The MentoringU Advent
Calendar
Giving back by counting down some of my favorite tools, strategies, and resources day by day!
10
11
12
13
14
15
18
16
17
19
20
21
22
23
24
23
10
Marketing is part of every freelancer's Job
Whether you want it to be or not, marketing is part of your job as a freelancer. That might look like networking, referral building, or something more traditional, but having an online presence is a must. I like to take time (usually a week) during the slower holiday season to draft my core marketing for the next year. I idenitfy key areas I want to focus on, block out time to batch create content that's relevant to those topics, and work on scheduling the first month or so that week.
- Doing this with other freelancers in a sprint is both effetive and fun!
Notebook LM
If you're not already, start using Notebook LM to synthesize important industry information. When you come across great articles or reports on LinkedIn, instead of saving them for later, add them to a Notebook.My favorite hack is to do this throughout the week and then have Notebook create a custom podcast for me covering all the articles. I get to listen to it when I'm driving and I catch up on all the great articles I set aside to read throughout the week.
my 2024 Favorite LInkedin Courses
I dedicate a few hours a week to professional development and upskilling. Each year I pick a few skills I really want to develop and I queue up training to get me there.
Never Stop Learning
Learning new skills is a constant as an L&D pro. I dedicate a few hours a week to webinars, workshops, or youtube videos focused on specific skills I want to learn. Two of my favorite channels are linked above.1. Discover eLearning's Advanced Storyline Playlist. I always find something new to try. 2. Learning Dojo's Javascript and Storyline tutorials give me ideas and practical guidance on building them out.
My 2024 Favorite eLearning Find
2024 was a wild year with so many new AI tools, authoring programs and eLearning possilities. Looking back the one tool I used more than any other this year was the Mighty plugin for Rise. It helped me elevate the courses I was building in Rise and add functionality that was desperately missing like video thumbnails, custom css, transition modifications and reflection journaling blocks. Hands down Mighty was my most used new tool of 2024.
Check out Mighty for your self
Find naming conventions that work for you and stick with them.
ex- Client_Task_Date
Whether it's Storyline, Vyond, Canva, or any other platform, we know exactly what to search for to find the file we need.
My Producitivity Playlist (instrumental version)
Time Management
Efficient time management is the backbone of any successful eLearning professional. My tried and true strategies are: Pomodoro Method: Grab the toolbar timer and work in focused 25-minute sprints followed by short breaks. Great for powering through task heavy days. Calendar Blocking: Dedicate blocks of time for specific tasks on your calendar. This makes sure I handle business building tasks as well as client focused ones. Time Tracking: Apps like Toggl help you see where your time goes and adjust priorities. This helps me with quick and transparent invoicing and makes sure I bid projects properly.
Focus on the Finances
When you're first getting started it can be hard to focus on the finances. You might be chasing work, networking, handling startup costs and assuming that it's normal to be breaking even. Not long into my freelance journey I read the Profit First system by Mike Michalowicz.This system focused on one thing that radically changed how I did business. According to this system, whether you made $1 or $10,000, you needed to seperate that money into operating expenses, profit, taxes and owner's pay. It drove home how to operate your business with in the operating expenses portion of your budget. This resonated with me for two reasons. 1. Following this system...you always get paid. No matter what, a portion of every sale, no matter how big or small, went to an account that worked like my old corporate paycheck. 2. Taxes were alway set aside and waiting. There was no stress that at the end of the year I would come up short. Together this system made me take a hard look at my expenses, operate more efficiently and ensure that I was always taking home a paycheck. Doing this early in my freelance journey really helped reduce the financial stress of freelancing.
Where do you go for community?
There are so many amazing groups for L&D out there. I'm sharing a few of the groups I really connect with below, but the most important part of community is finding somewhere you are comfortable showing up and being authentic!
Global Learning and Development Community (GLDC)
Mighty Community - If you use specific tools, their communities are a great place to connect and learn.
IDLance - their cohort was great and the ongoing community in their Slack channel is fantastic.
Lorem ipsum dolor
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit
- Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.
- Consectetur adipiscing elit.
- Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut.
- Labore et dolore magna aliqua.
