The best thing about being a freelancer is being able to make your own hours. We discuss it here plenty, so you pretty much know how I feel. My worst day freelancing is better than my best day at an office job. I’ll do this is as long as I can, hopefully forever. The benefits of freelancing abound. I think the best thing, for me, is the ability to work when I want and make my own schedule.
The worst thing about being a freelancer is dealing with all of the distractions. Summer time is a major case in point. We have a pool, a reservoir for swimming about 30 minutes away, the park and lots of good friends. I don’t need to tell you how hard it is to catch up with everything after enjoying summer’s blessings.
There are other distractions, the Internet, the television, music, the neighbors, a good book and just about everything but work. Sometimes it’s hard to keep focused while life is happening around you.
So that’s mine – the best and worst things about freelancing. What are yours?
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August 13th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
Worst: Obtaining health care. I could write reams about this, but I need to work to pay for healthcare, and I’m sure your blog has some type of limit, so I won’t use up all of your space and all of my time.
Best: Security (as long as your client list is diversified). If one client leaves, you still have others. If a job goes, you’re stuck until you find another.
August 13th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
Worst: Thinking up things to write about.
Best: It’s a way to relieve stress for me.
August 13th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
Worst: Finding jobs that make it worth my time (sometimes, but looking at your job links helps tremendously. Thanks).
Also, it involves more time managment so sometimes the distractions can cause a big upset. It depends on moods (and I have plenty of them).
Best: My own hours meaning I can spend more time with my kids if I want. I like the flexibility all around. The hours, the type of writing I will do etc.
August 13th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Worst: Having to bully myself into doing all that stuff I don’t want to do. I used to be able to blame other people.
Best: Being able to drop everything if there’s an emergency. It’s a mixed blessing, but with aging relatives, it’s almost necessary.
August 13th, 2007 at 7:12 pm
I think the best thing about freelancing is doing something that I absolutely love and doing it all from the comfort of my home (or wherever I happen to be!)
The worst thing has to be that some people think that I am always available because I work from home. They don’t understand that I am just as busy with my work as they are in their offices!
August 13th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
Worst - finding quality work (although this blog/website helps!)
Best - Working when and where I want. If we go on vacation, I can still work if I HAVE to, although I prefer not to!
August 13th, 2007 at 7:43 pm
Hmmmm… If things start working out ok for me, then I would say that the best is that I won’t have to babysit anymore for extra money and I can go back to school during the day to get my degree. That means no internet or long distance learning and I can enroll Peanut in a good early education program on campus. Alright that’s only one of the best things. Another is that I don’t have to ask for time off of work to volunteer at the kids school or go on a field trip.
The worst is not knowing if I am going to have enough work to make ends meet or even come close. The constant job hunting is another.
But guess what??? I think I might have landed my first gig today! I am crossing my fingers and owe it all to you Deb! I hope it works out!
August 13th, 2007 at 7:47 pm
Best: I like to volunteer, but most of the opportunities I’ve found require me to help out during the day. I can do that as a freelancer because I make my own schedule.
Worst: My two worst things about being a freelancer are trying to keep a steady stream of clients going and weeding out BS clients that want to pay peanuts. I’ve found that it’s ALWAYS the people paying the least for something that contact me the most, want frequent updates, call me on weekends, etc. I had someone call me at 3:30 a.m. a few months ago! My higher-paying clients give me assignments and then I brief them when I’ve hit set milestones — they don’t call me at 9 p.m. or expect me to give up my day off to update them.
August 13th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
Best - I’m constantly learning new things and meeting new people - It’s rarely boring! I also love the flexibility and the opportunity to fit my work around my life and not the other way around.
Worst - People who don’t think I really work. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “When you find a job…”
August 13th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
Best for me: I am fulfilling my dream! Worst: I am working close to 12-14 hours per day.
August 13th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
I’ve only just recently begun to write for a deadline, and I find that my kids are the biggest distraction. I have three home until after Labor Day. At that point, two will head off to school. However, I will still be left with a 26 month old. The hard part is trying to balance getting my work done without ignoring her too much (or placing Barney on a loop!). She doesn’t nap until afternoons and by the times she does, my other two kids will be home from school. I try to limit my writing to two hours during the day and an hour or so at night (’cause I can’t ignore my husband either!). The good thing is, I don’t write for a living. We’ve always been a one-income family, and the money I make is just icing on the cake. I’ve been reluctant to actively pursue work and I’ve just been sending out articles here and there instead. So far, it seems to work for me.
