In the last few years, a lot has been written and debated about freelancing. The internet is flooded with blogs and vlogs about freelancing. Even in the middle of recession and mass layoffs, the freelancer appears to thrive. Many professionals have taken up freelancing as an alternative to employment. Many more are seriously considering taking it up.
One often wonders about the kind of carefree life that a freelancer lives. A perfect balance between professional and personal lives. Often, we think of the freelancer who works from home or wherever he chooses to work from. It all appears glamorous.
Anyone who wants to step into the world of freelancing must consider the rewards as well as the challenges of the freelancing industry. One needs to step away from the image of a freelancer in one's mind and analyze the hard work involved.
The image of a typical freelancer
It is easy to conjure up the image of a freelancer in one's mind. It is common to spot one at a Café, Restaurant, or Mall Food-Court. Someone who is working on the laptop while sipping a beverage and munching on a sandwich. And we also imagine a freelancer who is working from the comfort of the home. Someone who is not bound by schedules or dress codes. It all seems happening and glamorous.
Some of these are true to an extent. Freelancing does offer some great benefits like
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Freedom to decide the kind of work one wants to do and the price for that work
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Work-life balance
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Choice of flexible working hours
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Freedom from travel to work stress and office dress codes
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Freedom to choose the location to work from like home, restaurant, café, or even while on the go
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Financial security
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Improved communication skills
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Freedom to take calculated risks
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Exposure to global work cultures
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Improvement in planning abilities
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Better lifestyle
All these are seen on one side of the coin. The other side is one of struggle, sweat, and toil.
The other side of the coin
Everyone talks about the advantages of being a freelancer. Let us look at some challenges that a freelancer commonly deals with.
Building and managing a client base
This is the primary challenge in the life of a freelancer. One must have multiple clients for a steady inflow of work. This is crucial as freelancing is about pay per work delivered. When new, it is a daunting task to acquire new clients. One has to take up all sorts of clients to build a portfolio of work. The pay may not be in accordance with one's ability. However, with persistence and networking, one can build a good client base. Managing clients is no easy task either. Since a freelancer does not have any boss or subordinate. This means that one should manage everything from communications, planning, cost estimations, scheduling, and deliveries. After all this one has to complete invoicing and follow-ups till payments are received.
Planning and managing Finances
Like anyone else, a freelancer has to take care of expenses. However, the difference is that a freelancer does not get paid a salary. They depend on their clients for payments. Some pay immediately while sometimes some may delay them. The worst part is some may not pay at all. Keeping this in mind, a freelancer has to negotiate and document the terms of payment in writing.
Creating a niche in the market
Standing out from a crowd of freelancers is a daunting job. Successful freelancers manage to create a niche for themselves. They select a skill they are good at. Then they spend years honing this skill to perfection. They constantly keep updating themselves with the latest in their chosen niche. At the same time, they upskill themselves with related skills as well. This allows them to leverage out more work for themselves despite being in a highly competitive market.
One may wonder how a freelancer juggles all these challenges. To understand this, we need to peek into a typical day of a freelancer.
Sneak peek at the freelancers' life
A freelancer's time is divided into routine time slots. Apart from work, they factor in time off for themselves and their loved ones. A typical week will have scheduled non-work days, usually weekends. This slot is reserved for recreation and family time.
Work days also follow a set pattern. Enough time is allowed for long and short breaks. Rest time is never compromised. Schedules may differ from one freelancer to another. However, they all will have these common points:
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Wake up
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Freshen up
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Time for prayer, and meditation
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Some form of exercise
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Shower
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Nutritious breakfast
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Communication with clients
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Morning work schedule
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Light lunch
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Afternoon work schedule
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Evening break
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Wind up with evening work session
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Family time
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Dinner
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Analysis of the day and planning for the next day
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Learning time for reading and browsing for knowledge
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Bedtime
Discipline and structured routine
It may be surprising to know that the core of a successful freelancer's life is structured and disciplined routine. This sounds contrasting to the common image of a freelancer. However, it is easy to understand the importance of routine.
Keeps unpredictability at bay
A freelancer does not have a boss. They work on their own schedules. The challenge is to create a schedule that is structured and balanced. One that makes sure that the work on hand is delivered on time. A routine helps plan for the predictable and the unpredictable.
Avoids procrastination
Procrastination is the freelancer's demon. When there is no one to oversee, it is easy to keep work aside to catch a few winks. This can lead to delays. A delay can damage the freelancer's reputation. A damaged reputation will prove disastrous in the long run. Following a disciplined schedule keeps this demon away.
Helps balance work and life
Successful freelancers pride themselves on being able to balance work and life. They understand the need to take up as many assignments as possible. They also understand that life is not all work. Hence, they create schedules that set apart some time for themselves, family, and friends. A disciplined routine also helps them to evaluate the amount of work that can be on brought board.
Boosts productivity
A carefully planned routine is crucial to attain maximum productivity. A person disciplined to a planned routine has factored in all the necessary aspects. Such a person is always focused on completing tasks as per the created schedule.
Reduces stress
Stress can lead to multiple problems. On a personal level, stress can lead to physical and mental fatigue. These can lead to a host of lifestyle diseases in the long run. Professionally, stress can damage the quality of work. It may also lead to flawed communication that can impact client relationships.
Some factors freelancers consider while creating their routines
What sets apart a niche freelancer from other freelancers is the terms of their routines. They confidently discuss this with their clients before accepting any assignments. Thus, they create a clear path for clear communication about time schedules. Here are some of the factors.
Clarity about non-negotiables
Non-negotiables are the things that matter most to an individual. These may differ from person to person. Recognizing and communicating these are vital. These may be related to health like eating habits, exercise, rest, etc. It may be family time that cannot be compromised. It may involve time for self-improvement like reading books, learning skills, learning new hobbies, attending self-improvement seminars, etc.
Clarity about fixed working hours
A freelancer indeed works flexible working hours. However, a successful freelancer sets a daily schedule that gives him the flexibility he needs. Some may wake up early, start early, and wind-up work by evening. Others may follow a different approach. However, all will stay loyal to their fixed schedules.
Breaks between work
Successful freelancers realize that they need to take a few minutes off from work. There are several advantages. One is it breaks the monotony. It also relaxes the brain. A relaxed brain improves creative thinking and productivity.
Clarity about time for self
This can mean different things to different freelancers. Some may include this as time for self-improvement and skill development. For some, it may mean time set apart for sleep, healthy eating, exercise, meditation, etc.
Setting boundaries for family and friends
Work for freelancers is as important as family or friends. While they do not compromise family time, they do not compromise their work time. Family and friends are not allowed to disturb work and are expected to respect their work time.
Conclusion
Many think that freelancers have amazing lives. Indeed, some of them do live amazingly free lives. However, this kind of life demands a price. The price is clarity of what one wants from life and work. One has to strive to be the best in their niche. It requires one to follow a disciplined routine. One also needs to be open to new accept challenges and be ready to resolve them.