MentoringU Advent Calendar
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Created on December 9, 2024
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Transcript
The MentoringU Advent
Calendar
Giving back by counting down some of my favorite tools, strategies, and resources day by day!
10
11
12
13
14
15
18
16
17
19
20
21
22
23
24
23
10
Marketing is part of every freelancer's Job
Whether you want it to be or not, marketing is part of your job as a freelancer. That might look like networking, referral building, or something more traditional, but having an online presence is a must. I like to take time (usually a week) during the slower holiday season to draft my core marketing for the next year. I idenitfy key areas I want to focus on, block out time to batch create content that's relevant to those topics, and work on scheduling the first month or so that week.
- Doing this with other freelancers in a sprint is both effetive and fun!
Notebook LM
If you're not already, start using Notebook LM to synthesize important industry information. When you come across great articles or reports on LinkedIn, instead of saving them for later, add them to a Notebook.My favorite hack is to do this throughout the week and then have Notebook create a custom podcast for me covering all the articles. I get to listen to it when I'm driving and I catch up on all the great articles I set aside to read throughout the week.
my 2024 Favorite LInkedin Courses
I dedicate a few hours a week to professional development and upskilling. Each year I pick a few skills I really want to develop and I queue up training to get me there.
Never Stop Learning
Learning new skills is a constant as an L&D pro. I dedicate a few hours a week to webinars, workshops, or youtube videos focused on specific skills I want to learn. Two of my favorite channels are linked above.1. Discover eLearning's Advanced Storyline Playlist. I always find something new to try. 2. Learning Dojo's Javascript and Storyline tutorials give me ideas and practical guidance on building them out.
My 2024 Favorite eLearning Find
2024 was a wild year with so many new AI tools, authoring programs and eLearning possilities. Looking back the one tool I used more than any other this year was the Mighty plugin for Rise. It helped me elevate the courses I was building in Rise and add functionality that was desperately missing like video thumbnails, custom css, transition modifications and reflection journaling blocks. Hands down Mighty was my most used new tool of 2024.
Check out Mighty for your self
Find naming conventions that work for you and stick with them.
ex- Client_Task_Date
Whether it's Storyline, Vyond, Canva, or any other platform, we know exactly what to search for to find the file we need.
My Producitivity Playlist (instrumental version)
Time Management
Efficient time management is the backbone of any successful eLearning professional. My tried and true strategies are: Pomodoro Method: Grab the toolbar timer and work in focused 25-minute sprints followed by short breaks. Great for powering through task heavy days. Calendar Blocking: Dedicate blocks of time for specific tasks on your calendar. This makes sure I handle business building tasks as well as client focused ones. Time Tracking: Apps like Toggl help you see where your time goes and adjust priorities. This helps me with quick and transparent invoicing and makes sure I bid projects properly.
Focus on the Finances
When you're first getting started it can be hard to focus on the finances. You might be chasing work, networking, handling startup costs and assuming that it's normal to be breaking even. Not long into my freelance journey I read the Profit First system by Mike Michalowicz.This system focused on one thing that radically changed how I did business. According to this system, whether you made $1 or $10,000, you needed to seperate that money into operating expenses, profit, taxes and owner's pay. It drove home how to operate your business with in the operating expenses portion of your budget. This resonated with me for two reasons. 1. Following this system...you always get paid. No matter what, a portion of every sale, no matter how big or small, went to an account that worked like my old corporate paycheck. 2. Taxes were alway set aside and waiting. There was no stress that at the end of the year I would come up short. Together this system made me take a hard look at my expenses, operate more efficiently and ensure that I was always taking home a paycheck. Doing this early in my freelance journey really helped reduce the financial stress of freelancing.
Where do you go for community?
There are so many amazing groups for L&D out there. I'm sharing a few of the groups I really connect with below, but the most important part of community is finding somewhere you are comfortable showing up and being authentic!
Global Learning and Development Community (GLDC)
Mighty Community - If you use specific tools, their communities are a great place to connect and learn.
IDLance - their cohort was great and the ongoing community in their Slack channel is fantastic.
Lorem ipsum dolor
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit