Work-Life Balance of a freelancer
How about a life where you get to do a job you like the most, get paid for it and be your own boss? Yes, that’s what sums up the life of a freelancer. However, having said that, the apparent perks of a freelancing career usually come in after the initial years of fracas and chaos.
The decision of opting for a freelancing career is generally by choice which is either related to the need to work independently or more often than not, non-availability to work continuously for a specific number of hours. Besides, with the upcoming trends in the modern world facilitating it, there are lots of available avenues for a person opting to be a freelancer. According to a survey, 65% of Americans think that freelancing is a great career option and want to go for it. Why is it then that, to set a foothold in any industry it takes quite a while for a freelancer? Let’s understand.
Woes of a beginner
- Although a freelancer gets the flexibility of working as per his choice, the shift of routine from a 9 to 5 job to a freelancer is not all that easy, as the factor of discipline is left to one’s own choice. With the right motivation, however, one can hit the bull’s eye.
- Scoping for work and getting the right clients to keep you busy is the next challenge. In this process, one might be prone to instances such as frauds, doing thankless jobs, ill-timed payment practices, etc. However, it is only after a series of trials and errors that success strikes finally. So, patience is the keyword here.
- The process of marketing oneself never stops, even after striking gold as a freelancer. The brand building exercise is ongoing and one needs to be persistent, until a niche is created. Then, there is no stopping or looking back.
The perks of a freelancer
- Be your own boss: The best thing unmistakably in the life of a freelancer is that, you can be your own boss. There is no one to give you orders, nor are there any escalations or performance assessment issues. You can pick just the jobs best suiting your profile and work towards unleashing the talent within yourself.
- Assured Clientele: Once a person has established himself in his line of interest, there is no dearth of work. The reason being, an assured clientele has already been formed with the resilient hard work put in, over the years.
- Choose your own team: At a juncture when there is assured work and in fact much more than you can handle, one can even choose to have people work for you and increase your bandwidth. What’s more, you can also have a cut from their freelancing jobs!
A successful freelancer is no doubt an inspiration to the society.
The perfect balance between work and life
Whatever the profession, it is imperative to strike the perfect balance between work and life, more so in today’s fast paced world. Freelancing offers more scope for a person to do it with ease.
- Getting to spend quality time with family: Because of the flexibility of hours of work, one can have more time to spend with family or look after their needs. For instance, young freelancing mothers can work when their toddlers are taking their afternoon nap or when they have been packed off to a playschool.
- Save time on commutation to work: Not having to commute to work is one major advantage that a freelancer gets and that could be channelled towards something else, like pursuing a hobby or spending time with near and dear ones.
- Take a break whenever you want: As against a corporate job, you don’t get a paid vacation here. But, think about it, you don’t have to apply for leaves or get harassed by your manager for not granting you leave, when you need it the most. You can pack your bags and go for that much needed weekend retreat with your partner when you are craving for it!
Juggling between things effectively and wisely, and striking the right chord is the essence of life and the key to one’s happiness. After all, yin and yang are two sides of the same coin.