Ah, the freelancing lifestyle. I dreamed about it for years.
I had done side writing before, but I always had to shoehorn the assignments between a regular job and other obligations.
But, when I was let go several months ago because of a company foreclosure, I finally had my chance to see if I had what it took to live the freelancing lifestyle.
The ‘let go’ was not abrupt. I knew the closure was coming and had a course of action kind of set up for what I wanted to do.
There was even a chance they were going to relocate me to one of the other companies. I liked the people and the company I worked for, but I was ready to get out and change my entire life.
I wanted to be a work-from-home freelancer. I felt I was ready for it.
I would finally have the time to devote all of my time to writing instead of having to drop it and head the work the next day.
When I got entrenched in a project, I could work on that project until I finished. The job seemed to break my concentration. Plus, I had somewhat of a blue-collar job and I came home exhausted every day. All I wanted to do was rest like the rest of the world when I got home.
But, the freelance life wasn’t all sandy beaches and clicking away with my feet propped up with some sort of umbrella drink at my side.
Freelance life was a little different than I imagined. I knew it wouldn’t be as easy as the internet sales pitches lead us all to believe. It was much different than that.
So, here are five things painful truths I learned about the freelance lifestyle. Hopefully, I suffered the pain so you won’t have to.
Freelancing Tips #1; Set a standard schedule.
The first few days without a job I got up at my regular work time and was at the computer working away just like I was at a regular job. Then the pull of life happened. I began to slide. I needed to get this done, that done. I hit the ‘snooze’ on the alarm once or twice. The comfort of not having to go to work set in.
And, so did my results. I knew I had to put myself back on a precise schedule if I was going to make this work. I knew I could still make time to get those home and family projects done as I could never do working a job. But now, I just scheduled them with my work.
I created time blocks when I needed to have my butt in the chair typing away. Then I would schedule time blocks in the middle of the day to run errands. I created a schedule that demanded I work “x” number of hours a day.
I just scheduled those hours around my lifestyle rather than scheduling my life around a job. I’m still working out the kinks, but I’m getting way more done. And, those mid-day errands are getting accomplished like I never could before.
Freelancing Tips #2; Switch tasks regularly to keep my mind fresh.
I had the idea for years that if something is not working out, to walk away. Let the struggle for the solution rest, and it would always come to me in some magic form. Something like having a muse grace me with his or her presence.
I have a list of tasks I’m working on simultaneously all the time. If I hit a roadblock with one, I set it aside and begin working on another; always working in loops on my ‘to-do list’ to keep my mind fresh.
Everyone talks about writer’s block. The two best solutions I found to whip writer’s block in the butt is to set the project aside and let it rest and to do more research.
Grinding on one particular problem buries it further into an unreachable part of our brain. Letting things rest seems to allow the answer to percolate to the surface. It’s like some magic trick.
Freelancing Tips #3; Freelancing is feast or famine.
Everyone talks about freelancing being feast or famine, but I don’t know if anyone is completely prepared for it if all you’ve ever known is a full-time job. Or, like me, I was prepared for it. But, if I were at a low point, I would still lay in bed at night worrying about what I was doing wrong and why I couldn’t get that next batch of work.
The regular paycheck screws with your mind to a point where it is hard to break free of having that regular money coming in. I’m still working on it. I’m sure it will take me a while. I wouldn’t trade the freedom for the regularity anytime.
Freelancing Tips #4; Take care of myself.
Sitting and typing all the time I always thought would be such a comfy job. Remember I came from a sort of blue-collar world. I did my paperwork and management tasks too which kept me behind a desk. But I spent a fair amount of time was spent in the shop working on projects.
I never imagined how bad my back would feel after sitting and typing for several hours in a row. I ever thought my hands would cramp up and hurt after long runs of writing. I needed to set time aside throughout the day to do physical activity. I practice Tia Chi so when I feel my body start to cramp up or hurt, I get up and do some stretching or a little Tia Chi.
It’s good to make time in the day to take care of yourself. Freelancing is more physically demanding than I ever thought.
Freelancing Tips #5; Change environments to keep things fresh.
The need to change environments is something I caught on to pretty quickly. After the first week of sitting in a chair at home, I got antsy and had to get out and move around.
The first time I went to my local library. By the way, if you are a freelancer, your local library is a great place to work. There is a ton of resources there.
Mine has excellent Wi-Fi. And, it’s quiet. If I had a question I needed answering, and didn’t trust internet sources, I could hit the bookshelf or magazine rack to dig through for the best information.
The next day I went to a different library. It had the same positives. It was just packed with an entirely new set of sights to keep it fresh. Now, I have a bunch of sites I rotate every day to keep things fresh. My local zoo is even on the list.
I have a yearly zoo pass, so my visits cost me nothing. They have excellent Wi-Fi, and I found some pretty out-of-the-way places where I can have some quiet and get some work done.
If you’re a freelancer caught in a rut, I’d recommend changing your environment. It also is an excellent way to spur some creativity.
Despite all the things that threw me for a loop during my first several months of freelancing, I still wouldn’t give it up for anything. I’m having a blast, and it keeps getting better every day.
I just needed to learn a few lessons about the downsides of freelancing to help keep it the lifestyle I always envisioned. My created life doesn’t always have me perched on a beach somewhere, but I do see it as a flexible life.
A life where I can set my idea of work and accomplishment. Freelancing and building multiple income streams can provide all of that.
Till next time, be safe.
Kevin