I’ve been working as a freelance writer for 5 months now. I still feel pretty new to this whole thing, but I have gotten some interest in hearing about my experience. So I thought I’d write a (long, long) post with all my opinions and any tips I have to share.
Hopefully, if you’re wondering whether to break out and try your hand at full-time freelancing, this will help you a bit. I’m not trying to persuade or dissuade anyone (because I totally see the pros and cons of both working in a company and freelancing). I’m only giving a completely honest view of it.
This is not a post on how to START freelancing. Don’t worry, that will come soon. I plan to write a detailed post with tips on how to start freelancing if you have no portfolio and absolutely zero prior experience (like me).
In the meantime, here are my honest opinions and what you can expect the life of a freelancer to look like:
It feels very lonely sometimes
Freelancing is a very lonely career. Most of the days, it’s just you and your laptop and thoughts. If I work from home, I could go for a couple of days without seeing another person. Most of the time, I don’t mind too much, but sometimes the aloneness could really get to me.
So I mix it up by going to work at a cafe a couple of days a week (I don’t go every day because 1. one of the best things about freelancing is that you’re not required to get dressed, and 2. the cost of cafe visits really do add up). At least then, I get some human interaction even if it’s just chatting with the Uber driver or exchanging cash for an iced tea.
But sometimes, even sitting in a crowded cafe, you can feel like you’re all alone amidst strangers.
but you get to nibble on yummy cake as you work!
You have to have very good time management
When you know that everything is up to you, and that you can lose a client (and your paycheck) if you don’t deliver on time or satisfactorily, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Especially if you take on too many assignments (which is easy to do when you first start out).
I think the key to not feeling overwhelmed is to treat freelancing as a regular job. Which means waking up at a set time, starting work as early as possible, and not going past the normal end-work time (let’s say 5 or 6 pm).
Unfortunately, I am TERRIBLE with this.
I know part of the appeal of freelancing is the lack of structure and working on your own time. But this also means that you can end up feeling like you work a lot longer than at a normal 9-5 office job.
A typical day for me used to be like: I wake up at 9 am and start work around 10. After a lunch break, I’ll work until dinner. I’ll have a long dinner and then start work for another client, finally closing my laptop just before bedtime.
This is literally working all day. Yes, I take breaks in between and get distracted more often than I like to admit, but they’re not long enough to do anything fun. And this is honestly due to poor time management. It’s better to do everything within a normal 9-6 day, leaving the rest of the night to relax and do fun stuff.
Luckily, I’ve now reduced the amount of my work. But I’m still working on better time management, because I still find myself working late into the night far more often than I’d like.
my work space at home
It’s okay to take less jobs for your sanity
When you have too many jobs or clients, this starts to get very draining after a while. It’s not easy to write day in and day out. Sometimes, you really do have writer’s block and just can’t seem to form sentences.
So I decided that I’m going to take on less work so I have more time to do the things I enjoy, like reading, watching shows, or working on this blog again!
Because what’s the point of freelancing and working on my own time if I feel like I never have any time?!
So I’ve been slowly shedding the work that I really didn’t like doing. Of course, getting rid of some work means I’ll make less money. To me, it’s a fair trade-off to shed sucky jobs and have more to spend on projects that make me happy.
And this leads me to:
It’s important to pick jobs that interest you
One of the good things about freelancing is that you get to pick and choose what you do. So ideally, you should only take the jobs that interest you.
When I first started, I was so happy that anyone wanted to hire me at all that I accepted everything or took every interview. I was scared that if I passed by the opportunity, another one wouldn’t come. But I now know this isn’t the case at all.
I had jobs that paid way less than my ideal, which made me feel under-appreciated. A few times, potential clients came to me first and I took the interviews even though I wasn’t at all interested in the job description. At the time, I had been a bit disappointed that I wasn’t hired, but I know that if I had been, I would be miserable with the work now.
And since then, I’ve been offered other jobs that pay more and are more suited for me. There will always be more jobs. And there will be clients that pay what you deserve.
So if you’re just starting out, don’t feel like you have to take everything that comes your way. You don’t want to be stuck with a job that you don’t like and pays poorly.
more cake! the freelancing lifestyle could be quite fattening :P
You’ll have to deal with inconsistent paychecks
How much you make is up to you. You can fill all your waking hours up with gigs and earn a lot. Or take it easy and just go part-time. If you’re feeling ill/lazy one week and just don’t really feel like working much, guess what, you don’t make much that week either. But you can make up for it the next week by taking on more work.
