I started freelancing about a month ago, and I’m already starting to feel like I’m figuring it out. But there’s a lot of stuff I didn’t know when I just decided to take the plunge. So here are some things that have changed my perspective on life as a freelancer and what it means to work on your terms:
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Realistic expectations are essential in freelancing. |
| 2. Freelancing requires perseverance and adaptability. |
| 3. Building a support network can help navigate challenges. |
| 4. Balancing work and personal life is crucial for success. |
| 5. Continuous learning and skill development are necessary. |
I Love The Freedom And Flexibility
I love the freedom and flexibility that freelancing offers. You can choose your hours, work from home, or travel a lot. I’m able to take vacation days whenever I need them and still get paid for the time I miss. I can work on my business with other people or do it all on my own.
It’s not for everyone but if you’re looking for more flexibility in your career, freelancing may be right up your alley. I also like how easy it is to get started as a freelancer you don’t need any fancy degrees or certifications to start making money this way (though they certainly help).
Building a successful freelance career requires perseverance and adaptability. Check out our article on how to become a freelance writer in the agricultural industry to gain valuable insights and tips from experienced professionals in this field.
Clients Have No Clue What They Want And No Idea How To Explain It
Clients often don’t know what they want. Even if they do, it’s often hard to get them to explain it in a way that makes sense.
And even if you can get them to explain it, there’s no guarantee that what you’re hearing is the same thing your client is thinking about. I’ve found this especially true in writing jobs (which I’m far more experienced with than other types of freelancing).
You’ll have an idea from your client about the direction of their book like “it should be a self-help book” or “it should be about how we need to save our planet” and then as soon as you start writing, things change completely and become something completely different like “make sure every chapter ends with a cliffhanger.”
How do you deal with this? Your best bet is probably just asking questions like “What does ‘self-help’ really mean?” or “What do I need to include in this chapter so that people will read the next one?”
My Time Is Just As Valuable When I’m Coding As It Is On Meetings, Emails, And Other Admin Tasks
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that my time is valuable, whether I’m coding or in meetings, on email, or at a meeting. Time management is key to success as a freelancer. You can’t do everything at once and you have to prioritize what’s important for you and your business.
You will also need to learn how to say no when something doesn’t fit into your schedule or it isn’t worth your time (like the meeting with a client who doesn’t understand deadlines), but you also need to be flexible enough to say yes when an opportunity presents itself (like working with another client who understands deadlines).
I Hate Invoicing People
I hate invoicing people. I was wrong about this I thought that once I found a client, they would just automatically send me money and life would be grand. But then it turned out that all this work requires a lot of time and effort on my part, so by the time they pay me, I’ve already forgotten what we’re paying for.
Also, sending invoices feels like going to an accountant’s office just to write down numbers in squares on paper instead of typing them into Quickbooks or whatever other accounting software you use.
I’ve seen freelancers get creative with their invoicing process (some even use WordPress), but sometimes you just have to do what works best for your business model and stick with it until you find something better.
Most Of My Clients Are Not Technical, They Have No Idea What We’re Talking About
Most of my clients are not technical, they have no idea what we’re talking about. They don’t understand the difference between a static website and a dynamic one, they can’t describe what their business is or what they do in one sentence.
Many don’t know how to explain their product or service on their website, let alone how it should be presented visually.
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Clients Don’t Get That They Can’t Have Something Done Perfectly In A Few Days
You can’t expect that you’ll be able to do something perfectly in a few days, hours, minutes, or even seconds. There’s always room for improvement and that’s what makes it so great.
The number of improvements I made on my first website was insane. If someone would have come up with a checklist and said “do this” (which they did) I wouldn’t have learned as much as I did by doing everything myself.
You need to learn how to code your websites if you want them done right!
Working From Home Sucks Sometimes
Working from home can be a blessing, but sometimes it can also feel like a curse. You’ll find yourself unable to escape your job, no matter how hard you try, and believe me, I’ve tried everything.
You can’t get away from the noise: Whether it’s music playing on Pandora or my kids arguing in their rooms about who gets to use what computer first (they’re both using laptops now), there is always something going on around me that distracts me from what I’m working on.
You can’t get away from the kids: My son loves his daily dose of Minecraft and refuses to play any other online game unless he has friends with him on our server so he doesn’t have to be alone (I’m sure many families have this same issue).
