Pursuing a career as a freelancer can be incredibly liberating. 

After all, it gives you the chance to be your own boss, set your own schedule, and decide on the projects you’d like to work on. However, this does not mean that it’s not without its challenges. Taking the leap to becoming a freelancer means losing job security along the way, as you don’t always know when you’ll next receive a commission or be invited to contribute to a project.

That being said, there are plenty of steps that you can take to ensure that you are successful in this venture.

With that in mind, here are some top tips for working as a freelancer. 

Become Your Own Biggest Fan

Working as a freelancer means that you have to become good at selling yourself and your services – which, in turn, requires you to become your own biggest fan. After all, if you do not believe in your skills and abilities, how will you ever convince anyone to hire you? As such, your ability to champion your work and skillset is often critical to seducing clients and making loads of money. 

Switch Up Your Working Environment

The majority of freelancers will work from the comfort of their own homes. However, this is not always the most stimulating environment, especially when surrounded by distractions. As such, you may find that you can get more work done by switching things up from time to time, such as by heading to work from a coffee shop. When doing so, protect the privacy of your data by using incognito mode. If you’re still wondering what incognito mode is you can find out more about it here: https://clearvpn.com/blog/what-is-incognito-mode/.

Avoid Burnout

According to a recent study, 64.3% of freelancers/consultants are burnt out from a lack of work-life balance. This is because they are far more likely to work “over time” than contracted employees without taking their own needs and well-being into consideration. This is something that you should actively avoid if you want to work as a freelancer in the long term, as overworking yourself is not something that should be worn as a badge of honour. Burnout is a sign that you aren’t taking good care of yourself, even if you feel as though it’s helping you to tick boxes and get work done. You can avoid burnout by: 

  • Setting yourself strict working hours
  • Allowing yourself to take a break when you need one
  • Having at least two days off a week 

Find A Community

As mentioned above, working as a freelancer often means working alone. Contact with clients is often limited, and it isn’t quite the same as having a colleague to talk to. As such, finding a community is key. For example, you may want to spend time in coworking spaces where you can get to know other like-minded professionals or join networking groups for freelancers. This way, you feel as though you always have someone to talk to about whenever you’ve had a bad day at work.