Don’t Forget Why You Became a Freelancer
As a freelancer, you have a lot on your plate. With all you have to do, it’s easy to forget why you became a freelancer in the first place. It’s a good idea to spend some time reflecting on why you decided to take this career path and not forget all the benefits freelancing affords you.
So why did you become a freelancer? Some of the most common reasons include:
- Focus on your passion.
- Create value through your work.
- Follow your own schedule.
- Get paid what you are worth.
- Work where you want.
- Overall, have more control over your life.
Let’s take some time to reflect on each of these benefits. And I’d like you to think about your own situation. Are you getting all the benefits out of freelancing that you thought you would? If not, maybe it’s time to make some changes.
Focus On Your Passion
Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” – Oprah Winfrey
Are you focusing on the things you are genuinely passionate about or is all of your time spent on the small details of running a business? While it’s true that there are things that just need to get done, you want to be sure that most of your time is spent doing the things you are passionate about.
To keep up what you’re doing in the long run, you need to be passionate, interested in, and excited to do what you’re doing. Generally, being passionate about something comes about when you are doing work that you are confident doing.
So, take a moment and think about your day. Are you working on things you are excited about? If not, maybe you need to shift some of your priorities.
Create Value Through Your Work
Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Many freelancers have left the conventional workforce because they felt that their work was not bringing as much value to the world as they would have liked. Some employers are finally opening their eyes to this fact, but in many cases working for someone else means you are doing work that aligns with the employer’s values and not yours.
The first step in doing work that brings value is knowing what you find valuable. Once you have clarity on this, you can review the things you are doing daily and determine if the tasks align with your values and bring value to others.
Follow Your Own Schedule
Lost time is never found again.” – Benjamin Franklin
Having autonomy and the ability to chose when you work is a significant benefit of working for yourself. But if you find that you are still adhering to the standard 9 to 5 schedule (or worse yet, working extra hours), you’re not capitalizing on the opportunity to make your own schedule. Of course, there will be times when you’ll need to put in some extra hours to meet a deadline, but for the most part, you should be able to get a lot of things done in a smaller amount of time.
In a conventional work environment, we are employed, in most cases, to work certain hours during certain days of the week. Because of this, we make sure that the work we need to get done gets done in this time frame. Sometimes this means stretching tasks out because otherwise, you wouldn’t have enough tasks to fill your day. Studies have shown that when workers are given a shorter time to get a certain number of tasks done, they can usually accomplish it. This is one of the things I like about freelancing. Just give me a date and time to get a task done, and I’ll determine how and when I complete it. I’ll spend less time doing unimportant tasks and will just get the important work done.
Get Paid What You Are Worth
What we really want to do is what we are really meant to do. When we do what we are meant to do, money comes to us, doors open for us, we feel useful, and the work we do feels like play to us.” – Julia Cameron
When you are a freelancer, you get to make up all the rules. This includes how much you charge for your products and services. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. Many people undervalue themselves and don’t get paid what they should be paid. To some degree, you can look at others doing similar work to get an idea of what you should charge, but the better rule is to charge a small enough amount to still get clients, but a large enough amount that you don’t get too many clients.
It’s also good to keep in mind that if you tell a potential client how much your product or service costs and they think it’s too much, they probably wouldn’t be a good client for you. You know how much your time and effort are worth. You’d be better off looking for other clients who value your work as much as you do. In the end, the client/freelancer relationship between people that value something at the same level will be much better.
Work Where You Want
A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” – Lao Tzu
Except for not having the tools you need to do your work (internet access, equipment, the right environment, etc.), your work location shouldn’t matter. In the past few months, more and more companies realize how true this statement is.
You may have to do a bit of extra work to get the things you need in place to do your work, but making the additional effort to work from a location that inspires you is so worth the extra effort.
Overall, Have More Control Over Your Life
Build your own dreams or someone else will hire you to build theirs.” – Farrah Gray
The overarching theme of what makes freelancing so appealing is having more control over your life. Don’t forget to think about all the facets of your freelancing life to ensure that you make decisions that align with your values, goals, and beliefs. Don’t just take the easy way and follow the status quo. You became a freelancer to have more control, so take the reigns and create the life you want!
Conclusion
I hope this article was a reminder of some of the positive reasons to work as a freelancer. Maybe you forgot some of these in the business of freelance life. If so, take the time to think about all of the reasons you became a freelancer. And be sure you’re living the type of life you want to live.
Are there other reasons why you decided to become a freelancer? How do you ensure that you stay on track and don’t let the small details get in the way of living your best freelancer life?
Brenda Keller is a software coach who helps people feel comfortable with and learn how to use software. She has been an Excel user since it was first introduced in 1985 and has taught the program in various settings. Her new Microsoft Excel: Quick Start course was designed to help those new to Excel or those wanting a refresher to get a handle on Excel’s key features quickly. Check out her course on Udemy here or view her YouTube channel here to get more help with Excel. To learn more about Brenda Keller, check out her official website here.
