The Modern Editor Podcast Tara Whitaker

Do you struggle with taking time off as a freelancer? When you’re your own boss and wear several hats, vacation time often gets put on the back burner. However, it’s up to us to take care of ourselves.

In this episode, we’re talking about how to take both planned and unplanned time off as a freelancer. We’re going to talk about how to arrange your schedule so it's more conducive to taking breaks, how to work with some trusted colleagues, and how to honor your time off.

Do you struggle with comparison? I believe we all compare ourselves to others throughout our lives. However, my hot take is that it’s not always a bad thing.

In this episode, we’re talking about the positives and negatives of comparison. We’ll dig into when comparison hurts and discuss when and how to compare yourself to others in a beneficial way.

If you’re anything like me, you’re always looking for a great book to read. Over the past few months, there have been a lot of amazing new books published about editing, writing, and the publishing industry, and I wanted to share my recommendations with you today.

There is a fine line we walk when we approach burnout. I know this all too well, which is why today’s episode is our first release in seven months. After facing my own spout of burnout and still actively recovering from it, I knew I had to ask for help in my business and it has made all the difference. In today’s episode, I’m sharing a little about that journey and what you should consider if you’re ready to ask for help!

With so much turmoil going on in the world, it can be hard to stay focused and find the motivation to continue with business as usual. Recently, I’ve often found myself asking, What’s the point? Who cares where this Oxford comma goes? None of this matters when atrocities are happening every day. We can feel helpless and hopeless. So, how do we keep moving forward? In this episode, I’m sharing some of the things that I’m doing to help me move forward every day.

As a coach for freelance editors, one of the most common questions I get asked is about how many hours a day editors should be editing. And the answer is one of my favorites—it depends! In this episode, we’ll dive into specific questions you need to ask yourself that’ll help you figure out how many hours you should be editing in a day. Because (surprise, surprise!) it varies greatly for everyone.
*Disclaimer: The math I attempted in this episode makes zero sense. I’m an editor, not a mathematician 🤣