Psichology Archives – Freelancelifemagazine

Mental Health Challenges for Freelancers

Dragana Drobnjak — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 15:20:33 +0000

Freelancing is a dream job for more and more people, especially millennials and gen Z. Yet, once you start freelancing, you may find yourself facing different issues. In this article, we will take a look at mental health challenges almost all freelancers will face at least at some moment in their online career.

Freelancers and remote workers are prone to anxiety

Why would someone be anxious when they work from home, work when and with whom they want? That’s exactly the problem – freelancers are all on their own. They have to find their own motivation, find their clients, and online business, and constantly think about every single detail related to every project they have or start. Anxiety is nothing new in any serious business, but in freelancing, anxiety most often comes from insecurity about financial safety.

Freelancers, especially newbies, are never 100% sure about their income. How much will they earn this month, will that be enough, what to do if there’s no work, and other similar questions are always in minds of freelancers.

The solution? There’s no solution, all that is part of freelancing and remote work. If you can’t stand such an amount of stress related to financial insecurity and finding your own motivation for literally any single part of every project, maybe it’s a good idea to freelance partial time or to find an employer and work remotely. Check out this article to find out more information related to the differences between freelancing and getting hired remotely by an employer.

Online workers must constantly learn new skills and adapt to forever changing market

The online market and Internet are in constant change, which means that every freelancer and remote worker who wants to be successful in their online business must constantly work on their skills. Here, mental health challenges may come from wondering if your skills will be good enough to satisfy client’s needs. Will you have enough time to study more, gain new skills, and adapt to all changes that are happening online? Many are also worried if that will cost much – will they be able to afford it.

Advice would be to work on self-confidence and build strong self-esteem. Remind yourself about all those difficult situations you already were in, where you had to learn and implement new skills and knowledge. Yes, you’ve succeeded so many times. Why wouldn’t you do that once more?

For freelancers who are worried about being able to pay for gaining new skills and getting new knowledge, know that the entire Internet is your chance to grow and expand your online business. Start networking and connect yourself with other similar freelance professionals. Be sure that your digital presence is strong and clear – represent yourself in the best possible manner and continually update information related to you and your freelance business.

Luckily, we have all those social media channels where we can build strong portfolios and show our skills, but be sure that you also stay active on various freelancing platforms. Different groups on social media platforms, as well as forums, can also help you find ways that lead to gaining new profitable skills.

Anyways, it’s a mental challenge, but constant change and learning are 100% part of freelancing and remote business. Nothing is stable. But don’t look at it in the negative aspect, but the other way around.

Freelance newbies find it hard to balance work and personal life

Here’s another mental health issue that can definitely make a lot of problems for freelancers, especially new ones. How to balance your work and personal life? It’s easy to lose yourself when you work from home. Many say that they have a feeling of working the entire day, which later on leads to increased tiredness. Lack of support is common as well, and it usually comes from family members and friends, who don’t consider freelancing seriously and don’t think of online workers as employed people.

Advice would be to set your working hours straight from the beginning. Organize your day and make a plan. When it comes to not receiving support, be sure that you set strong and healthy boundaries with others about your work and working hours. Let them know that you are not available.

Depression and isolation in the freelance world are real

One of the most common mental health issues related to remote work and freelancing is depression, loneliness, and isolation from “the real world”. You’re not going to work and coming back home, chatting with people, seeing this and that, hearing this and that on a daily basis. You may think that your life looks the same every single day – everyone leaves home, and there you are – sitting on that chair and working for hours, not feeling connected with people in real-time and the world that surrounds you.

The solution would be organizing your own social life. Your freelancing days don’t have to look the same – take up some hobby. Organize your day in a way you like. Add some physical activity. Have fun, cook something you like. A great thing about freelancing is that you can really organize your day in a way you want and live a healthier lifestyle, so use that.

The importance of feedback for a freelancer

Negative experiences with clients may also be mentally challenging. When a freelancer meets a toxic client, they may truly have a hard time. Even once that’s finished, remote workers are afraid that they will come up to the new one, so they become super cautious, which also leads to anxiety. Read more about the importance of feedback for a freelancer here, and learn how to manage your feelings with the purpose to make everything work for you and your online business.

Freelancers experience burnout more often than regular workers

We can connect this fact to the one where we have talked about balancing work, obligations, and personal life. Freelancers experience increased workloads from time to time, which can be truly stressful. You may be afraid if you’ll be capable to complete all that in a manner that is expected. Here, there’s the same rule we’ve already mentioned in this article – work on your self-esteem. Remind yourself how many times already you’ve gone through such a situation, and most of it was successful. Yes, you can handle it. We know that new clients and new projects cause a lot of stress to freelancers, every single time but look at those challenges that will give you the opportunity to grow and improve your skills, which will result in a more professional online business.

Burnout can be serious and cause you a lot of mental mess, so be sure to find out how much workload suits you. Many freelancers claim that they have stopped experiencing burnout once they’ve decided not to work during the weekend.

