Life as a freelancer: One year in

To say that my life has changed over the past year feels like a bit of an understatement. One year ago today I left my full-time office job. I took a leap into the semi-unknown and hoped that my gamble would pay off; that I’d be good enough to find and retain clients; that I’d find a bit more of the balance I’d been craving.

A year later I’m still working as a freelance copywriter and SUP instructor and not once have I regretted my decision. I have certainly had moments of panic over my workload (there’s too much, I can’t cope/there’s too little, how will I pay my mortgage?), but I’ve pulled through.

Taking a moment out, a deep breath and remembering what’s important helps me focus. So does Franklin, who constantly reminds me I’d rather be napping.

My last 12 months has had some difficult personal patches too, which have led to wobbles. Every time I hit one of those though, I’d tell myself I’d worked too hard and for too long to get to this point to lose it now; that things had been hard before and I’d always come out the other side stronger.

I’ll admit there have been times I’ve buried myself in work this year, partly from a fear of the work running out (as all freelancers have) and partly to avoid other things happening in my life. But that’s also made me realise the importance of taking time for myself.

My time as a freelancer has taught me a lot of things. I know I still have a lot to learn and that I’ll keep developing and changing my working habits as I do.

I’ve learned that taking time for me is just as important as hitting that deadline. I’m not working at my best when I’m tired and run down. That means the hours I spend walking the dog, doing yoga or reading a book are just as valuable as those spent in front of my laptop.

Now when I start to feel as though I should skip my morning yoga practice, or work late into the night, I’m better at stopping myself. There’s always something else I could be doing, so at some point I have to draw a line.

I’ve learned that I love the variety of working as a freelancer. One day I’m at the beach teaching kids how to paddleboard. The next I’m writing a series of blog articles. A week later I’m jumping into a big project with a new client. It’s never boring and I constantly feel as though I have to push myself to be better.

Professional development is something I want to make more time for in the coming year. There’s so much more for me to learn, and so many incredible people out there who I can learn from.

I’ve also learned not to take earnings for granted. Until the money is in my bank account I don’t factor it into my calculations. I’ve been lucky that I’ve only had one person not pay me for work I did for them, and I was luckier still that it was a very small job, but it served as a bit of a wake-up call.

Similarly, you shouldn’t count your chickens before they come home to roost (as the saying goes). I’ve had jobs that have just taken longer than I anticipated, meaning I don’t get paid until the following month. The money always arrives, just maybe not when I’d originally hoped.

I’ve learned the value of flexibility in my approach to work and my finances. I’m gradually getting better at letting go of the stress attached to money, but I know the importance of keeping on top of my records and invoicing.

Away from work, I’ve been grateful to have such supportive family and friends who have always been there when I needed a rant, a confidence boost, a large glass of wine or a bar of chocolate (or sometimes all of them at once). Spending time with those wonderful people has become even more important now that I’m not going into an office and interacting with people every day.

This year seems to have lasted a long time and it seems to have flown by all at once. I’m excited for what the next 12 months have in store.

I went on holiday (and the world didn’t end)

As someone who’s relatively new to freelancing, the thought of taking proper time off was a little bit terrifying. I’d taken trips away before, but I’d always had my laptop with me and done odd bits of work while I was gone.

This time, it was going to be different. I purposefully didn’t take my laptop as I knew it would remove the temptation to ‘just do a bit of work’. I really needed a proper break.

In the weeks leading up to my trip, I worked really long hours. I had a couple of projects that I needed to finish before I went away, plus my usual work for regular clients that I wanted to get through as well.

I didn’t feel particularly organised and there never seemed to be enough hours in the day, but I got through everything, set up an out of office reply on my email and eventually turned my computer off and didn’t look at it again for a week.

And it was brilliant. I really needed time out for myself, to refresh and just relax. I hadn’t realised how tired I’d been getting until I stopped. So, I spent a week exploring Ireland with my mum. We visited some family and friends and drove wherever we felt like each day.

Following the road less-travelled

Lots of nice walks, stunning scenery and a few pints of Guinness. I barely thought about work the whole time. I checked my emails on my phone a couple of times to make sure nothing urgent had come up and, of course, everything was fine.

