I’ve developed a terrible habit of procrastinating. Actually I’ve had it all my life, but it’s really starting to irritate me right about now.

I was doing fairly well about not procrastinating with my writing work at first. That lasted up until my family life got turned upside down several months ago. Hubby’s health problems, Pumpkin staying sick a lot, financial woes. If you’ve been a loyal reader for a long time, you know what I’m talking about. Those things adversely affected my concentration, causing me to have horrible writer’s block. And that led to a dread of doing the job I love.

Then just when things started looking up, more crap got piled on. We had our home basically jerked out from under us, and that really took the wind out of my sails. I could barely write a page or two a day, and that was on a good day. I also had to take a break when we finally started getting things straightened out again, to get all the red tape taken care of and then get moved and settled in. It has been a long, grueling road.

Now that things are beginning to resemble normal again, I’m having a hard time getting back in the swing of things. I need a good swift kick in the pants, because now that we have a house payment to make, I need to have a steady amount of money coming in each month. I’m not looking to turn my small business into a large corporation with financial reporting responsibilities, I just want to make a good living.

So I’m not taking this lying down. I am going to be trying out a self-help technique that I found, and I really hope it works. I ordered a DVD about it (which has a free trial period and a money-back guarantee), and I’m going to give it all I’ve got. And if that doesn’t work, I’m going to get a refund and keep trying until I find something that works. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

For the past week, I have been alternately depressed and angry due to the whole facing-possible-homelessness-for-no-good-reason thing. I’ve barely gotten any work done, because I simply can’t concentrate on my writing when I’m so emotional. But today I was able to channel my energy and get more work done than I’ve been doing in several days.

I think the difference today has been that I’ve been more angry than anything. Our tax refund was deposited today, and I had planned on getting all the bills caught up and celebrating. Instead, I had to once again pay just enough to keep everything from getting cut off and hang on to the rest so we’ll have something to get moved on. It made me absolutely furious that I couldn’t enjoy the day I’ve been waiting for so long.

At any rate, the persistent anger has been easier to channel into something positive than the bouts of depression. So at least some good came of it. Since I’m on a roll, maybe I should work on promoting my services. I could have some marketing pens made and distribute them with business cards. But I guess I should get my work caught up first. I’m sure I can stay mad long enough to do that and still have plenty of anger left over to work with.

With all that’s going on in my life right now, I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to pare down my online endeavors, and I also need some money to help with the move. As a result, I’ve decided to sell TBA Deals, my resource site for work at home moms.

It hurts me to let it go, because it was my first actual website. But I haven’t had enough time to put into it for a while now, and things are only getting worse on that front. So if you are interested, here’s the lowdown.

Edited to move this information to a static page. Click the link for more information.

I’m at something of a crossroads with my writing right now. I would love to get some opinions on this, so I would be most grateful if you would share them in the comments.

I have been working on a regular basis for two clients for nearly a year now. For one, I ghostwrite articles on a wide variety of subjects for their clients. For the other, I do daily blog posts as a contributor.

Both clients have been fantastic to work with. They both pay on time every time, and I enjoy the work I do for both. But the company I do the ghostwriting for recently changed hands, and the work has been pouring in every since. It has been quite a feat getting it all done, as well as the blog postings and shorter-term projects. In fact, I’ve been perpetually running behind. Not far behind, but far enough that it bothers me.

I’ve come to the conclusion that something is going to have to give, and I’m not sure whether or not it should be the blogging. You see, I kind of look forward to that every day. It’s fun, my name is on my work, and I have plenty of freedom as to what I blog about (within the blog’s niche). The pay per word is better than anything else I’m doing, although there are not a lot of words required. The thing is, some days it takes me a long time to find a topic to blog about. I have to find something that I feel is worthy, that I think readers will enjoy, and that hasn’t been written about already on the blog. Sometimes I can find something quickly, and sometimes I look for a couple of hours until I finally give up.

I just can’t decide whether I want to let the blogging go or not. I love doing it, but I’m just not sure I can justify the time I’m spending on it anymore. And I don’t know how long the abundance of ghostwriting work will last. I hope it will be ongoing, but I hate the thoughts of letting things go and being without work.

I do have ideas for some other projects, and there are always gigs out there. So it’s possible that I could fill in the gaps adequately. Maybe it’s glaringly obvious what I should do, but I’m just really torn. Any thoughts on the matter?

Here I am with this pretty new template for my blog, and I’m just neglecting it something awful. Shame on me! But I have been awfully busy lately.

I’ve had work coming in by the truckload this month, figuratively speaking. I’m still not back to full speed since Hubby hasn’t gone back to work full-time yet, but I’m doing my best to keep up. I’ve had to put certain things on the back burner to take care of more pressing ones, but hopefully I can start juggling things better soon.

One topic I’ve been doing a lot of writing about lately is dogs. Although I’m not as much of a dog enthusiast as I was when I was younger, I have truly enjoyed it. It’s even got me thinking about getting a dog for myself. Hubby has a hunting dog, but I want something that is more of a companion.

I also got an assignment from a website that I already know and love, and I’m really psyched about it. I would love to share the details about all of these, but unfortunately the articles are to be ghostwritten, so I can’t.

I can share information about one of my projects, though. I’m researching scholarships for SuperCollege. That’s one of the things that I’ve had to put on the back burner somewhat, but they have been really understanding. I think the project wraps up this month, but I hope to work with them again in the future. I have truly enjoyed it.

That’s all for now. Hopefully this blog won’t be on the back burner for much longer, because it is one of the things I enjoy the most.

If there is one thing that I really need to work on in my home business, it is marketing. I can do it on paper, but when it comes down to getting out there and selling my services I just can’t seem to get going.

