The Importance of Hyping Yourself Up When You Work Alone
5, 6, 7, 8... time to let that ego inflate!
When you work alone in your house all day as a business of one, being in the right head space is so important. I should know, my head’s a rolling dung pile sometimes too. And I get a shit tonne more done when I’m feeling positive, solution-oriented, and like I may be a somewhat decent human being.
I’ve developed a system to get into this head space anytime I need to if my brain has slipped off the tracks and detoured to Assholeville.
Maybe it sounds dorky, or worse narcissistic, but it’s not like I do this daily, or even weekly. I’m not a total sociopath, okay? But it’s okay to need a little pump up every once in a while to remember that yes, you can do some things right some of the time.
Alright, here it is: “My System”…
Make a “hype board” for yourself.
Bonus points if it’s digital, accessible from any device, anytime. Extra bonus points if you update it regularly.
What’s a hype board, you ask?
A document, folder, or Freeform/Pinterest/whatever app space where you collect the following things:
Positive feedback (from clients, friends, strangers, whoever!)
Big accomplishments (your first $1,000 earned, $50,000 earned, getting published, buying a home/dog/perfect leather jacket - whatever means something to you!)
Snaps of your work “in the wild” - screenshot of your article on Page 1, a photo of a logo you made on a client’s in-store signage, etc
Plus whatever else you’ve done that makes you feel good and proud of yourself
This is your space to HYPE YOURSELF UP.
Read, flip, or scroll through it when you’re feeling low or not confident. Look at it before you send that quote to a new lead and ask yourself, “Am I quoting high enough?” Read it when you get a piece of tough feedback. Constructive (or even negative) feedback is great as a growth tool and we should all embrace it but let’s be honest, it does feel pretty shit in the moment. So take a breather and hype yourself up for a quick sec.
Also, if you have a wonky memory like I do, it’s literally the only way you’ll remember some of the great things you’ve accomplished!
Make it a habit of updating it regularly when something great happens or you get a piece of really meaningful feedback from a respected client. Treasure that shit. Save that shit.
Consider it your best biz Trapper Keeper. Let it boost your internal authoritah.
Sounds dorky, but it’s helped me remind myself that I’m my own MVP, to charge my worth, (try to) uphold some boundaries, and that I’m in control of my future.
That’s a pretty powerful little board.
P.S. I use Freeform for mine because I like how “corkboard-y” it is. Here’s a sneak peek of my hype board:
-Michelle
Welcome to Biz Shiz, a free biweeklyish newsletter full of useful freelancing tips, creative biz tools, creator industry news, and more from someone doin' this online biz shiz for 10+ years now.
💌 In this issue of Biz Shiz #11:
➔ My favourite creative EDC items (including stylish camera bag options)
➔ Yes, you can copyright AI art… sometimes
➔ The best free Link in Bio tool
➔ How to handle having too many ideas and not enough time to do them
➔ 31 writing tips you can learn in 5 minutes
📼 Latest video
Gear doesn’t matter but it kinda does, right? I’m sharing the creative tools I can’t live without. Many of these are inexpensive, functional little things that make working on the go, or at home, more productive and/or more fun.
My absolute fave? This is the best charging cable ever - 100W, PD, 5 cables in 1, and nerdily tells you the wattage live as its charging (pointless but highly enjoyable).
I always love finding new gadgets that are actually useful. What are your faves? Seriously, reply and tell me!
📰 Interesting news
AI in creative work: I wrote this piece answering all your “Can I use that legally?” AI-related questions. I even spoke to a real lawyer so you don’t have to… err, you prob should, still.
Marketing fools: I loved this April Fool’s Day bit from Velveeta. Maqnifique.
Social media: Hootsuite is acquiring Talkwalker, a powerhouse social media listening platform! Super excited about this! (Disclosure: I write for Hootsuite, and also disclosure, they’re awesome.)
Social media: TikTok is testing a new photo-based app… but do we need or want another social media platform? (No.)
😎 Tip o’ the mornin’ to ya
Linktree has long reigned King of the Link in Bio tools but alas, enter the challenger: Biosites. A Squarespace product, Biosites was only meh until they added a ton more features for free, making it — in my opinion — the best link in bio tool. And no, this is not sponsored, I just honestly think that.
You can embed YouTube videos, link to products, add crowdfunding and tip jars, add unlimited links, and stylize your link in bio a lot more than Linktree’s free plan option. I’m still working on switching over mine, but I likey (and recommendy).
📁 Related resources
Writing tips: 31 rapid fire writing tips to skim this morning before gettin’ to it.
Lessons from the fall: Glued to
‘s recent piece about his near death experience. (Highly recommend subscribing as well.)This podcast ep… oof. Big time fan of
over here and this ep hits close to home for me, and isn’t something I see talked about much online. Highly recommended.
💻 Weekly workspace
Last week was Spring Break from school for kiddos here in Canada and we took our boys to Seattle for a few days. We did the zoo, ate overpriced sushi, celebrated St. Patty’s Day at two different pubs (rather impressive with a pair of 5 year olds!), and generally had a great time.
This was my office for much of the week before heading back to my (now cluttered) desk. (I shot this out the sunroof.) How has your spring been so far?
💀 The end lol
I present: the best meme I’ve ever seen.
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So honoured this episode connected with you, Michelle. Also thank you for the reminder to hype myself up from time to time!