My daughter has been watching videos on YouTube almost non-stop since she learned how to type “YouTube” into the Google search bar at age 6 which means her favorite song right now is “Let It Go” by Idina Menzel (from Frozen).
Both children are constantly streaming TV shows while they work or play games online; if they aren’t doing those things then they will often ask questions about whatever project I’m working on at any given moment.
As far as distractions go, being around my family members is one of two things that can derail my train of thought when I’m trying to work efficiently!
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Vacation Time Means Vacation Pay. That’s A New Concept For Some People
Developers and writers often don’t take vacation time because it’s not considered a luxury in the same way that health insurance or 401(k) plans are. But what if I told you that taking a vacation is one of the most important things you can do for your career?
Vacation time should be taken as soon as possible when it becomes available, even if it means working through the weekend. Because if you don’t take a break from your work routine, you’ll burn out and become less productive than before.
And if nothing else, remember: vacations aren’t just about resting; they’re also about relaxing, recharging, and re-evaluating your life goals so that when it comes time to go back to work again after two weeks away from your desk and likely another project deadline you’re motivated by something other than fear of failure (or worse yet: being fired).
Lunch Breaks Are Important. It Helps Your Creativity Flow If You Take A Little Bit Of Time Off To Think About Something Other Than Work
You need to take a break from work to get a fresh perspective. This is one of the biggest reasons why I try not to work at my desk all day long.
I love working from home because it gives me the flexibility to work whenever I want, but sometimes it can make you feel isolated and cut off from others in the same way that being cooped up in an office building would be.
Sometimes taking lunch breaks or going for walks will help your creativity flow if you take a little bit of time off to think about something other than work.
I Spend Way Too Much Time Answering Emails. I Need To Find A Way To Stop That
I spend way too much time answering emails. I thought that being an independent writer meant I wouldn’t have to deal with office politics, but it turns out that when you’re working remotely, there’s a whole new set of potential distractions to contend with.
Email is the biggest culprit: it’s a huge time sink and a distraction, but it can also be an insidious form of procrastination.
When you’re working from home and are free to do whatever you want all day long (within reason), there’s no good or bad there’s only everything else. If you’re going to write something every day and complete your tasks, then nothing else matters beyond doing what needs doing at the moment.
Email notifications pop up every few minutes on my phone; sometimes just seeing one makes me feel like leaving my desk for ten minutes or so even though I know this is counterproductive since answering emails is one of the main things I should be getting done today.
And when I’m not writing or taking care of other business tasks related to my freelance work? Well…then I open another browser tab and start browsing around online instead of getting anything meaningful done…and then before long hours have passed without any progress made toward achieving any goals at all.
This cycle repeats itself day after day; all in all, it’s probably costing me at least two full hours each week on average more than enough time spent away from being productive while still technically working toward my goals as a freelancer.
This means those “full” days off aren’t very much fun when looking back on them later because they didn’t feel like relaxing breaks so much as lost opportunities
Contracts Don’t Mean Squat If The Client Doesn’t Follow Them
If you’re a freelancer, you should probably have a contract. I know that sounds like the world’s most obvious thing to say, but it’s not always the case.
When we first started on this path of work-for-hire and being paid for our time and expertise, we got burned by a client who didn’t respect our agreement. And this wasn’t one of those “the client didn’t pay me” situations; this was far more insidious than that.
The client failed to follow the terms of our contract in so many ways that he was legally liable for damages if we took him to court: he was supposed to provide us with certain resources and materials (which he never did) and commit certain hours each week (which he only partially met).
He also wasn’t clear on what kind of work would be expected from us until well after our contracts were signed meaning some of those things weren’t even part of our original scope or budget!
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Write Everything Down Including Invoices And Receipts So You Can Write It Off From Taxes
I wish I would’ve taken more time to learn how taxes work when I was first starting. In the U.S., you can write off any expenses related to your business that are within reason. You can’t write off things like your car payment, rent or mortgage, or groceries because those are not directly related to your business (even if they do help keep you healthy and happy).
You can write off anything that is specifically related to your work as an entrepreneur this includes office space rental fees, internet connection charges (if needed), website hosting costs, and so on. As long as it’s something necessary for running a successful freelance operation then it should be deductible from your income at tax time!
