Balancing Part Time Freelancing with a Full Time Job
Freelancing on the side while keeping a full time job can be a good way to test the waters and save money before plunging in full time. In fact, I freelanced part time for three years while building up the confidence and the clips to succeed as a full time freelance writer.
Though it’s often the sensible thing to do financially, it’s certainly not the easiest. Any part time writer, designer, coder, or other freelancer will tell you that it requires careful discipline and superior time management skills.
Here are several tips on tackling freelance projects while keeping a full time job.
Be selective about your freelance clients and projects
All freelancers should be selective, but it’s especially important when you’re not available during the day and you’re giving up personal time to finish freelance projects. Working for someone who expects you to be at their beck and call to answer questions or turn around last minute requests just doesn’t work for part timers. Ditto on setting up phone interviews or status calls with someone who’s a perpetual rescheduler. Cut these people loose. If you’re freelancing part time, then you’re probably not solely dependent on that income to pay the bills. Your time is limited, so give yourself permission to hold out for clients who respect your time and projects that truly interest you.
Use different time zones to your advantage.
If, for instance, you’re a freelance writer who’s on assignment for a general interest publication, then you may be able to find interview subjects in another time zone. If you’re in California, you could call an expert source in New York City at 10:30am EST and still get to your office by 9am PST. Those who are developers or graphic designers could apply this same principle to scheduling phone calls (if required – see #3) and choosing who they’ll work with.
Encourage people to contact you via email
Many editors, project managers, and web types are already email savvy, and this can be a huge help to those who freelance part time. Rather than listening to lengthy phone calls about website specs or word counts or playing phone tag during the work day, have the client email you the information so you have a digital paper trail. If you need to interview sources for an article, an email interview can sometimes do the trick (better yet, write something that doesn’t require interviews, like a blog post or an essay). No need to explain that you have a full time job, because you can simply say “I work better when I can read it in an email.” One caveat: checking your non-work email on a company computer could force you into full time freelancing sooner than you’d planned, so I wouldn’t recommend that unless your company has an incredibly lax internet policy and you’re simply being paid to be there.
Go mobile.
Once you’ve trained clients to contact you via email, a mobile device will make it even easier for you to stay plugged in. Yes, there are some not-so-nice stories about CrackBerry addiction, but using your own BlackBerry or iPhone will keep you in the loop without having to use your company computer. If you use public transportation, then you can catch up on email or RSS feeds during your commute (my BlackBerry even gets service in many of Boston’s subway stations!) and discreetly check it during lunch or other breaks. The added productivity will help offset the extra cost.
Request a compressed schedule
This is a tricky one, because you don’t want to raise any red flags with your employer. But depending on the nature of your job and your company’s policies, you may be able to work a few more hours four days per week and spend the fifth day focusing on freelance projects. Or if you’re able to work from home on occasion, you could use of the time you save by not commuting. My last employer was flexible enough that I could sometimes start my day a little earlier and run home a few minutes early to get ready for a phone interview. The important thing is to show your boss that you consistently deliver good work, even when you’re not working a traditional workday.
For those of you who freelance part time, what tips would you add? If you’ve already made the transition from part time to full time, how long did it take?
Whoah, you people must be psychic! I’m in the same situation at the moment. Luckily, the holiday season is behind me so I am starting to actually have more days off so I can work on my skills/portfolio/blog.
I think one of the most important tips would be to get some sleep! If you’re tired as hell from your fulltime job, you simply aren’t going to have the energy to even look at your computer. I bought a moleskine notebook from Behance’s store [Action Method!!] so I could record some ideas and concepts while on my breaks. I tend to zone out while I’m actually doing my job which makes for good multitasking but people start to think I’m a vessel for an alien.
I’d like to hear some commentary from those who successfully [or not so successfully] made the switch because I’d like to do that for ’09 … that’s a biiiiig resolution for me.
Thanks for commenting! Sleep is very important and unfortunately, I still don’t get enough of it even after I left my full time job last May to freelance full time. I’ve found that whatever amount of time I have, it’s easy to fill that space and before I know it, it’s WAY past my bedtime. Anyway, I’m sure you’ll find many of the other posts on FSw helpful in making your transition, as I have.
Thanks for commenting! Sleep is very important and unfortunately, I still don’t get enough of it even after I left my full time job last May to freelance full time. I’ve found that whatever amount of time I have, it’s easy to fill that space and before I know it, it’s WAY past my bedtime. Anyway, I’m sure you’ll find many of the other posts on FSw helpful in making your transition, as I have.
I personally wouldn’t recommend freelancing on the side while having a full-time job. Too many conflicts of interest, stress and lack of sleep.
That being said, I’ve never had a full-time job !
I think it’s a good practice. I’ve done part time freelancing for ten years, and loved it. About two months ago, my position at my former full time job was terminated. So I had a chance to freelance full time. Since I’ve build a good relationship for the past 10 years with some of my clients, it helped me to bounce back and get even more contracts. So I think for those who are not sure if they can do it, it’s a good way to test the waters, and when you jump in, you know what to do.
Working on two sides is ONLY for people who want more money or work, and have discipline. It requires a lot of sleepless nights.
