Do you think that the freelance lifestyle is suitable for you? What are the ways to improve your lifestyle once you become a freelancer?
Surveys show that remote working is here to stay. The working sector has realized the benefits of remote work, and some may even consider adding gigs to diversify their income.
If you’re new to freelancing and have been part of the corporate world, you will most likely see and feel the difference in a work-from-home setup.
Once you decide to be a freelancer, you get to be your own boss, manage your time, and your earning potential is endless, which you cannot achieve easily in a 9-to-5 job.
However, it’s the same reason why some freelancers feel burned out and often find themselves having a hard time achieving work-life balance as they feel the need to keep their plates full.
While it’s not always sunshine and rainbows, being a freelancer is a liberating and exciting experience, and we’re listing ways that you can improve your lifestyle as a freelancer to help you prepare and succeed in this industry.
Do What You Love
Self-discipline, passion, and skills are some of the few traits you need to succeed as a freelancer.
Like any job, if you dive into freelancing without any interest or passion for the work you’re doing, it’s easy to burn out.
If you find an opportunity to be an ESL tutor and took it for the sake of having a job yet find yourself not having enough confidence to teach, it will hinder your success in your chosen work.
Before investing time and effort, take your time to consider what you actually enjoy doing before taking a freelancing job.
If you find it interesting listening to various audio files and have the patience to do some research to provide accurate transcriptions, being a Scribie transcriptionist could be the right fit for you as a freelancer. Give it a shot!
Figure Your Financial Structure
An important point to consider on how to improve your freelance lifestyle is your financial structure.
If you are an independent contractor, there will be cases wherein you have to understand how to send invoices, set your rates, and file tax forms yourself.
It’s best to figure out how to do this from the start of your freelancing career.
Of course, if you find it hard to manage the technical side of things, you can hire a financial expert to help set things up. In this manner, when tax season comes, you don’t have to stress about it.
Save up for Rainy Days
Having financial independence allows you to enjoy your freelancing lifestyle more.
As you figure out your financial structure, you can also consider planning your budget and savings.
It’s essential to manage your funds wisely to have the financial confidence to pass on projects that you’re not interested in for the sake of earning.
Also, knowing that you have saved up for the rainy days will remove the anxiety when lean months come in and when the flow of the project is unpredictable.
Stay Productive
Regardless of the type of project you have, you need to be productive and effective.
If you have one or more clients, you can use project management tools like Trello to help you organize your tasks and goals for the day or week.
For Scribie professionals, you can use this to keep track of the number of audio files you target to transcribe.
Some clients will require you to monitor your hours worked, and you can use time-tracking tools like Toggl or Time Doctor. You can also use these tools to monitor how long it takes you to transcribe files.
Have a Backup Plan
When working from home, expect that there will be inevitable interruptions such as loss of power or internet service that may affect your productivity.
Ideally, it would help if you had a backup plan that you have prepared ahead of time to avoid unnecessary stress.
When there’s a storm or announced outages, make sure that all your devices are fully charged.
Invest in a pocket Wi-Fi that will serve as a backup internet or look for coworking spaces with stable Wi-Fi.
If you’re located in an area prone to power outages, having a backup generator can be worth the investment in the long run.
If worse comes to worst that you cannot report for work, inform your client beforehand to help maintain a good working relationship.
Join a Community
While you work on maintaining a professional relationship with your clients (or colleagues), it’s important to remember that you don’t have to go through the freelancing journey alone.
You can join local freelance meetups or Facebook groups where you can interact with fellow freelancers.
If you’re a Scribie transcriber, you can join the Slack community to expand your network and connect with your fellow transcriptionists.
After all, who else can relate to you and help with your work-related concerns but your fellow transcribers, right?
Technology Is Your Friend
If you’re not yet familiar with Slack, ideally, you should be comfortable learning how to use the basic applications to collaborate with clients like Zoom or Skype.
Some clients and platforms like Scribie will allow you to use their own technology.
Scribie’s Transcription Editor will significantly improve your productivity, allowing you to work faster and accurately.
Over To You
At the end of the day, while some are still figuring out if they are meant for freelancing or working from home, your success in your freelancing journey depends on you.
Here at Scribie, we empower our Scribie professionals to succeed by providing tools, community support, and flexible work opportunities.
Do you have tips to share on how to enjoy your lifestyle as a Scribie professional? Discuss with our Slack community.
Looking for a freelance gig? See this list of job opportunities.