You Will Never Get Paid For All The Hours You Do In A Day
If you’re doing your bookkeeping, expect 40% of your actual total hours worked for payment if you’re doing the books yourself. If you hire someone, that’s less obviously 😉
You will sometimes work late nights or weekends because no one works 9-5 anymore (even if they say they do). Also, be prepared to have some weeks where there are not enough hours in the day to finish everything on your plate!
Forcing Yourself To Get Up And Shower, Change Out Of Pjs, And Go Somewhere Else To Work Makes You More Productive
This is a really good point. When I was freelancing full-time, there were days when I would put in a lot of hours, and other days when I would only work a couple of hours.
During the latter times, I would be at home in my PJs with my laptop all day. This can be very easy to get into if you’re not careful! When you do this, you start to feel more guilty about being unproductive than actually getting up and going somewhere else to work instead of sitting on your couch with your laptop all day (when you can).
Forcing yourself to get up and shower, change out of PJs, and go somewhere else to work makes you more productive instead of sitting on your couch with a laptop all day (when you can). It forces me out of my headspace which allows me not only to get things done but also to have new ideas pop up every once in a while!
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Final Thoughts
The best thing about freelancing is that it’s a great way to make money, but it’s not for everyone. It takes time, dedication, and patience. If you want to be successful at freelance writing, you need to create your business plan. Make sure your goals are realistic and achievable to be on track with your work.
Further Reading
Here are some additional articles you may find helpful for further understanding and insights about freelancing:
Signs You’re Not Ready to Be a Freelancer: This article highlights important signs to consider before diving into freelancing, helping you determine if it’s the right path for you.
5 Lessons I Learned as a Freelancer: Gain valuable insights from a freelancer’s personal experiences and learn important lessons that can benefit your own freelance journey.
Why Freelancing Is Not What Everyone Makes It Out to Be: This article challenges common misconceptions about freelancing and provides a realistic perspective on the realities of this career path.
People Also Ask
What Is Freelancing?
Freelancing is when you work for yourself and set your hours, rather than being employed by a company. You’re responsible for finding your clients, as well as for deciding how much you’re going to charge them.
How Do I Get Started?
The first step is to build up your portfolio with some examples of your work. This will help make you more attractive to potential clients, who are more likely to hire someone who has already shown them what they can do.
Once you’ve built up a good portfolio, start reaching out to potential customers via social media or email. Be sure to include links to your work so that they can see what kind of quality they can expect from hiring you.
How Much Money Can I Make?
The amount varies widely depending on where you live and what kind of work you do.
It also depends on how many hours/days per week you want to work as well as if any additional expenses such as equipment rental fees will be taken out of that amount before taxes are taken out (which varies by country).
Lastly, keep in mind that while some clients may pay upfront others will prefer payment upon completion of their project.
Does That Mean That Freelancing Isn’t What It’s Cracked Up To Be?
Not necessarily. If you’re looking at freelancing as a way to make a living by doing only the work that interests you, then yes, freelancing probably isn’t what you thought it would be. But if you want to make money while working on projects that don’t interest you, then yes! It is exactly what it’s cracked up to be.
I’ve Always Wanted To Be A Freelancer, But I’m Not Sure If It’s Really What I Thought It Would Be
This is a great question. And one that we often hear from new freelancers. Freelancing is an exciting, rewarding career path but it’s also a lot of work.
You’ll have to learn how to manage your time and finances, keep up with the latest trends in your industry, and stay organized enough to make sure you’re hitting deadlines on time without sacrificing quality.
That said, as long as you’re prepared for these challenges and know what you’re getting into, you should be able to succeed!
What Is The Difference Between Freelancing And A Job?
There are a few differences. The main one is that a job typically offers benefits like health insurance or paid vacation time, while freelancing does not.
Freelancers also need to set their hours, which can be good or bad depending on what kind of schedule you prefer. If you’re looking to make money quickly, freelancing is probably for you but if you want the stability that comes with having full-time employment, then maybe not.
How Do I Find Work As A Freelancer?
You can start by signing up for our newsletter. The newsletter will highlight new opportunities every week, so you’ll always know where there are jobs available for people like you who want to start freelancing today
You can also browse our directory of companies looking for freelancers, or check out our blog posts about tips and tricks we’ve learned while working as freelancers ourselves!
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.