August 13th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
The best thing about freelancing - having the freedom to be with my kids whenever they need me and the ability to set my schedule around their activities.
Another great thing about freelancing is that look people give you when you tell them you’re a freelance writer - they have that idea that being a writer is glamorous and they don’t believe when I tell them it is not at all. My writing life is nothing like Hemingways.
The worst thing - the fact that I’m my own worst enemy - having no one to watch over my shoulder means I end up leaving things till their deadline often and then get furious with myself.
But I wouldn’t give it up - no way.
August 13th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
Best: I’m my own boss!
Worst: I need to give myself a raise!
August 13th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
Nikki –
Congrats on the first gig! You know, when I started freelancing full time almost 2 years ago, I was supplementing my income pretty heavily with babysitting, too. Now I only babysit for one family, primarily to continue my 3-year relationship with their kids but also because babysitting once a week brings in some nice extra cash.
As for my best and worst things about freelancing:
Worst: I have to agree with Phil, health insurance is a pain. I am diabetic, so it is especially crucial (and hard to find) for me. This is one of those things for which I’m not ashamed to say I depend on my husband.
Another worst: Busy and slow seasons. Right now I’m slammed and stressed, but I well know that in a few months I could be experiencing a slow period. Right now, I’m yearning for the slow period; and when I get there, I’ll be wishing for more work.
Best: That my commute entails walking 20 feet to my home office. That I get to do my work on the porch, in my rocking chair, at a coffee shop, or in my PJs. But above all, that I am making a living doing what I have wanted to do since I was just a kid.
August 13th, 2007 at 9:27 pm
Best: I absolutely love what I do, and I am truly living my dream. Not many people can say that.
Worst: Chasing down clients for payments, and not ever being able to really unplug and relax. I must check my e-mail ten times a day, just to see if I’ve gotten a response from any of my applications/e-mails.
August 13th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
Best: Being available for my kids and not having to rely on someone else to raise them!
Worst: Distractions — you said it, summer is the worst! Of course, working at home, I can take a break and enjoy the sunshine — can’t say that about being in the office all day!
August 14th, 2007 at 3:25 am
Freelancing in any industry has the same difficulties. The biggest difficulty is getting enough work to make a living. Case in point: I tutor privately here in China, but it’s difficult to find enough students to fill an entire week with continuous work. That’s exactly why I maintain my full-time job (which is really only 20 hrs a week). Plus I still sit around and try to sell my writing for US$.
August 14th, 2007 at 4:48 am
best: being able to stay at home and make money. Seeing my kids and doing what I love.
worst: not finding a job, sometimes it just seems like there is a drought and I begin to wonder.
August 14th, 2007 at 5:42 am
I think staying home an making my own schedule is the best and worst thing about freelancing. I can control when I work, but that leads to being too permissove with myself, and that ends up leaving me stressed at the deadline, working when I don’t want to be!…My own worst enemy comes to mind.
August 14th, 2007 at 7:00 am
Best: Hours, as others have said. I’m a streaky writer, so I’ll get on a tear and then the feeling will leave. It’s nice to be able to go do other stuff for a while and come back when the feeling returns, even if it’s at 8:30 p.m.
Worst: I enjoyed interacting with my colleagues when I was a 9-to-5-er. Even for someone who tends to be introverted like me, the isolation is an adjustment.
August 14th, 2007 at 8:32 am
I love writing, and writing full time is the best thing I’ve ever done. I also run a nonprofit, so I can apportion my time according to my need. I love it.
The worst part is the guessing. I’m still new at this, so I don’t know if I’m going to make enough money month to month.
August 14th, 2007 at 9:14 am
I just started freelance work a few months ago.
The best thing is that I am finally writing!
The worst thing is that I am still working 50 hrs a week at my “regular” job and I’m really busy.
August 14th, 2007 at 9:21 am
Worst: Health insurance.
Best: Loving Monday mornings.
August 14th, 2007 at 9:35 am
Worst: All of the distractions! And it certainly gets lonely here all by my lonesome.
Best: Not having to work for “the man”!
August 14th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Best: I pick up my kids every day from school, and/or have them with me a lot during the summer.
Worst: Hounding clients for payment. Ug!
