The only thing I miss about having a 9-to-5 is the liberty to occasionally not show up to work. I’m talking paid time off, sick leave, personal days, public holidays—all those hours that you can reclaim for yourself but still get paid for.
Now that I work for myself, I don’t have such a luxury. I mean, I suppose I could set an out-of-office and go off the grid like I used to, but I doubt the people I work for would appreciate that very much. More to the point, at least half the jobs I receive have a quick turnaround. If I disappear for days or weeks on end, then my income would take a pretty hefty hit, which means I probably wouldn’t be able to wander off to anywhere very exciting anyway.
I’m not complaining, by the way—I’m just saying that being self-employed is different than working a traditional job. While I gain more flexibility and free time in my schedule as a freelancer, I also assume more risk. If I don’t work, then I don’t get paid. And it’s that constant hustle that probably keeps a lot of people playing it safe at a 9-to-5.
I feel pretty fortunate that finding work, at least so far, hasn’t been an issue for me. In fact, my problem as a self-employed person more closely resembles the one I had when I was working in New York, that being I feel too busy. My plate is full and more keeps getting heaped on top. Since I work for myself, I could theoretically say no, but I understand the implications of doing that. Decline a job and I might not get the next offer. Even worse, I’ll never get a referral. And for someone who survives on word-of-mouth, I really hesitate to kick the proverbial gift horse.
And so, for now, I’ve made the decision to plow ahead. To take what comes and make it work on my end even if it means midnight calls or weekend catchup. I also recognize that I should be grateful that my challenge is being busy when so many people are struggling to find work and have unexpectedly been thrust into the freelance market. I know firsthand that can be a tough and daunting place to be.
While I can’t exactly tell people how to navigate that transition—my own path was really something of a happy coincidence—I can share a little manifesto that I wrote back at the beginning of the year when I was still getting used to working on my own without the safety net of a full-time employer. These are the promises I made to myself to help me keep some sense of perspective, balance and peace in my life, even when I had no idea what was coming next.
1. I will take a weekend.
One of the first things I noticed about working for myself is that I felt guilty enjoying my time if I still have items on my to-do list. This was never a problem when I had a traditional job, but now, for some reason it bugs me. I guess when you’re the one in charge—really in charge—then you have a harder time doing anything fun until everything else is squared away. But that’s neither sustainable nor healthy.
I still find myself working ahead on weekends, just to make the weeks less hectic and to give myself more time to turn out a better product. But I try to limit those hours when I can. And if and when travel restrictions are lifted, you better believe that my laptop won’t make its way into my carryon.
2. I will take time off when I am sick or dealing with personal emergencies.
Whenever I need to cancel a call or postpone a deadline, I feel unprofessional—even if it’s for the most legitimate reason, like a migraine. I still try to muscle through when I can, but for things that can wait or that have already been moved several times by someone else, I’ve decided to give myself the luxury of doing the same. While it’s never been more than a day or two so far, I’ve also told myself that it’s OK if I need to take longer in the future. When my clients hire a one-woman shop, they get the job done a lot cheaper than hiring an agency or team. But they should realize that there is no backup plan.
3. I will take busy periods in stride… and enjoy the downtime.
This past weekend was Memorial Day in the States and Ascension Thursday in Europe. Long story short, everyone I work with was on holiday, which basically meant that I was on holiday too. At first, it was a little unsettling – to not be getting emails or texts for almost five straight days. And then I remembered that I was supposed to be enjoying this time. And so I did, by which I mean I updated my business plan, financials and forecast at the request of the Finnish immigration service… who will hopefully process my application soon.
4. I will say “no” to jobs that I am not qualified to do.
Sometimes people ask me to take assignments that don’t align with my skills: Building web sites (from a template); designing slide presentations; anything to do with Salesforce. I don’t know how to do those things and while I could probably figure it out, I don’t especially want to. So I don’t take them. No further explanation needed.
(If you do those things and want referrals when I get them, leave me a comment.)
5. I will say “no, thank you” to jobs that I cannot afford to do.
Budgets are small, especially now. But an hour is an hour and my hourly rate is my hourly rate. I can give people a break, but I can’t break my own bank.
6. I will remember that the work that pays my bills is not the work I am meant to do.
The reason why I quit my job in New York was to have more freedom and free time. Working for myself has increased both of those things, even though I feel overwhelmed by the size of my to-do list every now and then. Over time, I hope I’ll figure out how to better balance seizing opportunities for paid work with making time to write for myself.
7. I will send my invoices on time, save my receipts and be extra nice to the global network of accountants, two-thirds of which speak English as a second language.
The only thing more overwhelming than managing my workload is dealing with all the bureaucracy associated with it: freelance permits, registrations, business IDs, VAT numbers, tax returns, receipts receipts receipts. I don’t care about these things, but I am forced to. And because I tend to handle them like a buffoon, I at least try to make myself a very pleasant buffoon to the people who help me.
8. I will outsource what I can so that I can focus on those things only I can do.
See above. I can figure out a German tax code… I guess… but why? To save myself some money? At this point, my time is worth more than the task. So I outsource everything I can and limit my list to the things that I need to do.
9. I will do favors to friends—but not friends’ businesses.
I’m happy to look at resumes and cover letters. I will absolutely proofread a paper or proposal. I will happily give a friend a 101 on social media strategy over coffee. But I will not write “some quick web copy” for my friends or their startups. I won’t “put together a few bullets on account based marketing” for you. I won’t send you materials from my clients or former employer than you can take a look.
