In recent years, there has been a definite shift in the workplace, with many choosing to work for themselves, or working from home, rather than the usual nine-to-five grind at company HQ. This style of working brings with it many pros and cons, but with a bit of mental tweaking, the rewards usually far outweigh the drawbacks. However, just as the environment has changed, so should your attitude and work ethic.<\/p>\n
Here, you\u2019ll discover the various perceptions and realities of a freelancer and how you can be part of this exciting new way of working.<\/p>\n
While more and more people are choosing to work remotely, not everybody understands what it entails. Because of this, you may find that people think you\u2019re in-between jobs or have all the time in the world.<\/p>\n
Some people may send you jobs to apply for and look at you strangely when you tell them you already have a job. Be prepared for this viewpoint. Be clear when you explain to friends that they can\u2019t simply pop around for coffee whenever they want.<\/p>\n
The reality of being a freelancer requires a complete shift in mindset. It means being bound to your own rules, rather than someone else\u2019s. In saying this, as a freelancer, you\u2019re not actually working for yourself as, instead of having one boss to report to, you now may have many, and each one will require something different from you.<\/p>\n
Also, every freelancer, or remote worker, is different. So what works for you, may not work for another. The important thing is to find what works for you<\/em>. You are now responsible for setting your own working hours, and just because your freelancing friend works best at six in the morning doesn\u2019t mean it will be the same for you. Working for yourself means having the dedication to get the work done without someone monitoring your every move. The work you do is now up to you.<\/p>\n Some thrive on working alone, whereas others do better in the company of others. Either way, this is the part that can usually make or break a freelancer. You might find an increase in the need to scroll through social media for bursts of interaction and, with nobody monitoring your screen time, this can become even harder to ignore. Don\u2019t worry. Take a deep breath. You\u2019ll discover ways around this. Once you\u2019ve set up a good schedule and figured out what works best for you, you\u2019ll find that working alone allows you to maximise your actual<\/em> work time. You might even find you get more done than ever before (no more loitering by the coffee machine and chatting mindlessly to your desk buddies).<\/p>\n If you\u2019re struggling, join some freelancing groups or find people in your area to meet up with on a weekly basis. You\u2019ll find your rhythm over time – you might even discover that you\u2019re really great company.<\/p>\n Depending on your working-from-home situation, your salary may no longer appear in your bank account at the same time each month. And unlike at the office, if you\u2019re a freelancer, the more work you produce, the more money you\u2019ll make.<\/p>\n Working for yourself means having to find the work yourself. It means constant networking and building working relationships. It means never giving up and always searching for new ways to stay ahead of the game. It means stretching your mind and your imagination beyond what you thought was capable, to ensure you have that edge<\/em>.<\/p>\n Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Netflix, books, your bed, your pet \u2026 the distractions are endless when you\u2019re working from home. Want to watch a 20-minute video on funny things cats do? There\u2019s nobody to stop you. But, in the freelance world, time is money.<\/p>\n No one said it was going to be easy, but the only way to stop distractions from seeping into your working day is to have a plan in place. Schedule time for distractions and use them wisely.<\/p>\n Remember, at the end of the day, this is a career path you chose and if you want to make it work, you have to be strict about the way you work. When you see the dollars rolling in, you\u2019ll probably find that those distractions have very little appeal anyway.<\/p>\n If you ask anyone who works for themselves if they\u2019ve thought about giving up, the answer will most certainly be yes. It\u2019s not always easy to be a freelancer. It\u2019s a constant hustle. One day, you\u2019ll feel on top of the world (hello, new well-paying clients), while other days, you\u2019ll wonder why you\u2019re doing it. However, with more and more people now working this way, you\u2019ve now got a safety net that many didn\u2019t have before. You\u2019ve got a community of people who understand what you\u2019re going through and who can offer advice along the way. Take that advice, but always remember that what works for them might not work for you. You\u2019re an individual and what you do is unique.<\/p>\n And just because you\u2019re talking a little too much to your pets these days doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ve lost the plot. It just means you\u2019re part of an exciting new shift in society. It means you\u2019re part of the change.<\/p>\n Use the low times to recharge and ride high when things are going your way. Be happy that you no longer have to spend all your money on fuel, waste hours at weekly meetings or work to make someone else rich.<\/p>\n You\u2019re living in a new and ever-changing world. Work hard, work smart and enjoy the flexibility. The majority of your hours are spent working, so why not enjoy those hours? Be in control of your own life.<\/p>\n The average person will spend a whopping 90,000 hours on the job over a lifetime. Thinking about going freelance or working from home? Here\u2019s everything you need to know.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":800,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[112,84],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=793"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":801,"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793\/revisions\/801"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Being alone<\/h1>\n
Work = money<\/h1>\n
Innovation and creativity<\/h1>\n
How to avoid distractions<\/h1>\n
The emotional roller coaster of a freelancer<\/h1>\n
Five rules for freelancers<\/h1>\n
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