Lessons Learned in 2011

Man, it’s a trip to go back and read my blog posts (here, here, here, & here) from the turn of the last few new years.  It’s good to revisit my mindset and goals from years past.

This year, I’m going with the unordered-list format.

Here’s what I learned in 2011:

Client Biz:

• Freelancing doesn’t have to be lonely.  Building a network of friends and collaborators is key.
• Fewer larger projects are better than many smaller projects.
• Keep your contract up-to-date and get it signed every time. (I had been lazy with this in the past…)
• I need to work from multiple locations throughout a week to stay sane.
• Find great people (to work with) and stick with them.  Working relationships get better over time.

Startups:

• Don’t over-think and over-commit.  Don’t force an idea.  The best one’s come to fruition quickly.
• Don’t over-broadcast my startup work before it gains momentum.  Things change quickly.
• Great partnerships evolve over time.  Don’t rush this process.
• Stick to what you know best.  Don’t pursue something too far out of your area of expertise.

Skills:

• Web copywriting was a big new focus for me this year.
• Information Architecture – sitemapping, wireframing, sketching, note-taking.  Lots of that this past year.
• Collaboration & Management – Better QA, delegating tasks, managing multiple teammates at once.
• Online marketing – Finally learned how to effectively use Google Adwords (still learning).
• Improved general writing skills, specifically for articles (I’m now working on an eBook).

Everything Else:

• Keep politics out of my Twitter stream.  Still searching for an alternate place to vent (G+ perhaps?).
• Running every day clears my head and makes me more productive.
• Drums are the instrument I wish I had learned when I was younger (instead of guitar).  Catching up on that now.
• Time with family is golden.