In freelancing, there is always something new coming up and nothing is constant. But, why would we think of that in a bad manner? You are free to organize your work and life in a way you’ve always dreamed of, so use that opportunity. Stand strong and accept new challenges and look at them as opportunities that will help you improve your skills and work because such situations are exactly that – things that will make you a great freelancer.

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7 habits of successful people

Dragana Drobnjak — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 15:08:03 +0000

All successful people have some things in common. Usually, those things include their habits. Many people still don’t understand that when it comes to habits, it’s always better to focus on something that you can do daily, rather than on something big. Remote workers, online business workers, and freelancers all around the globe are also seeking advice on how to become successful on their own. This article can help you to stay on the right track and finally become satisfied with the results the effort you put into your work and life brings.

Successful people plan their day ahead

As it’s said – planning is always half of the job. It’s the same for successful people. Try to ask every successful person about their plans for tomorrow. Of course, they know what they’ll do. They know then they’ll about to wake up, which things they’ll do first, what will they eat and what will their free time look like. There’s a huge misunderstanding related to planning ahead among most people. No, you don’t have to plan all little things, but you definitely need to have in your head what you expect from tomorrow.

Successful people prepare for tomorrow the night before. They prepare their breakfast, so they don’t leave home without energy. They also prepare what they will wear, so they can escape the stress of standing in front of the wardrobe for 20 minutes and wondering what to dress.

Successful people all around the globe truly appreciate the time, and above all – they save time wherever they can and try to stay away from unnecessary extra stress. The best advice would be to take just 10 minutes in the evening to plan your day ahead.

What are your obligations for tomorrow? Are your clothes ready? What will you take for breakfast? Do you have enough time to get ready once you wake up? Set your alarm, make your notes, and win tomorrow.

Rich freelancers know how to prioritize their obligations

Prioritizing what’s truly important is the next step toward success. People who have already succeeded in life, and numerous remote workers, claim that it’s truly important to understand what your daily tasks truly are. Think about this topic the other way around as well – what are the things you do on a daily basis that don’t bring anything positive, but take your time and drag your energy. Take notes and prioritize your projects. What’s worth it, what’s not – calculate how much time and energy you need to invest in something so you can get the results you’re craving.

Success includes getting rid of negativity

Getting rid of anything negative that’s surrounding you is the third step you must take if you want to become successful in anything you do. Actually, getting rid of negativity will not only improve your business, or online business but will also impressively build satisfaction in everyday life.

Do you hang out with negative people who drag your energy? Do you have negative thoughts yourself, that are holding you back and not letting you grow? Are you working in a toxic environment, no matter if it’s online or in the office? Think about it for a while. The best and the first thing you must do is to examine your own thoughts. Are you negative about everything and not letting yourself try new things? This can be a huge problem. Too many people worldwide are their worst enemies, not believing in themselves and therefore not letting their personal happiness and careers grow.

Do the same for your friends and clients. Yes, you can tell us that you cannot change everything. We don’t ask you to do that. Sometimes, you cannot change your boss, but if you can – why not? Freelancers must focus on their relationships with clients as well. Can those be better? If yes, work on that, if no – change a client and a contract if there’s a possibility to do that, and most likely- there is a chance to finally end all that negativity.

Remote workers plan their future, but also build it

Of course that no one knows what will happen in the future, but that shouldn’t be an excuse not to plan your life. Be sure that you at least have a vision of where you see yourself in the future. What do you want your online business to look like? Sit down and write down all those steps that are needed to be taken with the purpose to achieve your goals. This is truly important because, with a plan, you finally won’t waste time on unnecessary things. As mentioned already, successful people appreciate every day that comes in life and make the most of it. Why wouldn’t you?

Once you’re sure in which way your future should go, start building it. Remember that we are not talking about all or nothing here. Baby steps are amazing. Take small steps each and every day, and with time, you’ll see amazing results.

Staying in a comfort zone is not something successful people do

Ships are the safest in the port, but that’s not why ships are made for. It’s the same for us. Yes, you can easily get stuck in a routine that repeats over and over again, on a daily basis, and for years or decades. You can feel safe, but that’s not for eternity. Very soon, you’ll realize that something is missing. The thing that is missing is you – growing, changing, trying new things, and exploring life. Try to step out of your comfort zone at least from time to time. What if you fail? No problem, we all fail, but gain new experiences and grow as people, by implementing different lessons. But if you succeed, your life can change for better in big forms. Stepping out from your comfort zone also helps you to build strong self-esteem, which is crucial for literally any success and overall satisfaction in life.

Surrounding yourself with people who strive for the same goals

We’ve already mentioned that you should get rid of negativity, which usually comes from people. Besides that, you should surround yourself with people who inspire you and who aspire to the same goals as you do. This will not only motivate you to continue pursuing your life goal or dream but will also help you get new ideas. People who are surrounded and supported by similar people as feeling stronger, safer, and overall have a higher level of motivation.