But a lot of the time, you’ll have no control either. Two weeks in a row, you could have a ton of work coming in, and then the next week… silence from all your clients. There goes your income that week. This isn’t like an office job where if there’s a lull in work, you still get paid just for sitting there.
I’m not saying this is a bad thing. It could be quite nice to get an unexpected little break (like having time to write this post!). But just make sure to have enough in your bank account to ride out the quiet periods.
Make sure you understand the client’s expectations fully before doing any work
Not all clients will be good. In fact, some clients will really really suck. Bad instructions, poor communication skills, unreasonable expectations, etc.
There was this new client I started working with. The first task was writing a blog post.
I spent 3 hours writing a great post that involved research, links, and making images…. Only to be told that this wasn’t a paid task when I submitted my work and my hours later.
I was so angry and frustrated.
Nowhere in our communications did she state that the first task was a free trial assignment. She went on to say that she only wants her writers to spend about 1 hour per post (which is completely fine, but you’ll be getting a shoddy 1-hour quality). We ended up agreeing to reduce my hours down to 1 hour for this first assignment. But from then on, I’m careful to make sure I understand the expectations BEFORE starting anything.
one of my favorite cafes to work in (Morco @ Publika, Kuala Lumpur)
You work harder than if you’re at an office job
I honestly believe that you work way harder as a freelancer than when you’re in a normal office job.
I do most of my jobs through Upwork (previously Elance) and they’re all paid by the hour. Upwork has its own timer that you can use to track your time (which lots of clients prefer you use). And this timer takes a screenshot every 10 minutes or so. This ensures that the client knows you really are working on his task, and also ensures that you’re paid for your time.
So 4 hours of work really equals 4 hours of work. Even for the clients that don’t require a timer, I never pad my hours or anything else dishonest like that.
This isn’t like an office job, where any given day, you’re chatting with coworkers, surfing the net, attending department birthday celebrations, and making coffee… all while on the company’s clock. I read somewhere that out of an 8-hour day, the average office worker only has about 2 hours’ worth of real productivity.
But then again, with freelancing, there are no boring meetings to suffer through. So there’s that. :)
You will learn A LOT of random knowledge
I really do feel a lot smarter now than before I started freelancing. Because of the blogs I write for, I know:
- way too much about motorcycles any non-rider needs to know
- the features of a few dozen U.S. credit cards… by heart
- what a hearts & arrows diamond is (beware future husband… I will have very discerning tastes :P)
It’s kind of cool to have these random bits of knowledge.
another one of my go-to cafes (Pastel @ Publika, Kuala Lumpur)
Your entire life planning is up to you
To me, this is the scariest part about freelancing. You don’t get medical insurance or a retirement package or contributions matching like you would at a “real” job.
So it’s entirely up to you to determine how much money you would need to make each month, and find a way to somehow reach that goal. Not only do you have to earn enough for just day-to-day living, you also need to plan for emergencies and your future.
But then again, freelancing may not be your new permanent career and is more likely a temporary solution. So if you think eventually you’ll go back to a “real” job, you may not have to worry about this too much.
So, is it worth it?
Freelancing is hard and it’s an uncertain career (if you can even call it that!). You’re on your own to figure everything out. If I really take the time to think about it, it’s all very scary.
But you also get to work in bed. You don’t have to get dressed or brush your hair or even shower if you don’t want to. There’s no commute through rush hour traffic. You get to work completely on your own time (except for when you have to do an assignment you promised, then you may stay up until 5 am doing it :P).
You get to travel whenever and to wherever you want without having to put in a vacation notice months in advance. You can choose whether you want to work or not on your trip.
So in short, it’s all about having total freedom and being able to make an income enough to support that free lifestyle.
Is it worth it? For me, right now – I definitely think so. And no matter how much I may complain about it sometimes, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Have you tried freelancing? What are your experiences and please share any more tips!
Keep an eye out – I will have another post on how to start freelancing with absolutely no prior experience.
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Great post Anna! I wouldn’t be able to write all day so kudos to you. I enjoy editing and being a Virtual Assistant so I am trying to build my freelancing career around that, with a little paid writing thrown in. I am interested to read a post about how you get your freelancing jobs :)
What kind of tasks do you have as an virtual assistant? I’m interested to know. I thought about it, but I really cannot deal with emailing people all day and having to stay on top of things. Writing at least has more time flexibility to me, because most clients don’t expect that you return an assignment the same day (at least in my experience so far).