When I got home, I felt energised. I wanted to get back to work and I felt good sitting down at my laptop again. It didn’t feel like a chore. None of my clients had missed me and I realised that I need to stop stressing and take time out more often.

In this world where we’re always connected it can be hard to get off the grid. I’ve written before about trying to kick the addiction to our mobile devices and it’s certainly a challenge.

As a freelancer, where you’re not paid for any time off you take, it can be really difficult to let go. But I’ve realised that at some point you have to. If you don’t you just burn out and then you’re no good to anyone. I was getting to that point and it made me realise that I need to be more careful.

Since I’ve come back from my holiday I’ve made a conscious effort to chill out and to plan downtime into every day; and I’m feeling better for it. And after months of telling myself I’ll do yoga every day I’ve finally slotted that into my routine too, which has made a big difference to my back and my mood.

With my work balance shifting now towards more SUP teaching and a bit less writing, I need to be careful that I don’t take on too much. Saying no to work when you freelance is scary, but sometimes it’s necessary and I’m getting more comfortable with it. I’m also excited about the idea of going on more holidays in the coming year, knowing that I can relax and that my work will still be here when I get back.

Getting off the grid sometimes is important

Paying it forward

When I decided to take the leap into the world of freelancing, I knew I’d have a lot of hard work ahead of me to build up a client base and find new work. I mentally prepared myself for networking events, pitching via freelance job sites and contacting agencies.

What I hadn’t accounted for when I thought about finding work was how my previous actions might impact the opportunities that came my way. Although I decided that I’d like to give freelancing a go two years before I actually took the leap of faith, before then it had never occurred to me.

I hadn’t been actively laying the foundations for a career where contacts were going to be vitally important to my future ability to find work. But it turns out I’d been doing it without even realising.

In the autumn, a former colleague contacted me about doing some freelance work for the agency she now works for. She’d heard through our old boss that I was working for myself and wondered if I could help out. Of course, I jumped at the chance.

The work was similar to what I’d done in the past, and it was regular. I was really excited and happy to have the opportunity. But I didn’t think much more about why that had come my way until I told my best friend.

I said I was surprised by the opportunity but was really excited. My friend just laughed and told me it was no surprise at all that the chance had come my way, because I’d always worked hard, done a good job and left things on good terms with everyone I worked with. She thought it was obvious I’d be approached for jobs in this way.

And it made me see things from a new perspective. I’ve since found two other clients as a result of recommendations from former colleagues. Because I haven’t actively put any effort into seeking those clients in the first instance, they feel like amazing bonuses - and they are. They’re a gift, but one that’s come from hard work and good deeds years earlier.  

What I specifically did to warrant being remembered I’m not sure, but I thought I’d share some of the ways I approach work and working relationships in case it helps.

Firstly, whoever I’ve worked with in whatever setting, I’ve always tried to be kind. If I’m having a bad day because of something away from work, I do my level best not to take it out on anyone who I see in the office. Even if I’m in a bad mood because of work, chances are it’s not as a result of anyone I work directly with, so while I have the odd rant, it’s always just been a way of venting frustration and isn’t directed at anyone in particular.

Secondly, I’m helpful, sometimes to my own detriment I admit. If people ask for a favour politely, I’ll almost always help - even when I’m completely snowed under. I was always brought up to treat people the way you’d like to be treated, so whenever anyone extends that courtesy to me I’ll do my best to help if I can. If I can’t, I’ll sometimes go out of my way to help them find a solution.

Thirdly, I’m conscientious. I work hard and when I tell someone I’ll meet a deadline, I do. I think that’s my training from my journalism kicking in, but deadlines are hugely important to me. I can’t even begin to list the number of times that my life has been made more stressful or difficult by other people missing deadlines that impact my workload. As a result, I endeavour to never be that person who makes someone else’s life harder than it needs to be.

I’m not trying to suggest that I’m something special for behaving this way. I’m not, and have worked with plenty of people over the years who have the same values as I do and who take the same approach to their interactions with others and their work.

But until recently I hadn’t appreciated how important that might be to my future, so I thought I’d share my realisation. Be kind, be helpful and be conscientious - you never know who you might help, whose day you might make better, whose life you might make easier and who could return the favour when you need it in the future.