Successful people live “beyond” their possibilities

Of course, this is controversial, but truly successful people live beyond their possibilities. Here, we don’t talk about being modest when it comes to life opportunities, personal growth, business, and relationships, but about the material and financial situations. Successful people see money as a tool that provides them opportunities for investing, safety, and freedom. The richest and most successful people in this society, who “have it all”, have realized that success is not about drinking the most expensive champagne and eating caviar. Actually, they consider money as everything else – a tool that helps them achieve personal growth in numerous possible ways.

Overall, we can conclude that success involves personal growth. Yes, success requires business growth as well, but no one would be satisfied and happy with their success unless they have grown in the same manner as people. If you try to implement this advice and tips into your daily life and pursue these ideas in the future, you can definitely expect to see amazing growth in your personal success and your business accomplishments.

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Hiring mistakes both freelancers and clients should know about

Freelance Team — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 12:26:28 +0000

There are many hiring mistakes related to regular office jobs, but this time we will talk about those related to freelancers, employers, and clients. Every client and employer must be aware of these mistakes if they want to get the most from their business and remote workers:

Think about hiring part-time remote workers as well

The first mistake related to the hiring process, according to blog.belaysolutions.com, is definitely related to considering hiring full-time staff only. If you opt for hiring some part-time freelancers and remote workers, you can be actually pleasantly surprised how much they can complete in a few hours per day.

It’s no secret that people achieve more when working in a pleasant environment, not spending time while traveling to work and being alone and focused on specific tasks. Don’t pay for full-time regular office staff when there are countless freelancers out there who can complete your tasks in a few hours per day. You’ll save tons of money this way, but also time and energy.

Finding online workers that can complete multiple jobs is not always the best option

Rather search for professionals that are experts in their own niche and field of work. Yes, at first it may seem that it’s easier to hire people who can work on multiple different tasks, but most often employers and clients aren’t satisfied with the results they get in the end.

Employers must set expectations and consider culture fit

Just because someone may be an expert for your business, think if that person can fit the culture of the company. If the atmosphere is not good, the workflow will drop as well. Besides that, it is also important to set clear expectations as a client or employer – this way, you’ll not only find better freelancers and remote workers for your project, but you will also complete the hiring process much faster.

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Should freelancers be afraid of going niche?

Freelance Team — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 15:43:23 +0000

Becoming an expert in some particular field or niche may be the end goal for a great number of freelancers. When a freelancer focuses on working only in one certain niche, or better said field, they probably have higher chances of becoming an expert and earning more money. Therefore, the question is – why are then so many freelancers afraid of going niche? The things are just not that simple.

Freelancers are afraid that they may lose many jobs opportunities

Let’s say that you are a writer, and you’ve finally found your niche – it’s a wedding. The problem is that the certain freelancer that has decided to become an expert wedding writer may not get as many working chances as when they were willing to write about literally any topic. This is especially problematic for newbies. People who have just started freelancing definitely shouldn’t think about going niche – that takes time.

Going niche also has some benefits for freelancers

Freelancers who have built strong careers may think about going niche. That will help them to save a lot of energy and time, and definitely – escape burnout. If you have enough work and enough clients, that’s a good starting point to think about choosing a field in which you can become an expert.

Freelancers don’t have to choose a strict niche

An example we’ve provided related to wedding writers may be a bit strict because not all freelancers think of going niche that way. Instead, it’s maybe a better idea to be more open-minded. Going niche may mean that a freelancer has decided to offer certain services, and to stop working on those that are not bringing them enough money and success.

Going niche should actually help all freelancer categorize their online business in a way that always benefits remote workers.

Read the full article at creativeboom.com.

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The worst nightmare of every freelancer

Dragana Drobnjak — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 15:07:54 +0000

Freelancers face numerous challenges during their remote careers, but there are definitely some problems that are bigger than others. Every freelancer has their own fears and what they consider to be “a freelancer’s worst nightmare”, but all remote workers have something in common – they don’t like bad clients.

In this article, we will take a look at what happens when a freelancer sticks with a bad client, or even worse – when they work for months for a certain client who ends up disappearing and not paying them. And of course, there’s that even bigger problem every freelancer fear – a dispute.

Starting a new project as a freelancer

It’s no secret that every single freelancer is a little bit nervous when they have to start a new project with a new client. First of all, freelancers think about their skills, if they are a good fit for a certain project, will the client be someone who is satisfied with their work, and so on.

Let’s say that you have met a new client and you’re starting a new freelancing contract. A client appears to be nice, communicative, and friendly. What a relief…

Yet, after a month or two some problems appear. Those are mostly – the client is unresponsive or too “responsive” like requiring tons of calls and meetings, or they bring more work than agreed, don’t assign milestones on time, or even worse – just disappear while you have completed like 90% of the agreed project. Let’s take a look at what to do with every single freelancer’s nightmare we’ve mentioned.

Client that is unresponsive or too responsive – freelancer’s solution

A client who appeared to be normal suddenly stops responding – a freelancer should continue communicating or better said sending messages to the client via a freelancing platform. This is important because you may end up in a dispute lately and will need proof that you have tried to contact a client. Be sure that you communicate as you would when the client was active. After that, you have nothing else to do until it comes the moment that the client should pay you, about which we will talk a little bit later.