I would recommend that instead of freelancing on the side, you do jobs which brings passive income, or something without fixed deadline. This is to prevent you from getting crazy.
I didn’t have much discipline at a time, so that is my personal experience.
This is my life right now. I am a full-time teacher and working no a career transition to web development – started in July. Anyhow I’m fortunate that I only teach 4 days a week and usually only 4 hours a day – the 10 week vacations twice a year don’t hurt either.
One may ask why give something like that up. I”m living overseas and planning on returning to Canada – the teaching I do here is just not possible in Canada and I’m tired of it after 12 years. My target is to build up my skills and portfolio until summer 2011 and then move back to Canada. If I get to the point where I’m making good money from freelancing before that, then I’ll quit my job earlier.
Some professions acutally admit having a freelancing sidekick job. I am a music writer/producer myself full time (worked on American Idol, Johnny Logan, Lutricia McNeal etc.) but I have found that having my own blog is quite exactly the extra work I want and can keep up. I like the clear cut of different creativity and brainpower used in both areas.
If only the economics would have been better these days though. With the stock market falling like a brick at sea I am working twice as hard as I used to earning the same amount of money. All though, good fun!
So, do what you want and feel what you do and you’ll most probably be successful!
Thanks,
R. Andersson
I think the biggest challenge is to manage your time!
Thanks for the tips, Susan. Never thought of taking advantage of the bicoastal time zones. I agree with Jessica that time management is the key. Being organized can make the difference between success and failure. Though with today’s technology it’s much easier to have a calendar and time schedule wherever you are.
Great article! I think more and more people are opting to try freelancing part-time….and I am on eof those people. I have intentions of taking my computer cosnsulting business full-time, but I I want to test the waters first before I dive in.
The great thing about part-time freelancing is that you don’t need a steady income or client base. So there’s no pressure to always have that constant flow of customers. You have the freedom to experiment and work as much or as little as you want.
@Sean That’s quite a life you have. Good luck!
I’m not saying don’t freelance on the side; I’ve done it and I’ll do it again. However, do be extremely careful if you plan to get into this kind of situation. Know your current employer’s policy on the matter. As Susan alludes to you could find yourself out of a full-time job if your employer gets even the slightest suspicion you were working on the company’s time or that you’re not giving your best performance because your side gigs are taking their toll.
I did this for a while before switching over to full-time freelance and it was definitely a tough task to handle. At first, you take a project here and there and sacrifice some sleep for a couple of days and your back to your normal schedule but after a while you start to get more freelance work and sometimes with great clients its hard to turn down the project. Eventually, I found myself working 8 hours a day for my full-time job and going home and working another 6-7 hours till 2-3 a.m. for months at a time. I also had clients who knew I worked a full-time job but would still contact me nonstop during work hours trying to get me to do changes even though, in the beginning we agreed this would not happen. I couldn’t handle both so I had to make a decision but for those doing both right now I wish you all the luck and just take on what you can handle.
Time management is key; otherwise, one would be lost in pseudo-insomnia.
Yes, sleep is incredibly important… Also, having a rather understanding employer — as well as loved ones — is quite helpful.
Been in the design field for a number of years now; however, about one and a half years back I had to take on a “second” job that quickly turned into a primary one; concluding in me having… two… primary jobs.
Anyways, as most of my fellow boat passengers will agree, it’s definitely not an easy route to take — day-job + freelancing; longer days, shorter nights, weekends – what are those(?) and little personal time…
Even so, [at least for me] it’s all worth it in the end. Nevertheless, I do wish everyone in the same or similar position the best of luck in whatever field their currently working.
Recommendation: Going it alone is tough, partnering with a trusted member in the same field can make life easier; especially on larger projects.
Ugh. I’m in the transition stage away from having part time freelance and a full time job. Been doing it for about a year, after freelancing exclusively for two years prior to that. I took a job where they agreed to let me “phase out” my freelance contracts.
Of course, more came, and I took them. On top of the day job. Selectively, the “cherry” jobs. Then I left my day job at an ad agency for a client side job… a great opportunity with great pay and stock options and the like.
Now I’m saddled with the freelance jobs that have run 8-10 months longer than contracted due to the client’s issues… and one of the contracts wound up being a direct conflict of interest, as the former client is now my vendor. I turned that contract loose to a freelancer colleague. But I still have some loose ends that won’t go away with this and a few other past clients.
The pay was great… the work nearly put me in the grave… and the loose ends WONT GO AWAY!!!!
I am currently involved in doing some freelance work for a former employer on the side. The first causality has been sleep. On most days I sleep only 4-5 hours. This has not been much of a problem, because I have a toddler son who still wakes up and cry’s in the middle of the night and I am pretty much used to have my sleep interrupted and shortened.
Another thing I decided upfront was that at no point would I be working in the evening hours. The side gig will only be done during early morning hours. This involves me usually getting up anywhere between 2:00 Am to 4:00 Am in the morning
These are just the tips I needed! I am starting out freelancing part time while juggling a full time job and it definitely is hard! I have a hard time not checking personal email while I’m at work, but I know it’s a bad habit because it leaves me very distracted. Going mobile is a great idea
Back when I still had my job I would run into problems not getting enough sleep because I worked with many late night clients. For awhile, all my clients were from Australia, where it was the morning right when I got off work. Great for my work schedule, but many late night work marathons made for sluggish work days.
