The freelance learning curve: all those extras

When I was considering going freelance, I spoke to a few other people who had already taken the plunge, some who had been freelancing for years. They all gave me great advice, but nothing they said fully prepared me for all the extra bits and pieces you have to do around your work.

Essentially what I've discovered is that you have to become a multi-tasking master, and if you're like me, you make lots and lots of lists.

Money, money, money

As I’d been doing odds and ends of freelance work for a year or so before I left full-time work to focus on it, I already had an idea of what I was letting myself in for on this front, but there were a few things I wasn’t quite prepared for.

Firstly, you need to keep track of jobs, who you’ve invoiced and how much for, and what expenses you have. I have a multi-tabbed spreadsheet, and I update it religiously with new work, the time I’ve spent on my ongoing projects and any jobs I’ve quoted for.

Then there’s invoicing itself. Sending invoices promptly is a must, especially as different companies and people have different processes for paying invoices. And in certain situations you might need to chase those invoices for payment as well.

All of this takes time - and it’s something I hadn’t initially factored into my working day. I try to invoice for jobs as I complete them, rather than leaving them all until the end of the month, as I find it’s easier to keep on top of them and it feels like a less arduous task.

Finding new work

Sadly, work doesn’t tend to fall into your lap - you need to put in a fair amount of work and time to get new projects. So, networking is essential - you can read about my first networking experiences in this blog - and I’ve found it’s worth paying to attend events. But again, these take up at least a few hours at a time and you need to allow for that.

Don’t forget to also factor in a good hour or two the following morning to contact everyone you swapped cards with, whether that’s sending a quick email, or finding them on LinkedIn and messaging them on there.

Then there are websites like People Per Hour where you can bid for jobs. I’ve had a bit of success with this kind of site, but it’s always difficult to know just how long you should spend formulating a proposal, given that many of the ones you send on this kind of site are ignored. There are no hard and fast rules, it’s just something you have to gauge on a case-by-case basis.

Marketing yourself

With everyone online these days, you can’t afford to neglect your online presence. You need to update LinkedIn with new projects, share pieces of work you’ve done, or articles you find interesting.

I also have this blog, which as a writer is essential. Writing for myself can often get pushed to the bottom of my list when I have deadlines for clients and work stacking up, but I know that I need to keep on top of my blog to avoid it falling into disuse.

My way around this is to write a few posts when I’m a bit quieter, so I have a few that are stored up and ready to publish. But it still takes time and it’s still time that I need to factor into my general working day/week/month.

Since going freelance, I’ve realised there is so much more I could be doing to promote myself and find new work, but I’ve had to be realistic about what I can achieve and do well. There are certain jobs I don’t let slide - like my invoicing and records - and others that I slot in as and when I can, such as my blog, but I try my best not to stretch myself too thin.

So, if you’re just starting out as a freelancer, I’d recommend thinking carefully about all the extra bits you’ll need to do to get your business started and to keep it going - and to allow for those in your working week.

And if you’re already a freelancer, have you got any tips on how to manage those extra jobs that crop up around your actual work? Is there anything you’ve encountered that you think I should be considering too?

Lessons From 2016

2016 has been a year of significant change for me. This was the year I finally had the courage to become a freelancer. It was something I’d considered for a few years before I actually did it. And 2016 was the year that I took the plunge.

Personally, I felt like I was in a ‘now or never’ situation. If I’d moved on to another secure, full-time position, I probably would never have taken the leap and gone freelance. It was something I’d always wanted to try, something I was prepared to accept might not work, and the thought of it not working somehow didn’t scare me anymore.

I’ve learned that I always regret not doing or trying something far more than I regret trying and failing. How many times have you heard someone say that? I think so many people say it because it’s true.

One of the most important things I’ve learned from this year is to trust myself. I know I can doubt my own abilities at times, and this journey, albeit one that’s been just six months long so far, has shown me that I need to have more faith in myself and in what I can achieve.

If I doubt myself, I certainly can’t expect anyone else to believe in me. And as a freelancer, getting people to believe in me is what I have to do on an almost daily basis.

Another lesson from 2016 has been to follow what makes me happy. I can honestly say I’ve never been happier with my work-life balance than I am right now. I feel an enormous sense of freedom and I thrive on that.

I’ve certainly had weeks where I’ve worked long hours for days at a time to meet a deadline, but I know that’s time that I’m investing in myself. And I know that any long days I work can be balanced out by more relaxed days somewhere along the line.