But what if the client becomes “too friendly” and requires a lot of your daily time, like after work? A client may call you non-stop or require a different meeting, like Zoom meetings. Here, you have 2 solutions. The first thing a freelancer should do is to talk with the client if such calls and meetings are considered work, which means that those should be paid as working hours. If you are okay with earning more money that way, it can be a solution. Yet, if you don’t have enough time to constantly communicate with a client, you can clearly tell them when you are available to communicate and to stick with that agreement.

The client constantly asks the freelancer to do more work without raising the payment

This happens to too many freelancers – you start a project, you get work, you complete your tasks, and get paid. But with time, the client asks you to “just upload this”, to just “take a look at that”, to “just tell your opinion about this business idea” and so on. Every freelancer knows what we are talking about here – when you hear a sentence: “It’s an easy 5-minute task”, you instantly know that you’ll have some issues with the client.

The solution would be setting 100% clear requirements with every single client even before the contract starts. But if the client changes and suddenly starts acting as described, you should immediately tell them that you can complete those tasks but for a certain price. Of course, if you don’t have time just let them know that you don’t have time and that it’s not the work you’ve agreed on.

What should freelancers do when clients don’t pay on time or don’t pay at all?

First, a freelancer should remind late-payer clients about missed milestones. If that doesn’t work, or if the client completely disappears, freelancing platforms offer dispute solutions. A dispute is probably the worst freelancer’s nightmare, but it actually isn’t such a big deal once you experience it.

When it comes to the dispute, the steps every freelancer should take are clear:

– Provide as many details as you can that are related to a certain project. Most often, third-party members of the freelancing platforms will appear to provide solutions. Remember our advice to continue sending messages to a client that doesn’t respond, so you have evidence later.

– Never argue with the client on the dispute. Be as calm as you can.

– Upload files and screenshots that can help you to win a dispute. If the client is not willing to pay at all, or they say how they aren’t satisfied with your work, always offer to edit, or change what they want.

– Patiently wait until the dispute is resolved. Freelancers should know that if they were honest and hard-working, there’s no fear of dispute – you’ll win it.

When should freelancers give up on a client or a project?

Yet another nightmare for many freelancers – sticking up with a long-term client who is taking all your energy. They might not be requiring something extraordinary from you, yet you may feel completely drained every single time to work with them. When to end a project, or when to decide that it’s time to end a contract? If that’s not your only source of income, you should end a contract as soon as you realize that it completely sucks your energy. If it’s your only source of income, be sure to find at least 2 new long-term clients and then end a contract.

Some other things freelancers fear as well

Some other things freelancers fear is being banned from a certain freelancing platform. To overcome this fear, you should always do everything according to the platform’s regulations and never break the rules and requirements. Besides that, you should also be active on more than just one freelancing platform, so you don’t fear losing all your income.

A verification call is also something freelancers fear. Overcoming that fear is simple – be confident about your business and truly know what your profile looks like and how you represent yourself online. Most often, verification questions include something related to your personal information and your online business. So, as long as you don’t hide anything, you have nothing to fear.

The last freelancer’s nightmare we would like to mention would be a bad review that comes from the client once the contract is done. We have already written a lot related to this topic, but the most important things to keep in mind would be:

– A top-rated freelancer can remove a bad review. For example, UpWork allows you to remove one bad review from a client. After that, you can remove the second bad review after 10 new reviews from other clients. This can be done approximately every 3 to 4 months.

– Respond to that review and explain what truly happened.

– Ask the client to change the bad review.

Overall, there are many freelancers’ nightmares, and as we’ve said those may be different depending on personal fears, but the ones we have mentioned are definitely the most familiar nightmares among all remote workers.

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Are men and women equal in freelancing?

Freelance Team — Sat, 28 May 2022 16:07:29 +0000

It’s not hard to realize that there is a gap between men and women freelancing. Even those who don’t work remotely can spot many differences. If you have been asking yourself – are men and women equal in freelancing, or better said – why not, continue reading this article because we will analyze everything related to this topic.

39% of freelancers worldwide are women

Since the beginning of freelancing, men have definitely been more into remote work. Statistics show us that men who have decided to choose freelance over their regular jobs achieved higher salaries, which is not always the case with women freelancers. Women went remote due to some other benefits, like staying at home, being a work-from-home mom, having enough time to manage housework and her own career, taking care of the family yet to have time for herself, etc. It’s no secret that women today still do more housework than men, especially everything related to children.

Freelancing in different fields

Why do women have lower salaries than men even in the freelance world? Actually, we can “blame” the fields in which they work.

Of course, men can earn more money because they usually work in higher positions, as well as complete tasks that require a lot of education, like programming for example.

Women freelancers mostly work in translation (50%), administration (46%), content writing (43%), customer support (43%), and project management (36%).

