From the early days as an IT Technician to my first web developer role, going self-employed for the first time, managing a team of developers and going back and forth to office work before ultimately realising I'm "unemployable" and returning to running my own business as a WordPress freelancer. The entire history of my work roles and all the pros and cons of working for myself can be found in here.
I’ve been working for myself (either fully, or alongside employment) for over four years now. I like to think that I’ve got to grips with what it entails to work for yourself, be your own boss, rock the entrepeneur lifestyle etc etc. Of course, I’m talking out of my bum. It’s not all ‘pant suits… read more →
Creative blog post title, huh? I’ve just come back from Gloucester, where I ran the Great Highnam Court 10km with Katy (again); slightly slower this year with 01:07:23 but I managed to not twist my ankle this time. It has made me realise that if I can run an injured 10km faster than I can… read more →
What do you do when you try and find a site that allows the re-sale of preloved cloth nappies but the only one that did exist has closed down operations? You buy the site of course. As briefly alluded to in the last post, I’ve bought into a new project which I’m hoping will give… read more →
I’m sat at my laptop — nothing new there — with a work todo list as long as my arm because I did very little in the last week (feeling poop) and all I want to do is code. “But Jem, you’re a web developer, work is code?!” I hear you cry. I don’t want… read more →
I’ve mentioned a couple of times this month that I’ve been working with a client for a dedicated 8 hours a week to give me a little bit of fixed income and gets me out of the house twice a week. Despite needing to get out of the house, I’ve decided to change the arrangement:… read more →
I’m sat in the concert hall at the Brighton Dome waiting for the keynote before I leave to head for Gloucester. It’s been a great day with some really motivating talks – considering I came for networking potential rather than specifically learning, I’ve taken away some great points and things to try out on topics… read more →
It’s Tuesday morning, 6:50am. The kids have just asked me if it’s morning yet and can we get up, and I send them back to bed knowing full well the alarm is going to go off in 5 minutes, but every second I can spend tucked in bed wrapped in limbs and duvet improves the… read more →
I had a couple of clients (rightly) tell me off this week because schedules had slipped and this wasn’t communicated as well as it could have been. I only have myself to blame, and I don’t mind being honest about it. I should have better anticipated the impact of the summer holidays and time off… read more →
So, it’s been just over a week since I returned working from home. A week of exercising self-control, willpower and planning. A week of trying out a new routine, of getting used to waking up in the morning thinking “I don’t want to go to work… oh”. The ~Grand Plan~ for this time round was… read more →
Six things I do to make developing gutenberg-based WordPress websites easier to develop and maintain.… read more →
Sumptious double chocolate brownies with fresh raspberries and a fruity raspberry swirl.… read more →
A very biscuity Biscoff ‘Cheesecakecake’. Layers of sponge and cheesecake filling on a buttery biscuit base topped with a Biscoff drizzle.… read more →
pipdig, WordPress theme and plugin provider, caught distributing malicious code to customers and DDoSing competitors… read more →
A review of nuud natural deodorant by a self-proclaimed ‘sweaty betty’ and follow-ups after suspicious lumps appeared in my armpits. Includes a statement from the nuud deodorant team.… read more →
The benefits of the Filofax organiser, and tips on organising your Filofax to suit your needs.… read more →
Interwebs
Personal
Home & Garden
Recipes
Work
Reviews