New Clips (Or, Why I’ve Been Too Busy to Write Blog Posts)

When I was laid off in early April, I had no idea how the subsequent weeks were going to play themselves out. My mind wavered between immediately finding work and spending months searching. Some days offered great promise; others yielded nothing.

It turns out – very fortunately – that things have ended up being much closer to the former than the latter. (This explains why I haven’t been writing as much on this blog as I would have expected several weeks ago.)

First, I was lucky to get some freelance assignments from former clients.

• HealthTech Magazine: 3 Ways to Ensure Care and Business Continuity During Disruption
• MIT Sloan Ideas Made to Matter: For successful social distancing, Internet speed matters
• Northeastern University: 15 Tips for Managing a Software Project and International Consulting: Roles, Responsibilities, and Salaries

Then, I received some assignments from old healthcare IT contacts I’d never written for but frequently talked to (sometimes on Twitter and sometimes in real life). A lot of this work has been marketing and research content that’s still in production, but I do have one link to share.

• Healthcare and IT Marketing Community: HITMC Market Insights: COVID-19’s Impact on Health IT Media (download)

Finally, I took on a short-term contract position with the consulting firm Healthcare IT Leaders. The role primarily involves working with consultants on their content, to help them demonstrate expertise and ultimately land another consulting role, but I have had a chance to do a bit of writing for myself.

All in all, I have had a lot going on. Frankly, under normal circumstances it would likely be a bit too much.

My rationale for staying busy right now is twofold. One, it’s helping to set me up for when my contract role is over and I will need more assignments. Two, being productive when there’s not much else to do keeps me focused and, in a way, grounded.

That said, if you find yourself where I did several weeks ago – with no full-time role and a need for paid writing assignments – please feel free to get in touch. A big part of how I was able to get assignments, and land firmly on my feet after getting laid off, was through personal referrals. I’d be happy to pay it forward if I can.