Freelancing is the buzzword today. Many major industries have started to accept the freelancing lifestyle. The fact that you can have complete control over your working style is what makes freelancing very lucrative for a lot of people. However, it is not as simple as it sounds, it comes with it’s share of complexities as well. Freelancing lifestyle has it’s own share of pros and cons as well.
Freelancers who are consider themselves successful have a good work-life balance and this isn’t just based on the fact that they get to choose their own time and place of working. Autonomy and routine doesn’t necessarily go hand-in-hand. They make conscious efforts to choose the right tools, stay up to date, and are governed by various self-imposed rules that shouldn’t be bent at any point of time. Only those who successfully follow these can be considered as a freelancer in the first place.
That being said, let’s look at some controllable factors that determines a successful freelancer.:
Good Computer Gear
99% of freelancing work is tech related and a good computer is essential for an online freelancer. Since this is where you get to do a good chunk of your work, apart from brainstorming and a few other analog stuff. Anyway, you need to have access to a good working personal computer that is reliable and flawless. Take your best efforts to make it top quality. A firewall and antivirus are must haves for your computer when you are a freelancer. You can’t jeopardize your whole career just because you missed a few simple steps.
A Well Planned Routine
Though a freelancer is his own boss, that doesn’t mean they get to make all the rules. You will have to strike the right balance between focused time alone and then collaboration. It is essential that you set up a schedule that allows you to spend a good amount of time for both, your work and your personal life. You need to develop time management skills in order to achieve this.
Latest resume/portfolio
You should have an updated resume and a full-fledged portfolio of your best work that describes the niche and your expertise in it as a successful freelancer. If you are hoping to reach great heights in freelancing, you will have to make sure that you are consistently updating your skillset and work info in the platforms where you have submitted your profile online. It is very critical that you have an up-to-date “About Me” section.
A Good Smartphone
Freelancing can be a daunting task. The initial years can be really tough and you will have to work really hard to meet the needs of your clients. It is very important that you are available for communication when your client wants to convey an important info. Having a trusted smartphone will help you with just that.
Learn to Handle Rejections
If you find it difficult to deal with rejections, freelancing is not the right place for you. Freelancing is a very competitive task, a lot of talented people are vying for the same job as you. Therefore, there are high chances that your client might find someone else for the job instead of you. This shouldn’t demotivate you, but instead motivate you to make yourself inevitable.
Freelancing isn’t an easy task. But if you follow these rules, it’ll set you in the right path to success. I hope this article was useful for you to learn more about the freelancing lifestyle. If you have any doubts regarding the topic, let us know through the comments and we will be glad to help you out. Let us know your suggestions as well for us to improve.
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