of a hectic workday.
Who’s the Mummy?
Who’s the Mummy, you ask? Why, it’s Sally, a self-employed single mother of one who loves adventure. While freelancing mums and dads will love her site for its thoughtful and informative takes on family life and parenting issues, there’s plenty for childfree readers too. There’s a whole section devoted to travel and adventure, which is perfect for some desk-based escapism on a frosty February lockdown day!
Fiona Likes To Blog
It’s no secret that we love Fiona’s work here at Dingy HQ – so much so that we even ask her to guest blog for us from time to time! Fiona is a freelance writer and author of one of our fave books, Out of Office: Ditch the 9-5 and Be Your Own Boss. On her blog, you’ll find writing secrets, freelancing business tips and lifestyle articles, all delivered in with her trademark down-to-earth wit and warmth. We also adore her openness and honesty around depression and anxiety, so if you’re a freelancer who is experiencing mental health challenges, definitely stop by Fiona’s blog for a perspective that understands what you’re facing. If audio is more your thing, you’ll love the Out of Office podcast.
Creative Bloq
Lots of our freelancers are creatives, and if we get the chance we always point them along to Creative Bloq. What we love about this site is the way it places stories about traditional arts and crafts, like how to paint sunsets, alongside reviews of the best tech tools to support your creations, like this guide to the best computers for video editing. It really offers a full spectrum of the creative work going on in the current moment. Essential reading for graphic designers, illustrators, photographers, video editors, web designers…the list goes on and on! If we’re ever stuck on a blank page (or canvas) moment, a quick stop by Creative Bloq is all it takes to get inspiration flowing again.
Dinghy’s Knowledge Base
Finally, don’t forget to stop by the Dinghy HQ blog, the Knowledge Base. We post one blog a week across a variety of topics from freelancer life to finances. We draw on the experiences of freelancers and feedback from our clients to bring content that understands the true challenges and joys of working as a freelancer in 2021. Dinghy provides flexible, no-fuss business insurance to freelancers from a whole host of industries and from all sorts of backgrounds. If there’s anything you’d like to see on the blog, let us know!
