Paid Freelance Gigs Inside + How To Stop Over-Preparing
Need freelance work? I have three paid gigs listed. Curious about how to stop over-preparing for meetings? Here's what I learned. Join me inside...
Have you ever played that one baby shower game where you had to pull random items out of your purse? First, you grab your purse. Then the host would read off a list of items. If you have the items in your purse, you would then pull them out and place them in front of you. The guest with the most items wins. The items would be so random - like a toothbrush or flashlight or even a gift card from Target. I would always win this game.
I have since learned that my desire to carry random things is likely an undiagnosed fear of not having what I need when I need it. This brings me to a conversation I had with a team member about being over-prepared.
EXHIBIT A: If you invite me to a crab boil, I’m showing up with disposable gloves and bibs for everyone.
But we've all been there, right? You're preparing for a big meeting, or a presentation at work, or even just dinner with friends. But the more you prepare in advance, the more likely it is that something will come up and throw off your plan. What's worse is when we over-prepare not only ourselves but also our loved ones. We want them to know what to expect so badly that we give them every possible detail about an upcoming event...and then they get bored by all of it and stop listening halfway through our list of instructions for how to dress or behave during an evening out together.
Here’s what I’ve learned (and still a work in progress) about being over-prepared and running a PR agency:
1) It's Not Worth It;
It’s not worth it to spend too much time thinking about what could go wrong or how things might play out because you won't be able to control any of those things anyway. Instead, it's better to think about how you want the outcome of the situation to be and then make small adjustments as necessary when they arise. You'll be more flexible and adaptive if you're trying to achieve a certain result instead of anticipating every possible outcome with precision.
2) You Don't Need As Much As You Think;
No matter how good you are at preparing for things, and no matter how much you think you've organized your thoughts and ideas, there is always more that can be done. You can always refine your preparation process further. But here's the thing: just because you could prepare a little more doesn't mean that it'll help or even make a difference in your performance.
You might think that over-preparing will give you an advantage, but all it does is distract from the real purpose of preparing—to get better at performing tasks and using skills in real-life situations. What does that mean? It means when it comes down to actually doing something, like giving an important presentation or speaking in front of an audience, trying too hard to be perfect will only hinder your performance instead of helping it.
3) Letting Go of the Idea of "Perfect" Will Help;
Perfect is an illusion. Perfect is a trap. Perfect wastes time and energy that could be spent on making something better than perfect or just making something good enough.
4) Make Lists for Yourself;
Making lists is a great way to stay organized and achieve your goals. They help you prioritize your tasks, manage your time, avoid procrastination and be more efficient.
5) Keep in Mind That Things Probably Won't Turn Out as Planned Anyway;
You can't possibly know everything. You won't be able to do everything. The world won't end if something goes wrong. Things will take longer than you expect them to, and that's okay! You'll probably have to improvise a little bit in order to achieve your goals anyway, so why not just start now?
6) Successful people get where they are through a mix of hard work and serendipity, not because they keep life from surprising them.
While the latter may be easier than the former, it's not as sustainable, and it'll likely leave you feeling frustrated.
Serendipity is something that many successful people attribute their success to in some capacity. They don't always know why things worked out as well as they did—they just knew that if you put yourself out there, something will come your way eventually. That doesn't mean that if you're doing what you love every day, nothing will go wrong again! It just means that when things do go wrong (and trust me: they will), don't focus on the negative aspects of your situation or try to prevent them from happening again by over-preparing yourself for every scenario possible—that's how we get trapped into routines.
Remember friends…
The world has a way of throwing curveballs, and it’s important not to be so wrapped up in your plans that you can’t adjust when things don’t go as expected. When life throws a curveball at me—and it always does—I try to remember that I don’t need to have all the answers right now. Instead, I need to keep working hard and stay flexible so that I can adapt when opportunities arise (or fail).
What are your thoughts on this? Let me know in the comments.Â
I have a few client projects that I need help with ASAP. Here are the deets…
Virtual Personal Assistant: My client is the founder of a non-profit that serves children with Apraxia. Here’s the job description.
Pay: $18/hr - approximately 8-10 hours/week
Translator. I have an influencer client who published three children’s books. Due to the success of the books, his fans requested versions in Spanish and French. Each book (3 total) is approximately 1500 words. Flat rate: $400 for Spanish translation and $400 for French translation. Deadline: 7-day turnaround.
Event Planner:
Part-time Event Planner. Nonprofit client is looking for an event planner to assist with planning a series of six children's festivals on the east coast between June-October 2024. This is a great opportunity for an individual passionate about service and children. The estimated attendance at each event is roughly 300 people. The ideal candidate has superb MS Office skills (particularly Excel), knowledge of sponsorship development and creating marketing proposals, social media, public relations, and writing skills. Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Public Relations preferred.
Excellent listening, negotiation and presentation abilities
Strong verbal and written communication skills
Pay $25/hr - approximately 5 hour a week.Â
If you’re interested in any of the above opportunities, email me your rates, resume, and/or work portfolio to workwithus@shepr.co.