More than 1
out of 10 adult workers are self-employed, and that number tends to go up in a recession. To anyone yoked to a traditional nine-to-five job, the idea of being your own boss and working from home might sound like heaven. The truth is, freelancing isn't easy. After seven years of self-employment, I've found the three biggest challenges 1099ers face are managing time, money, and expectations.
The first question every employee asks when they find out you work
from home is: How do you avoid the distractions of being at home? If no
one's stopping you from wandering into the living room midday to watch Days
of Our Lives, what motivates you to work instead? Freelancers have
to be extra mindful of how they spend their time and set up ways to
transition between home and work mode without a commute. The best way to
switch gears is to create a space dedicated to work and work only.
Ideally this will be a home office with a door on it, but even a
dedicated desk and computer in a corner of a room will do. The key is to
train your brain that when you're in this space, it's time to work.
Managing your money isn't easy when you get the same amount of money in a
steady paycheck every two weeks. But when you're a freelancer, things
get exponentially more complicated. A freelancer is usually in one of
two financial modes: feast or famine. It can be stressful, too. A recent
survey showed that while freelancers are more satisfied with their jobs
than nine-to-fivers, they also shoulder more
financial stress. The survival skill here is to reduce money stress
with a financial safety net, or buffer accounts, that you feed during
feast days and draw on during famine.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Work Smart: Freelance Survival Skills | Fast Company
Author: Gina
Trapani
