The Petite Writer

Freelance work has been an amazing, important part of my life, and there is never a moment when I regret doing it. But, as is the case with any other line of work, there are things that you need to be prepared for, as well as hard lessons that will have to learned along the way.

For a start, managing your own time can be hell. As an introvert, I absolutely love working from home and I do my best work when I’m left alone. However, that doesn’t mean that I automatically know how to manage my time properly.

I listened to a lot of advice that mentioned sectioning your freelance day into work hours so that you can stay organized. Getting ‘dressed’ for work even though you aren’t going anywhere. All of that certainly makes sense, but I could never actually stick to any of these things working out for me.

Personally, I work whenever I want and for however long I want. I get up at a similar time every morning, but everything else is up for change. The best way for me to work as a freelancer has been to take a relaxed approach in terms of scheduling and planning. I have one notebook diary that is very important and that I use all the time, but other than that I can adapt to any kind of day or environment. I simply sit down at the computer, turn some music on and begin to work.

I don’t have a problem meeting deadlines or struggling to organize my day, but this could also be because I’ve been doing this for so long that I can easily calculate how much time a certain job would take to complete.

Another important thing that comes with freelance work has to do with contracts and the choice of clients.

There are many people out there who are looking to scam a freelancer or not pay them for a job. Over the years I’ve learned to be tougher when it comes to contracts and payments, and will immediately stop a job if something smells fishy. You will always be able to find a new client, but stressing for months over a bad client is simply not worth any kind of money.

#inpursuitofdragons

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