I only do it part time but I manage a Pinterest account and do about two hours per week for that – managing my own time. I also edit articles, I try to do that reasonably quickly but there is flexibility. The next step will be to manage her twitter account and scheduling then taking over and managing her inbox – something I have done before when I was an Executive Assistant. I love organising so it’s a great job for me and I am friends with my boss so it’s been great so far. I am also the Editor and Social Media Manager for a storytelling website which is just 10 hours per month. I manage my own time and hours for that too and I am friends with the website creator. I really enjoy both jobs – now I just need to get another part time VA role.
Interesting! I’ve thought about trying social media management jobs, but I’m just not sure what’s a reasonable rate for that. It sounds like something I could be interested in (though I haven’t had prior experience), and it sounds like a nice break from writing.
Best of luck with your new VA job search! :)
I’ve just signed up for Upwork after reading this but I’ve never been paid by the hour, because I usually do my work in fits and spurts, and fit it around my other commitments. What happens if you need the toilet/a drink/some food within that 4 hours??! How do you get paid? (PayPal/bank transfer) and will you be writing a more detailed post in the future? I’ve only ever worked freelance by charging per word I write so would love to hear a bit more about how working for Upwork is working out for you :-)
Upwork can be really frustrating when you start and it can be hard to find a good long term client. You can totally go to the bathroom or grab a drink, haha! I just meant don’t be surfing the internet or using facebook or the timer can catch you ;). But if I know I’m be doing something for longer than a few minutes, I’ll pause the timer. All payment is through Upwork system, but they recently changed the fee structure, which is gonna be more annoying for new people.
How much do you charge per word? I only decided I’m gonna take per-hour jobs because I have no idea what’s reasonable to charge per word. And I tend to obsess over editing so it may not be worth it? And what if a post requires a lot of research to write, but you’re only being charged by the word and not for your time researching? But at the same time, I also wonder if I could be making more by charging differently. Let me know if I should just private message you!!
Thank you so much for this post Anna! I’m in the process of deciding to start freelancing right now so it’s very helpful. (Also looking forward to your next post on how to start freelancing.) Best luck to you!
Thank you! Urška! It’s a great way to have total freedom while being able to live however you want. And not having to get dressed and commute is so nice. But at the same time, you do have to worry about a lot more things. Best of luck to you too if you start!
Sounds like you are completely used to and comfortable with this freelancing gig already. I feel so proud of you now! :D
To be honest, deciding to make the plunge is really rough on the mind, which is why I have not made that decision yet. I mean, even just part-timing and realizing that 4 hours of freelance work pays the same as my full time job’s salary, it is still super scary to just let it all go and go full time freelancing. The lack of security is scary. I’ve been successfully trained to cherish the comforts of the rat race. :(
It really is hard to take the plunge (I know I already dealt with that when I decided to quit my job in the US). It definitely is scary, and the lifespan of such a “career” is uncertain too. But having the freedom is so addicting :). And yep, definitely in a country like Malaysia, earning US $ will go a lot further! Maybe like you hope, your company will make the decision for you and push you towards it. ;)
Interesting post, Anna! I loved reading your opinions and your transparency. I’ve never written for a paid freelance gig, but as a freelance teacher, I can relate with a lot of these. Last year I worked my butt off and realized how I would’ve almost preferred having less money and more time… hopefully I can remedy that this year! I do have to say that setting one’s own schedule is SUCH a cool thing, coming from a job in the States where I was told when I could take a break or not. Flexibility is amazing!
Exactly! My job back in the US was like that with very set working hours and eating lunch at my desk most of the time. And I love that you can just go travel without putting in vacation notices! It’s definitely important to strike a balance between earning enough and still having enough free time. Time is something we can’t get back! I didn’t realize you’re a freelance teacher though. I thought you were a contracted teacher with a school with a set number of classes, etc.
I really enjoyed reading this!
Freelancing is definitely something I’m considering in the future so it’s nice to hear about your experiences with it.
I’m with you though, less money and more happiness is far more important than just the money. Kris and I are learning that now with me no longer having an income. Secretly, I think he likes being the sole money earner haha.
Thanks Kerri! Being happy with your life is the most important :). Hehe I’m glad that Kris is liking his new role as sole provider. You could totally just freelance part time for more “fun/travel” money. The good thing about it is that you can decide how often you want to work.