I know it’s hard to start a business—because I did. If you want my time and expertise, then I charge by the hour—in dollars, not handmade jewelry or custom frames or dietary supplements or whatever it is your business sells.
10. I will treat this as an opportunity to afford myself the life I want.
I enjoy working for myself and I feel free grateful that I had the chance to find that out. I learned a lot of lessons these past few months—about what I’m good at, what I need to do better and what I don’t want to do at all. Most of all, I realized that I started a business just a few months before the world got turned upside down and am still keeping the lights on. I get the sense that if I can make it through this – and so far I have – then I can probably make it through anything. Which means that if this is the life I want, then it’s mine to keep.
This is a great manifesto. I’ve been self-employed for over 20 years and I would agree with every single point. It took me a long time to figure them all out and it is still a struggle to stick to them sometimes. but I love the idea of having them as a manifesto to abide by when in doubt. thanks for this!
wow! good for you! i hope i make it for 20 years… that would deb quite an accomplishment. :) i agree that it is a struggle to stick to them. what i am able to rationalize on the page and in practice are two very different things. but i hope to get better over time and that also i will learn to expect the ebbs and flows a little better. i’ve only been at this for about a year (part time for 6 months; full time since november) so i’m still trying to figure out what normal is – what too much is, when i should worry. i spent a lot of my career at an agency, which really helps, since i’m used to juggling a lot of different accounts and i have experience in building budgets and that sort of thing. but the rest…. especially all the admin/tax/permit stuff, it’s all brand new and i just take it one day at a time. here’s to finding good help for all those things i just can’t do on my own!! thanks for stopping by & continued success with your business!
I’m so happy things are working out for you! Well done!
Great manifesto. I especially agree with no. 9 – business or “favours” and FFFs (Family, Fools and Friends) don’t mix well.
thank you so much! oh… do not get me started on no. 9. the worst part is that usually the people who want/expect the favors are the people who could afford to pay. drives me NUTS. xx
What kind of work do you do? Writing? How do people find you? I’m curious how all that works.
I’m in awe of people like you who have the courage to freelance, because I couldn’t. I’m intrigued by people who do it!
so i do “writing” but not anything fun, like magazine articles or newspaper columns or anything like that. it’s mostly reports and blog posts and web copy for companies or their top executives. i work almost entirely for people i supported in my previous job(s) and then people they refer me to. so my jobs comes through my personal network or their first-hand connections. so that aspect – the finding work part – i can’t offer too much advice on (not like you asked but just in case you’re wondering) because i never bid on jobs through the marketplaces or take assignments from people i don’t know. but what i CAN tell people who are on the fence about doing into business for themselves in this line of work that if you have some contacts to start with, organic growth is the best way to build anyway. and it’s way easier to grow when people know that you’re invested in your own business. for me, once i was officially, full time freelance my contacts started passing around my info a lot more. before that, i think they figured i didn’t have enough time to service them and do my job and whatever else i was up to… so they didn’t want to extend any more than i already was. after i committed, it was like the dam broke. so that was good. final word: don’t be in awe of my courage. i got forced into this market when i lost my day job. i had been trying to convince myself to pull the trigger for at least six months, but the deadline just kept rolling: i’ll quit at the end of the summer. at the end of the year. once i see how budgets look in january. i’m 100% certain that without the layoff i would still be putting off this decision, which is a shame because i am WAAAY better off this way in every possible sense. (although, there was also part of me that was hoping they’d pay me to leave, which they did!)
Thanks for the thorough response Nova! Sometimes we all need a little push to take the next step. I’m glad it’s working out for you so well!
I’m so happy for you! And I love this manifesto! I don’t work for myself, but I work in public schools, where it is very easy (and sometimes implicitly encouraged) to work up to and past the point of burn-out. These are great points to keep in mind as I try constantly to find the balance between doing the best for my students and doing the best for myself.
Thank you for sharing!
I totally agree! These are good little rules for anyone who feels like they’re struggling with how much time and energy they allow for work. I know people who get tremendous satisfaction out of their jobs and good for them! but most of us are not in that boat… i’ve learned that employers and clients will take and take and take until you say enough. you can’t feel guilty about speaking up when someone keeps expecting more and it comes at the expense of your own health, time and personal interests. i can imagine that the balance must be even harder to find for those in the services field, like education. you truly do make a difference in people’s lives and i can see how it would be hard to turn off or turn down. god bless all the teachers out there. i hope that one of the things that changes coming out of this situation is that we have more respect for certain professions, such as teachers, and that we respect and reward all the work that keeps society functioning. I’m getting on a tangent now, but one of the things that I appreciate about living in Europe is that there is more equality among the workforce… people can make a decent living working in retail or food services… and white collar jobs may be somewhat higher paying but nowhere near the sort of gap we see in the states. but that’s a topic for another day. long story short, thanks for reading and take care of yourself <3
When you own your own biz, sleeping can feel indulgent. So many great points here. And smart advice for all freelancers.
& you would know better than anyone! xx
I’m so happy for you and so grateful for this post. Thank you!!
thank you! and i wish you the very best on your own freelancing path :) i know so many women starting businesses right now and i am THRILLED. JUST THRILLED.
Great post and great insights. I think many, if not all of us freelance writers, can relate.
Thank you so much!! You should get royalties for how many times I have recommended the “read aloud” feature now. xx