Freelance life. A new way of thinking, being, doing and living. Starting at 9am and finishing at 5.30pm. having an hour for lunch and 28 days holiday...freelance life is none of those.
The reality of freelance life is starting at 2am, 5am, 11am...starting your day when you wake up in the middle of the night and can't sleep because you have a deadline or because you suddenly have an idea that you simply MUST share on your project Slack feed.
Freelance life doesn't allow for holidays. Sure you might look at my Instagram feed and think 'Wow this girl is always on holiday' but let me tell you...there are no out of office email notices and wherever I stay Wi-Fi is essential!
Freelance life doesn't mean an extra long lunch break or a chance to veg out in front of the TV - sometimes just a simple cup of tea is a luxury! I can be at my desk at 8.30am and power on through until I next look at the clock, wondering why I'm suddenly super hungry...at 3.30pm!
Freelance life is all play. This is one that in recent months is absolutely not true. I've lost count of the amount of times I have had to cancel plans, reschedule dinners, drinks, nights out and girly get togethers.
Freelance life is not money, money, money. Sending invoices, chasing payments, making sure you're making enough money to meet your bills and save some cash is all part of freelance life. And that can be super stressful!
This is the reality of freelance life...one year in. But, for all this I would not change what I do. All of the above require strength, determination, organisation and well, a whole heap of dedication. To my friends and family who have been here since day one...I'm sorry, but thank you for the support in my beginnings. And to my amazing clients. I love the projects I'm involved in; from established businesses to start-ups, small organisations to large corporations.
I am now working on my productivity, my work life balance and of course, learning about how my way of life can be the best it can be. Over the coming weeks I will be sharing my own #freelancelife tips and tricks that I have been learning and I hope to encourage more of you, like me to take the scary leap of faith and join the world of working for yourself.
D
Donna,
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed this! I'm a freelancer (lite version, balancing school too) and can definitely relate. With freelancing, every successful piece feels like a victory and it's a unique feeling to any other sort of work. Also glad I do this.
Wishing you well,
Dana Iskoldski
www.thexclass.com