Very interesting post! Really loving it. I’ve been doing a little freelance work since last year when I started to put my services up and I’ve enjoyed it so far because I’ve only taken the projects that I want to take on and that I had time to take on. I can just imagine how out of hand it can get sometimes. That situation with that ‘free trial’ blog thing must have been so bad!!! I would have been so mad. And I’m worked from home a few time with my last job and I definitely think I worked harder from home!
When I work from home, I get distracted so easily! But in general, I know I do a lot more real work per week than I did at an office job, since you are literally being paid only for the time you’re working, and not times that you’re just sitting there idly or chatting with coworkers. I’m gonna be busy with travel plans the next couple of months, but after that, I may want to talk to you to ask how you are getting some freelance work!
This is what I’m wrestling with at the moment I have to confess – give up the staid security and frustrations of a desk job or take on the worries and freedom of working freelance…
There are definitely pros and cons to each! Now that I’m just on my own, I can so see how having the insurances and future planning that comes with a company job is so good. But at the same time, now that I know what freedom is like, I don’t think I can ever give that up!!
I’m looking forward to your how to start freelancing post. I’ve only ever done writing jobs that have serendipitously fallen into my lap. I do seem to spend much more time on them than what I should based on what I’m being paid.
Thanks Michelle! I can totally relate to what you said. I obsess over the writing and editing that I spend such a long time to make sure I put out a piece I can be proud of, that sometimes it’s not even worth the pay! That’s why I only work on hourly pay now, so I’m paid for the actual hours I spend. And I’m lucky to have clients who value quality over getting something for cheap. But in the future, I’d be interested to see if I could get a better rate with a per word pay.
I work from home quite a lot for my job and I completely empathise with some of the points you make about time management! I’m horrible at managing my time properly and I often end up working evenings and weekends because I don’t manage my time properly during the day. And then that feels like I never stop working. If you find the secret, please let me know because I’m still looking!
I’m so glad I’m not the only one!! I totally know what you mean… sometimes it feels like that I’m always working too, even though I know the real number of hours I work is pretty much like what a normal working day is. I don’t know why it’s so hard to work effectively from home, haha!
Good luck freelancing! I was absolutely terrible at freelance writing when I tried a few years ago. I’m just too scatty to focus on things I don’t really want to write about or to try to do it regularly. I still struggle with time management and getting distracted – mostly by food prep and eating. I need to like, pack my lunch for work at home days or something.
Hehe, I know, right? That’s actually a good idea. I get distracted by food too, and my snack breaks always end up being way too long. I’ve enjoying freelancing so far… because after writing for free for my blog for so long, it feels good to be paid for writing haha.
Well done on everything you’ve achieved with the freelancing work you’ve done so far Anna! So much of this sounds tempting to me but I also know I would be TERRIBLE at managing my time and would do silly hours like start working at 3pm and go on until midnight as I’m so much better at night time with these things. But the chance to be in PJs a lot and to work on your own terms (and eat colourful crepe cakes) does sound tempting. Also you are most definitely learning lots it seems as I have no clue what a hearts and arrows diamond is!!
Oh I’m so terrible at managing my time and I make horrible hours too! I find that I’m so much more productive at night too when everything is quiet, so I often work late into the night, but then it feels like that you work all the time. I’m on a slightly different schedule now while I’m in Beijing, where I wake up earlier and do some work before lunch and after lunch, and then enjoy the rest of the day with family, and it feels a lot better! I hope I can continue it hehe.
Thanks for the thoughts. I guess, freelancing is the loneliest job every individual have, yet inspiring. As time passed by, you’ve become more responsible especially with regards to time management and responsibility. You’ve become the instant manager at the same time, employee or a trainee of your own company. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Pleasure to read it.
Annika | 457 Australia
Love this post! I’m an in-house writer for a company, but I do plan to go freelance one day. If only so I can stay in my pyjamas more and not have to brush my hair ;-) I have to say that the company I work for has ridiculous expectations of what can be achieved within a short time too though so I never have time to enjoy the office life. They expect top quality, with no time attached to it – I think it’s something to do with managers not really understanding writing or writers and what it takes to make something good! Really great insight into your experience in this post though – thanks for that :)
Oh yikes!! It really does take time to produce good content! Especially since your productivity and creative thinking skills burn out after hours spent writing! I feel really lucky that my main client is great and never sets harsh deadlines. I have heard of other freelancers with unreasonable, nightmare clients though! Best of luck to you when you decide to go freelance! It’s really nice being able to work in bed :)