Men still have more flexibility in freelance

Men achieve financial stability easier due to the fact that they can accept various remote work circumstances. For example, it may be hard for a woman with a baby to accept a night working shift, and for a man freelancer, that usually doesn’t bring any boundary. It seems like how the main reason for this gender freelance salary gap is related to woman’s role in society. Another “problem” is working fields in which women participate.

Analysts claim that there is also an issue with protection. Numerous freelance and remote opportunities lack legal, social, and financial protections. All of that can lead to decreased hourly rates among women, despite the same level of education and experience.

Freelancers in different countries face different issues

Of course, everything we’ve mentioned cannot be applied to the entire world. We see that this gender freelancing gap is about to close, or at least – it’s improving in some parts of the world.

North America has a 44% women’s workforce in the freelance industry. The freelancer income report from 2020 also shows us that female freelancers are earning 64% of the men’s hourly rate in all remote and freelancing fields. In South and Central America, 31% of the freelance workforce are women, while in Europe that number is 28%.

In Africa and the Middle East, 22% of women are in the freelance business.

Setting up a freelance business

According to the OECD, women who are trying to set up a business definitely attract less funding than men. It’s no secret that female freelancers usually have lower levels of capital as well. Women freelancers are also more reliant on insider financing than men. All that creates a conclusion that women freelancers and remote workers maybe don’t even get the same chances to succeed.

The future may be brighter for women freelancers

Because there weren’t that many women in the freelancing world, many probably didn’t even try to solve all the issues women freelancers are facing today.

Luckily, with more women going remote each and every day, changes can be expected.

When we take a look at the statistics that talk about the women’s share of the freelance workforce, we can see that the total global workforce in 2019 was 39% In 2015, 22% of women were in the freelance force, 23% in 2018, and 24% in 2020.

Payoneer claims that women freelancers have made a lot of progress

Payoneer’s blog has also covered this gender gap freelancing topic, and they claim that a lot has been done for gender equality in freelancing, yet there’s more to do.

A woman freelancer has an average hourly rate of $16, while a man freelancer has $20.

Payoneer claims that besides everything we’ve mentioned here, they also blame behavioral issues. For example, it’s said that women are still not confident enough to ask for higher salaries. Men, when rejected, they just negotiate, while women freelancers even think about quitting the entire project.

The gap is most noticeable in IT and programming.

Poverty makes the freelancing gap even bigger

Payoneer has also claimed that poverty issues may be the ones to blame for the freelance gender gap. For example, if we take a look at the Philippines, we can see that their women freelancers offer very low prices, which definitely affects all other freelance women worldwide, that work in the same fields.

The problem is also that many women don’t have an education that would bring a higher salary, but they rather are self-learners. Why are they self-learners? As mentioned above already, men today still have more chances than women to educate themselves.

The solution to everything would be working on confidence. As we have already said in this article, the main issue for women freelancers is when they are not paid equally as men but have the same work experience and knowledge as men.

For freelancing women in other fields, such as translation, VA, or writing, it is a must to constantly work on their career, with the purpose to offer more, if they didn’t have enough time for education.

For women freelancers who are stay-at-home moms, pregnant, or have too much housework besides freelancing, advice would be to focus on what’s important for them and to create a balance.

Of course, we should still continue to talk about equality in general, rather than just the financial gap in freelancing work, and work in general.

Men should get included in housework as much as women, and they should take care of children as much as women.

Yet, a lot has to change, not just the hourly rate…

Freelancing platforms and companies should also think about protecting women when they are insensitive during periods of their lives, such as when they are pregnant.

Women freelancers should focus on these 3 key things if they want to reach equality in freelancing and remote fields:

–Charge as much as your male counterparts do. Don’t be afraid to charge as your male freelance colleagues.

–Don’t settle for less. Yes, you may lose that one client, but you’ll find others that will pay you better – which will bring a huge positive change in a short period of time. This way, women freelancers can improve their status on a long-term basis.

–Be sure that you are constantly learning new skills and improving. Learn new things and offer new things, do different tasks that require higher levels of skills. This way, you’ll not only get paid better or later – work less for more money, but you will also build strong confidence, which is the key to everything.

If every freelancer woman would read this and try to achieve this, we would be soon able to see a huge change that would close the financial gender freelancing gap.

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5 Freelancing Mistakes You Should Avoid

Madhuleena Roy Chowdhury — Thu, 26 May 2022 18:14:27 +0000

“Passion is the difference between having a job and having a career

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When I started freelancing, my misconceptions were –

I can choose any time to work
I will get offers without bidding
I can earn more with less effort
I will have enough time for my family and friends

None of it turned out to be true. Freelancing is a career whose ebbs and flows can never be predicted before one practically experiences it. Freedom, flexibility, and autonomy is definitely an inevitable part of freelancing, but for steering these levers to get you success, you have to watch out for the common mistakes many freelancers fall for.

