Finding a Work-Life Balance as a Freelancer
There are many benefits to freelancing. Being your own boss, working from wherever you want, setting your own ideas. The freedom offered by freelancing is a draw for many, but it does come with a price. Without a clear 9-5 schedule and the need to work on your own terms, it can be difficult for freelancers to find a work-life balance. That’s why we’ve put together some tips for achieving a work-life balance as a freelancer.
Create a schedule
When you first start freelancing, you quickly learn to love not needing to get up in time for work every day or getting to finish early for a social event. Before you know it, however, you might find yourself working awkward and unsociable hours in order to get your work finished.
Creating a schedule helps you treat your freelance job as you would a regular day job. You can still incorporate some flexibility – that is, after all, one of the perks of freelancing – but giving yourself a consistent schedule will help you plan your days more accurately and get work done in the time allotted.
Streamline your admin
Freelancers have to do a lot more admin in order to keep their business going. Invoices, taxes, and communications are all time-consuming and take you away from doing productive, profitable work. Research accounting software for freelancers or download simple invoice templates to speed up your admin tasks so you can focus on your real work.
Create an office space
Whilst freelancing means you can work from the sofa in your PJs, that doesn’t mean you should. Finding a productive workspace that is just for work and where you arrive dressed and ready to go is important if you need to separate your working and personal life.
Not all of us are lucky enough to have a home office, but there are routes around this. Set up a part of your dining room table as a mini office or look into co-working spaces in your town so that you can get out of the house for work without having to spend a fortune in coffee shops.
Be realistic about your productivity
When you start freelancing and the clients and jobs start flowing in, it’s easy to bite off more than you can chew. This quickly leads to spending entire days and weekends working rather than getting time off. Figure out what jobs and clients are most worth taking on and focus your efforts on them rather than accepting more work than you can handle.
Seek out social interaction
Freelancing can be a lonely business. Even if you have time with your friends or family outside of work, not having the social interaction that comes with a regular office job can be hard on freelancers. Co-working spaces offer a space where you can meet other freelancers and get the same lunchtime and watercooler conversations you would have in an office. Likewise, finding digital freelancer communities is a great way to connect with others and even set up virtual co-working sessions over video chat.