As well as my writing, I also spent a considerable amount of my summer teaching stand-up paddleboarding (SUP). Being able to have that balance, spending more of my time on the water in the summer, was one of my main motivations for going freelance in the first place.

I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to pursue both my passions, and to have found a supporting, friendly and beautiful place to work when the weather is good and there’s nowhere better to be than out on a SUP.

When I initially thought about splitting my time between watersports instructing and writing, I knew it was possible, but that I had some work to do to make it happen. It took two years, but I got there. I did it because I thought it would make me happier and healthier, and after my first summer on the water, I believe that it has.  

There have been other things happening in my life away from work that have made 2016 a wonderful year for me. But making changes to how I work has had a positive impact on many other aspects of my life, and I believe that continuing to be mindful of what I want from not only my work, but also my life, will help me have a wonderful 2017 too.

It’s oh so quiet….

No, I’m not going to post my own version of a Bjork song for you (anyone who knows how terrible my singing is will be sighing with relief right now), but I am going to talk about quiet patches.

It can be difficult not to feel a bit lost when you finish a big project and you suddenly have loads of time on your hands again. When you were working flat out, all you could think of was having time to catch up on those little jobs that you’re constantly putting off, and as soon as you have that time, you instantly feel a bit adrift, swimming in all that free time.

Well, I do anyway. It’s an odd mix of emotions really - relief that a big project is finished on time and that the client is happy; pride at a job well done; and a sudden sinking feeling of oh god where’s my next work coming from?

I’m getting better at dealing with that, and trusting that something will come along to fill the void (so far it always has). And trust is a big part of being a freelancer. But so too is keeping on top of all those little jobs that need doing but get pushed to the bottom of the list.

Don’t panic

Rule number one when work goes quiet is don’t panic! It’s so easy to start thinking about taking a bar job, or signing up to a temping agency, or even searching for a ‘proper’ job, but don’t (unless you really want to and have decided freelancing isn’t for you, of course).

I’m a big believer in putting positive energy into the universe and being rewarded for that - whether you think that’s hippy bullshit or not, it’s worked for me. So while you’re focusing on not panicking, also focus on you.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not always great at taking care of myself, but the times when you’re a bit quiet with work are the ones more than ever when you need to look after yourself. For me, my go-to is to fit in more yoga (like I’ve been meaning to for weeks) and to take longer walks with Franklin.

Be proactive

While I’m all for pumping positive energy out and reaping the rewards, no amount of meditating on positive thoughts is going to magic up work for you. You need to be proactive as well. I’m learning that there are peaks and troughs of work as a freelancer, but as long as you’ve got enough money in the bank for the next bills, you’re ok.

When I first started freelancing, I’d go a bit crazy looking for work when I got quiet. Endlessly trawling sites like People Per Hour and Upwork to see if there was anything I could do. Often times that was a waste of my energy.

There’s nothing wrong with using those sites (I use both), but you can’t rely on them. So, as well as putting in the odd proposal on freelance job sites, I also look for other ways to make connections. I’ll check out what local networking events are coming up and sign myself up for a couple, I’ll take a look at my LinkedIn connections and see if there’s anyone I should get back in contact with, or I’ll reach out to my friends and see if anyone knows of any work. Usually something will appear.

Stick to your routine

When you don’t have a specific deadline to get up for in the morning, it can be so very easy to stay in bed, but don’t! I’ve found having a dog stops me doing this, so I’d recommend that if you need help getting up each day.

If you’ve got yourself into a good working routine, try to stick to it. You don’t need to be super regimented, but if you usually sit down at your computer by 9am, make sure you continue to do that when you haven’t got lots on, even if it’s just to check your emails for half an hour.

And instead of spending your normal working hours doing project work, think about what jobs you should do for yourself - like writing a blog post (or two, or ten), updating your portfolio, or keeping on top of your accounts - and fill your day with those. Even if you’re not earning money by doing these things, they’re likely to lead to more work in future. Plus, you have to do them at some point so it might as well be when you’ve got a bit of time on your hands.

The point is, you want to end each day by feeling as though you’ve been productive. And doing productive stuff doesn’t just have to be work related. It could be deep cleaning your kitchen or putting up that shelf you’ve been meaning to do for months. As long as you feel as though you’ve accomplished something, you’ll feel upbeat.

Just remember that quiet periods never last that long - and you’ll be drowning in work again before you realise it. Freelance life really can be like the tempo of the Bjork song I used for the title of this post, so make the most of those periods when it’s oh so quiet, and so peaceful until…..