5 Freelancing Mistakes to Avoid

1. Never Underestimate Your Talent

As a freelancer, my initial motive was to win bids and get selected for works. I kept reminding myself that there are hundreds of freelancers out there who are more experienced than I am, and I should place my bids accordingly. But I was wrong. You have to understand that if you are a freelancer with a niche, then you are a specialist in your profession. You are here because you are better than many others out there. Setting a low bid doesn’t equate to client selections. Rather, in many instances, a low bid gives them a vibe that maybe your quality is not as good as the others in your field. Before you set your bid, do a market study to see what other freelancers like you charge. Do not settle for a too high or a too low bid.

2. Choose projects inappropriately

To gain experience, you don’t have to choose any work that comes your way. If it is not your niche, if the topic is not something that interests you, and if you are not happy with the budget estimates, you should always choose to turn it down. As a freelancer, don’t refrain from exercising your autonomy in the right way. There are millions of opportunities out there, it absolutely makes sense for you to conserve your mental energy and time for the suitable offers.

Tips for choosing the right work

Make a list of the potential areas that you would like to work on
Tally the list with the offers you get
Enlist the client characteristics that you think you would be comfortable working with
Do not deviate from your niche (You can read my article on the benefits of finding a niche)

3. Emphasize On Communication

A big mistake many freelancers unknowingly commit is not communicating enough. Especially when you have gained enough experience, you are confident about your work, and you have done similar projects before, you may tend to give less importance to regularly communicating with the client. My advice – never ever do this. No matter how successful you may have become, your client may expect regular updates from you (and trust me, they do). Keep interacting with the client, update him/her about how the job is progressing, send drafts of the works to ensure that it is in line with the client expectations, and be responsive when your client tries to reach out to you. Small commitments as this cumulatively benefit your freelancing career and increase the chance of building a long-term relationship with your clients.

4. Don’t Give Up Easily

As the proverb goes, “Rome was not built in a day.” Any successful career takes a lot of time, effort, and scope for improvement. Never leave a gap for self-doubt and distractions to creep in. Be prepared for facing failure and rejections and commit to not giving up anyhow. Accept the fact that you are competing in a global market with millions of other freelancers, so it will definitely take time to get the desired exposure. Keep yourself updated and keep working on improving your skills. Remember that the successful freelancers are successful because they did not give up when they wanted to.

5. Never Lose Focus

Just because you have the freedom to choose your working hours, do not let it absorb all your day. Although there are many pieces of advice that says that as a freelancer you can work at any time of the day, but in my experience, this can be a mistake that you are doing. Spacing out time for personal and professional commitments will always help you stay motivated and focused. Of course, you can choose what time of the day you would like to work but make sure to spend the rest of the time with your family and with yourself. Set aside minutes for working out, cooking, doing chores, and eating together with family. If you let work make you lose focus on the more important things in life, chances are high that you will soon get demotivated from the work itself.

The T-H-I-N-K Rule

Before you fall for any of these freelancing mistakes, follow the THINK Rule.
T – Think (Logically)
H – Halt (Before You Indulge Negative Thoughts)
I – Improve (Your skills)
N – Note down (Your goals and how you plan to achieve them)
K – Keep your focus static

Have you ever committed any of these mistakes in your freelancing business?

If you have any remarks or might want to share your own experience of how you committed the freelancing mistakes and how rectifying them helped you, please share with us. We would love to hear from you.

The post 5 Freelancing Mistakes You Should Avoid appeared first on Freelancelifemagazine.

5 Levers To Build A High-Performance Work Culture In Freelancing

Madhuleena Roy Chowdhury — Mon, 16 May 2022 16:35:19 +0000

“Culture is not an initiative. Culture is the enabler of all initiatives”

Larry Senn Tweet

For many people, working as a freelancer equates –

Waking up whenever you want
Working in your bed, under the blanket, with your cozy pyjamas
No job stress, no cranky boss – only fun, and leisure.

But as freelancers, we know how much of a myth this is. Managing a freelancing business need something more than supervision and skills because you are competing with yourself. A high-performance work culture lets you offer diversity and keep yourself upbeat all the time. It may be small things like a separate room for work, the perfect time management, or the right communication – but to have a performance culture in your freelancing business will definitely take you to the next level. To me, a high-performing work culture is the flawless balance of T-I-M-E, an acronym for –

T – Time Management
I – Investment Plan And Working Strategies
M – Modelling the right behavior
E – Effective communication

Following the right work culture in freelancing is as important as having a niche or building your skills. It is something that helps us stay bound to the work that we are doing, and undoubtedly affects our productivity as a freelancer. If you are a freelancer and want to make the most out of your freelancing business, building a high-performance work culture at home should be one of your biggest priorities, and here are the levers that will get you on the groove.

5 Levers To Building A High-Performance Work Culture In Freelancing

1. Be a Pro In Time Management

As I mentioned earlier, performance culture is inseparably linked with the right time management skills. The first and the most essential lever in building a high-performance work culture as a work-from-home professional is to separate your hours. You can start by managing your daily tasks and assigning separate time slots for each of them. Applications like Any Do and EverNote will make this task easier for you. For example, if you are working for 6 hours every day, make sure you do not allow any household or other things to clog your time. Schedule intermittent breaks where you can attend calls or do some chores, but do not let anything interfere in the 6 hours that you work.

