Should You Fill in the Cracks as a Freelancer? Handling Down Time
As a freelancer, every once in a while I have a couple of hours where I would have liked to have scheduled work for a client but I wind up with nothing. Over the years, I’ve taken a couple of different approaches to this sort of crack in my time: I’ve been known to take those hours off, to work on my own projects and to even pick up work on bid sites. There no single way that freelancers should handle spaces in our schedules, but there are a few factors that can be key to deciding what approach will be most beneficial in the long run. Continue Reading
What to Do With Free Time
All of us have different measures of success. For me, I knew I was thriving when I wasn’t working 50-hour weeks anymore. Not to say that a long week is extinct for me, but there aren’t as many of them.
The extra time is something I’m not used to. I watch people around me rush around and never seem to have time to do much. They complain about their overwhelming lives and I remember what that felt like. I’m busy, too, but I’m able to make more time for things that matter to me. This is partially because of the career I’ve carved out for myself.
How to Manage Your Work-Life Balance and Reduce Stress
Work-life balance is a problem for many people. Not just freelancers, either—anyone who works in a job that involves some kind of thinking is tempted to take work home with them. I suppose that maintaining a good balance is one of the benefits to menial shift work.
But freelancers have it worst. Without an employer, our income is more dependent on performance than any corporate employee’s income. And for the vast majority of us, there’s no real distinction between our home life and our work life, because our work life happens at home.
Here’s the thing that we lose sight of: becoming a workaholic does not improve your bottom-line or productivity.
How To Keep The Freelancing Spark (Without Burning Out)
A freelancer’s life isn’t always as glamorous as it looks from the outside. Working in pajamas and bunny slippers may seem like a welcome break from a soul-crushing corporate job, but the pressures that freelancers face can cause stress levels as high (or higher) than your typical 9-to-5 employee. The rush and responsibilities of managing a freelance business cause more than a few rising stars to burn themselves out before their time, and it’s never pretty. If you’re not feeling the love you once had for your freelance freedom, use these tips to unwind before you implode.