One thing that I would add to all of this is to make sure that if you are just doing the freelance work for a little “extra” spending money, that you never add that money to your expected monthly earnings, but keep it for your extra expenses. I made the mistake of becoming so regular with my part time freelance work and the money became so regular that I got to the point that our regular monthly expenses figured in my part time freelance money as well. We soon got to the point where I couldn’t stop the freelancing even if I wanted to because we began to rely on the money.
So, unless you’re ready to keep doing the part time freelance work forever, don’t figure it as part of your income!
Okay everyone. Listen up! I’ve been busted by my employer who is not fond of me freelancing in any way. He feels it’s distracting to an artist during company hours plus it’s outright competitive and a violation of my non-compete agreement with the agency. I agreed … to a point. I don’t go after the same level of clients that the agency deals with and I certainly don’t let my employer down when it comes to getting the company’s work done. So I got caught. How? Google. He googled my name one day and my last three years of online works showed up like fluorescent fingerprints on a black dress. The odd thing was that I didn’t feel the least remorseful for doing it or discouraged by doing it again. To me, the game just got more interesting. You see, I feel like my regular job is holding me back and it’s up to me to change that. Life is too damn short to work so hard for so little. I suggest that anyone reading this to go to google or yahoo and search for what they (your employer) will find on you. If your boss is like mine, you’ll be glad you did.
PS I didn’t lose my job through all of this … yet.
Okay everyone. Listen up! I’ve been busted by my employer who is not fond of me freelancing in any way. He feels it’s distracting to an artist during company hours plus it’s outright competitive and a violation of my non-compete agreement with the agency. I agreed … to a point. I don’t go after the same level of clients that the agency deals with and I certainly don’t let my employer down when it comes to getting the company’s work done. So I got caught. How? Google. He googled my name one day and my last three years of online works showed up like fluorescent fingerprints on a black dress. The odd thing was that I didn’t feel the least remorseful for doing it or discouraged by doing it again. To me, the game just got more interesting. You see, I feel like my regular job is holding me back and it’s up to me to change that. Life is too damn short to work so hard for so little. I suggest that anyone reading this to go to google or yahoo and search for what they (your employer) will find on you. If your boss is like mine, you’ll be glad you did.
PS I didn’t lose my job through all of this … yet.
I negotiated with my boss to reduce my work time to 4 days a week, so I could have 1 day per week to work on my freelance and personal projects. He didn’t want to lose me, and he understood the value in having me have a more balanced work/life balance (keeps me fresh, keeps me growing professionally).
I told him that I needed to be able to have my freelance as a creative outlet, so that when things get slow, or projects are in production mode, I would be able to keep inspired since I would have my own creative projects on the go.
Its been the greatest thing so far. Just having that one day makes such a difference! It allows me to enjoy the benefits of both studio and freelance, while deciding my next steps. (Full-time freelance while contracting out to my studio…? hmm…)
I highly recommend working such an arrangement out, if you have a cool boss like me
wow. everytime i read somethign like this, i feel like a lazy bum. i work full time but when i get home, i really don’t want to do the same thing for another 5 hours. i can hardly make dinner before i have to go to sleep and start it all over again…
thanks for the article, i think it was dead-on with my situation currently. glad to know that many others feel it too.
marie had a good idea there
These are some great tips for sure, thanks for sharing. I think after doing both for the last several years my most difficult challenge has been the simple time management. I work a contract for a full 40+ hour week for the “man”, and then anywhere from 15 – 25 hours of freelance depending on what is hot. It can fluctuate from either telling myself at 1am it’s time to STOP… or getting myself motivated on a sat or sun afternoon to even get started. I guess it really comes down to deadlines, getting whatever it is that needs to be done completed on time.
It can be hectic sure, but in times anyone included in a corporate “headcount” can get that tap on the shoulder at any time, it’s worth it.
Talk about life lessons. I’m glad I stumbled onto this page. Life savers I should say.
- Welcome another daily reader.
-Michael
Well Im another one glad to have seen this article. Im currenlty freelancing at the moment but not bringing in enough money, I have the chance to take on a part-time creative job which would be cool but with still little money or a boring job out of the sector with great money…..
The thing is Im gonna be a dad. The decision is killing me. I start a masters in web design and devolpment soon so am leaning towards the boring job, keeping the little freelance i have and going for it when I have my masters in a years…..
STRESSSSSS!
cheers
Loving this article and the comments even more!! I’ve been freelancing on the side for about 6 months now, and for me it’s really tiring. I mean, it’s not so bad if you have nothing else in your life, but at the same time i’m trying to
a) not lose my job
b) organise a wedding
c) decorate my busted up house
d) eat and sleep
e) get in my cycling training
but I love the creative side of freelancing too much to give it. I like my main job and it pays well but if I could I’d give it up full time freelancing – need to build up my client base first.
Thanks for the article, keep it up.
Everyone else – get back to work