2. Have The Right Plan

Figure out what culture you want to see in your freelancing business and start exploring and collecting ideas on how to build it. Here is a sample of the areas you need to focus on to ensure that your thoughts are on the right track.

3. Embrace Feedback

Work culture is always enhanced when there is room for effective communication and feedback. Use your client reviews to understand what areas you need to focus on. Let your recruiters know that you are open to suggestions and ask them to share their experience of working with you. For each project that you complete, make a client response sheet and send it to your client for filling in. alternatively, you can also encourage leaving a review on the freelancing platform that you use, for example, Upwork or Freelancer.

4. Walk an extra mile

Go beyond what is expected of you. Besides improving your reputation and maintaining a great client rapport, the little extra efforts that you give will make you feel more accomplished as a professional. For example, keeping the client up to date with your progress, working on making a great cover for the project you are handling or doing an extra bit of research for adding the touch of perfection to it. Such efforts are vital and the trademark for a high-performance work culture.

5. Enjoy autonomy (but don’t forget discipline)

Freelancers don’t need to be micromanaged, neither do they like being checked on all the time. And that is what makes freelancing so liberating for both the client and the recruiter. But while you make the most of your autonomous business, make sure that you prioritize your timelines and client expectations. Consider aspects like –

Keeping your workspace clean and organized
Maintaining a journal for your current research and studies
Checking with clients as often you need to
Not entertaining any calls on weekends or after hours
Putting your words into action

Successful freelancers believe in the benefits of behavior modeling in establishing and maintaining a high performing culture. Your behavior as an independent professional will be a daily reminder to your clients about the quality of work, they can expect from you. Building and maintaining a high-performance culture requires dedication day in and out. As a freelancer, you are expected to be clear in your thought process and proactive to engage in active communication whenever you sense an erosion. So, keep your strategies strong and focus on your actions – as the famous saying goes, “An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises.”

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Freelancers realized that perfectionism is bad for them – here’s what to know

Freelance Team — Wed, 11 May 2022 15:17:46 +0000

Although many think that perfectionism may be the way to grow their business and progress at work, it’s important to realize how perfectionism brings downsides as well. Remote workers have already understood this lesson, and here’s what you need to know according to Tracy Brower, a contributor to Forbes.

Freelancers find perfectionism demotivating

Although setting high standards and trying your best at work may be positive sides of perfectionism, science says that pushing too hard reduced engagement. When we fail to succeed in super high standards, we set ourselves, that may demotivate workers, especially remote workers, so their confidence drops. Along with confidence, the energy disappears as well. Statistics claim that more and more people are striving for perfection, probably due to the increased comparison social media brought. Focusing on too many details sucks energy and mostly for freelancers who work on larger projects.

Distancing from colleagues and team members

Focusing on perfection and chasing it usually brings distancing from colleagues and team members. Instead, it’s highly recommended to focus on embracing healthy limits at the workplace. Remote workers who want their projects to be done perfectly won’t ask for help from their colleagues, which may lead to making mistakes while working.

Remote workers claim that focusing on perfectionism has reduced their effectiveness

As said above already, focusing on too many details and wanting to make everything perfect usually requires too much time and energy. Instead of that, it’s suggested that remote workers focus on changing the way they think about work. It’s healthier and more effective to collaborate with team members and clients than to try to reach perfection on your own. Setting deadlines is also of crucial value so you won’t spend too much time on details that can be done over and over again – because they are not “perfect”.

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Embrace Yourself – The Ultimate Self-Care Guide for A Happier Freelancing Life

Madhuleena Roy Chowdhury — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 14:56:14 +0000

Out of the countless myths about freelancing and freelancers, the one that disturbs me the most is that freelancing is not a real job. Many of my friends (with cushy 9 to 5 jobs) consider my work to be a more of a ‘hobby’ rather than an occupation.

When I started freelancing, my aim was to optimize my time, work less, develop a stronger connection with my goals, and improve the quality of my life altogether. But as I delved deeper into freelancing, once again I found myself struggling with time, as I did when I was working full-time. I hardly paused for lunch, I stressed about deadlines, and more than the physical engagement, it was the mental drill that kept bothering me 24*7.

The truth is freelancing is as difficult as working full-time office outside. Just like in any other job, having a healthy work environment is crucial for a successful freelancing career. And a healthy environment begins with a healthy mind.

Why Freelancers Need Self-Care

“The life of a freelancer can drive you mad if you don’t find balance”

Patrick Neve

Kevin D. Hendricks, a famous author and owner of a freelance writing company, mentioned in one of his recent musings that freelancers don’t bother about taking care of themselves unless they ‘have to’ – unless they are sick, or unless they have reached a point where they are no longer able to handle the stress alone.

