I just wrote another article for www.freelanceswitch.com and it really helped me get a lot off my chest. Generally, when I write for them, I try to draw upon my own personal experiences. Often times, I can be a little rigid in what I say--but always practical. This was one of those posts.

The topic was setting boundaries and I can't stress this enough. Whether you're just painting on the side or you're a full-time writer, if you want your creative talents to turn into profits, you have to be business-like. And since you're on your own as a freelancer, you'll have to rely on yourself to set and enforce these limits.

I wrote about exploring setting boundaries in the following areas:

• Meeting on time.
• Turning in work/revisions and completing projects.
• Setting your rates.

There are, of course, a million other areas that I can address when it comes to setting boundaries. This can be hard--especially if you don't like confrontation. That's why setting good business rules and relying on your intuition comes into play. And we only learn that, I'm afraid, through trial and error. I've gotten burned by a few clients who have not shown up for meetings, waited a few months to finish the project and tried to get me to work for peanuts. (That's why I focused on these areas.)

I'll let you know when the post is up, but I wanted to pose this loaded question: What kinds of boundaries have you had to set with your clients? What happened when you didn't stick to them? What were the outcomes when you did? Why is boundary-setting vital for those who are creatively self-employed?