Advertising was one of my favorite subjects in college. I did well in it, and my professor fell in love with the campaign I did for my final exam. So much so, in fact, that she overlooked some glaring mathematical errors that I made and still gave me an A+. But that was advertising things that other companies had to offer, not my own stuff.

I cringe at the thoughts of setting up trade show booths, or even handing out business cards. But I suppose that if I want to succeed, I need to get over that.

As you may have gathered by reading some of my recent posts, I’ve been pretty badly stressed out lately. I’ve had plenty of writing work coming in, but with Hubby home most of the time, it makes it hard to get anything done. And I can’t get it through his thick skull that his frequent interruptions are a big part of the reason that we’re struggling to make ends meet right now.

I’ve been burning the midnight oil a lot lately, and I realize that it takes its toll after a while. So for the past couple of nights I’ve tried to get more sleep. But today, I was just so tired that I could hardly hold my eyes open all day. I spent a goodly portion of the day sleeping, even though I should have been working. It’s kind of hard to write well when you’re nodding off in front of the computer.

Now Hubby and Pumpkin are in bed, and I’m trying to get some writing done, but it’s going very slowly. My mind just keeps wandering to the unpaid bills, and things that need to be done around the house, and anything else but what it needs to be concentrating on. It’s like a vicious cycle: I’m stressed out and can’t pay the bills because I can’t get any work done, and I can’t get any work done because I’m stressed out and can’t pay the bills.

I’ve even considered going back to work outside the home. I would be making more money writing if I could get my work done, but I can’t seem to keep up with it all. I have to keep reminding myself that Hubby will be going back to work later this month, and then maybe things will get better. If they don’t, I guess I’ll be getting a “regular job” again.

I’m feeling much better right now that I was the last time I posted. A lot of the pressure is off of me, and the beginning of the month is here, so I am seeing some money trickle in. And that’s a very good thing.

My grandfather-in-law’s will is finally taken care of, so that’s a load off of my mind. I hope everything is in order to the point that it will be hard for anyone to challenge it, but I can’t promise that, because I’m no lawyer. I did the best I could, though, and if anyone expects more from me they can just get over it.

I also have a ton of work lined up to do, and I was getting really stressed out over it. I’ve stayed up until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning three times this week, trying to get everything done without missing deadlines. I was beginning to get behind, but thankfully another project came up that took priority, and I have a few extra days on everything. So I can work this weekend and get caught up if all goes well.

Now if I can just survive this month, things should be better. It doesn’t look like Hubby’s boss is going to let him work until he can lift again, and that won’t be until the end of the month. So when that time comes, maybe I can really breathe a sigh of relief.

One thing I have really been slacking on in my writing business is getting a logo. Graphic design isn’t cheap, you know. And I’ve been on a very tight budget every since I went full-time, so that has fallen by the wayside.

I realize that every business needs a logo, even small ones like mine. Especially small ones like mine. Using a logo on all of your communications makes them look more professional. And it’s a must for your website. In fact, that’s also something that has been holding me back from setting up a website to promote my services.

So what’s a small business owner on a budget to do? Well, you could design your own logo. But that’s not exactly an option for me. I don’t have any fancy graphics software or hardware. I do have Microsoft Paint, but what am I going to do with that? I suppose I could make a logo out with it, as long as it consisted of text, circles and squares. Call me crazy, but I think I’ll pass.

But all is not lost. I tried out a nifty little service from LogoYes that helps business owners do their own logo design. I was a bit apprehensive given my limited graphic abilities, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to try. Trying is free, after all.

What happened was nothing short of a miracle: I created a nice, professional looking logo! A logo that didn’t look like a kindergartener drew it! A logo that I wouldn’t be ashamed for my clients to see! Here it is on a matching business card:

Not too shabby, huh? Here is another one I created:

(In case you’re wondering, that’s not my real address, phone number, or fax number. I don’t have a P.O. box or business line yet, and I’m not crazy about the idea of publicizing my physical address and home phone number.)

Creating my logo was so easy. All you have to do is choose a symbol (which they have lots and lots of), add and format your text, and adjust the colors and layout as you wish. You can adjust the sizing as you like, and there are plenty of fonts and colors to choose from. And when you’re done, you can design a matching business card to go with it in a snap.

LogoYes makes it quick and easy to design professional logos and matching business cards to brand your business. And they’re much more affordable than paying a graphic designer and then paying someone to have your cards printed. Once you’ve purchased the logo and business card graphics, you can take advantage of a coupon for 100 free business cards. You can then purchase more when you need them, or you can print them yourself if you like. It’s a great solution for small business owners for whom logo and business card design was previously out of reach. Like me.

I had hoped to be able to get some work done late last week, but looking back I realize that was pretty unrealistic. Hubby needed me a lot those first few days after his surgery, and I wasn’t about to stray far from his side. If that meant not getting any work done, so be it. One of the biggest reasons I wanted to be a work at home mom was to be here for my family when they need me, and be there I will.

He’s starting to get around fairly well on his own now, and mainly just needs me to do things that require lifting or bending. So while he’s not as helpful around the house as usual, I do have more time to get some work done. So that’s good.

I’ve still got a lot of catching up to do, but I did manage to get several articles written today. I could have gotten more done if I was feeling a little more motivated. I guess all that time doting on him made me less concerned about my work. The motivation is coming back, although maybe not as quickly as I would like.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better. Pumpkin has also been out of school since the middle of last week, due to inclement weather and then MLK day today. Barring any more wintry weather, she’ll be going in tomorrow. Then maybe I can get lots of stuff done.