For doing what is good, we should not wait for something bad to happen first.
Do you agree to the above statement? If you do, and if you care about your freelancing business and want to take it to the next level, start nourishing your mind, your body, and your soul right from today.

Here are some exercises that can help you for a start.

Self-Care Exercises All Freelancers Should Practice

Exercise 1 – Self-Awareness

No two minds think and feel alike. We all have different ways of energizing ourselves and finding our calm. The first step to self-care is recognizing our inner self and becoming aware of what is ruling our mind.

And this is how you can do it.

5 Steps To Self-Awareness

Step 1 – Sit back alone for 10 minutes and take a few deep breaths. Try to focus on what are the thoughts that come to you and how you feel about each of them

Step 2 – Allow your thoughts to settle and list the first few thoughts that came to your mind. You can make a mental note or write them down if you want to

Step 3 – Arrange the positive and negative thoughts separately

Step 4 – For each negative thought, think of one or two ways you can overcome it. For each positive thought, think about one or two ways you can hold on to it

Step 5 – Repeat this once a week and notice if you could gain clarity of your thoughts and feelings.

Exercise 2 – Daily Mindfulness

On some days I am upbeat and all motivated to accomplish my goals. And on other days, I just don’t feel like opening my computer at all.

Have you ever experienced this?

Our mind and body are nothing but a bundle of energy, which if we direct in the right way, will bring in gushes of motivation and positive energy. To make sure this happens, try the following simple mindful practices every day.

1. Mindful Breathing

Any mindful exercise should be initiated with breathing. You can count your breaths and practice controlling them. Slowly start inhaling and exhaling on a count of 1-5 and back to 1. Do it at your own pace and as often you feel like. Take short breaks from your work where you can do a 5-minute breathing exercise and come back thereafter.

2. Musical Mindfulness

You can choose a music for this or lend your ears to the regular noises around you. I usually practice this every night just before I go to bed, with my eyes softly closed. Listen to the tune you have selected with all your mind and allow your thoughts to wander for a moment. Continue for 10-15 minutes and go back to what you were doing. You will be surprised by the amount of stress your body releases during this short time-out.

3. Mindful Watching

Working alone at home can evoke feelings of loneliness and make you lose focus. Take a 30-minute walk every day, preferably after lunch or in the evening. Go around looking at people around you, at the sky, the birds, and the flowers – try to experience whatever you see with your eyes. Forget about work, just enjoy your walk. Notice how your positivity comes back when you return home and resume working.

Exercise 3 – Self-Care Journal

This is what my journal looks like. I fill it up once a week, you can also do it on a daily basis.

I am happy for	I am sad for	I am worried about	I am thankful for	I have to stop doing/thinking	I have to work on improving
1	1	1	1	1	1
2	2	2	2	2	2
3	3	3	3	3	3
4	4	4	4	4	4
5	5	5	5	5	5
Note to me

Self-Care Journal is more than a thought journal or a self-motivation guide. It is an in-depth communication that you can have with yourself as often as you want to – where you can be brutally honest to your heart, where you are ready to accept your qualities and improve your shortcomings. You can list down everything in the journal – your work plan, your fitness goals, your dietary problems, your negative and your positive thoughts. It gives you an overall view of those aspects of your life you should be attuned to. Freelancers, especially freelance writers who actively maintain their self-care journal seldom run out of motivation or need to look for external support to keep them going.

Exercise 4 – Mind-Body Balance

For freelancers, work-life balance is not the only balance that matters. Any freelancing job requires mental and physical energy, you can’t manage without either. Taking care of your body is as important as taking care of your mind and thoughts.

I am sure most of you already know what I am talking about, but let’s have a quick sneak peek at the best ways you can maintain the perfect balance in your life as a freelancer.

10 Tips For Self-Care Everyday

1. Eat healthy and stay hydrated

2. Get enough sleep – not less than 8 hours a day

3. Go out for a brisk walk everyday

4. Separate time for work and home. Don’t allow your smart gadgets ruin the special moments that you share with family and friends

5. Schedule your daily tasks every morning before you start working. Come back to the task list at night and strike off the tasks you have accomplished that day

6. Don’t sit for a long time, allow yourself breaks and give your eyes some rest

7. Manage your tasks carefully, avoid clogging yourself with too many projects. Focus on the quality of work rather than its volume

8. De-stress yourself as often as you want, even if it is more than once a day. Meditate, do yoga, go for a relaxing massage or a fun cooking session – anything that helps you feel rejuvenated is worth giving the time

9. Keep yourself updated. Read articles and explore the web for gathering information on the recent research and advances in your field. Be your own tutor. The more you work on improving yourself, the lesser disappointments, and rejections you have encounter as a freelancer

10. Develop the habit of writing down your thoughts, even the ones you don’t think are important. It helps in reducing clutters from the mind, which is the biggest part of self-care.

What is your self-care routine?

Share your experience of having a self-care routine and how it helped you in freelancing. We would love to hear from you.

The post Embrace Yourself – The Ultimate Self-Care Guide for A Happier Freelancing Life appeared first on Freelancelifemagazine.