August 14th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Best: the flexibility of being my own boss
Worst: explaining to people that yes, I actually work for a living! I don’t lounge around in my pajamas all day.
August 14th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
nothing wrong with being in pajamas, though I prefer sweats. I had a former co-worker who wore a three-piece suit, but no one noticed when he went on vacation because he never did anything.
Most writers who are doing this as a profession rather than as a hobby probably work more regardless of attire than a lot of other people. I support my family of four, including oppressive health care costs, on my writing income.
August 14th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
Now, these are colored by the fact that I freelance part-time as I’m a full-time student. I expect the worst to be health care in the future.
Worst: Instability of income leading to pressure from my family to get a “real job.” It gets frustrating, and I hope to learn enough to be able to start freelancing as a full-time “real job” by the time I graduate.
Best: Flexibility come final exam week, and other points when I need it, even if a job isn’t quite ideal. What’s even better is being hired for articles on grammar or for proofreading or for rewriting something for proper English.
August 14th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
Best: The opportunity to write about different things and grow my talent
Least: The slow times and the guilt that I should be working then
August 15th, 2007 at 6:02 am
I think being able to make our own hours is a double-edged sword. For example, I could get up 3pm each day and still be able to work without worries. However, I find that there are times when I get sidetracked and I end up procrastinating. I’m never one with great self-discipline to begin with, so this aspect is quite trying for me.
August 15th, 2007 at 8:52 am
Mariella:
Here’s an idea that I’ve sometimes used to help focus. (Unfortunately, I don’t have this function on my current computer system, and Mom wouldn’t like it if I borrowed hers from the kitchen.)
Set a timer every half-hour to hour with a reminder to work. Also set it when you step out for “just a minute” for a break. It can help drag you back from the distraction trap.
August 15th, 2007 at 9:01 am
Misti> thank you so much for the advice. I used to do this too when I’ve worked as a tech blogger. But somehow, I’ve forgotten it along the way. So thanks for the reminder, I’ll definitely be doing that.
August 15th, 2007 at 10:55 am
Mariella:
You’re welcome. If you want, you can also try competing with yourself.
You do that by keeping track of roughly how long you manage stay on-topic, and deciding to try to meet or break your record time.
I’ve noticed that music I know can help me focus, too.
Of course, for any of these to work, I do have to use them… *eyes clock* Um, never mind.
August 15th, 2007 at 11:01 am
Misti –
I’ve thought of using the timer idea myself, but I’m too lazy to go buy one, and too wary of viruses to download one.
I’m always trying new ways to increase productivity and keep me focused longer. Every time I try something new, it works great for a few days or a week. Unfortunately, after that I slip back into my old bad habits… Like commenting a lot on blogs…
:::sigh:::
August 15th, 2007 at 11:08 am
Of course, the fact that at this minute, our neighbors are having a gigantic dead tree cut down branch-by-branch, is not helping me concentrate at all. Whoever thought this could be so noisy? (Or smell so much like a campfire???)
August 15th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
The best thing about freelance writing is that, with the meager earnins, there is zero likelihood that you will get a swelled head and alienate any friends or family.
The worst thing is that you *will* alienate your friends and family anyway because of obsessive proofreading of emails, phone messages, and birthday cads.
August 16th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
The best? Getting paid to write about the amazing people and places out there. A great profile subject or story makes the whole world seem new again. Having people tell me how much they enjoyed one of my stories is the icing on the cake.
The downside? While I’m great at the whole creative end -generating story ideas, researching, interviewing, writing -I’m terrible at the business/organization end. Are there agents or managers for freelance writers? I could use one!
Robin C
August 24th, 2007 at 4:44 am
Misti>> I love that idea about competing with myself. In fact, I’ll be using that right now with this project I’m working on.
Katharine>> I comment a lot on blogs too. LOL. Probably comes from being a problogger. Unforunately, it’s not always good — but I can’t help it.
August 24th, 2007 at 7:45 am
The absolute best thing about it is learning so many things about topics I write about. Working in any old attire is great too.
Discipline is the worst. The timer is a great idea.
Of course, being availabe for my son is wonderful too, being able to just walk away.
I’m one who goes in streaks too as someone mentioned.
Sometimes getting out of the house is the big deal of the day!
August 29th, 2007 at 6:37 pm
Worst: Having a hard time finding good work while not being scammed.
Best: Staying home. I’m a homebody. Plus, I have chronic migraines that really keep me from having a normal working life.