5 Things I’ve Given Up Since Becoming a Full-Time Freelancer
I’d give up consistency for freedom every time
Everyone's dream is freedom from a job until the bills arrive.
You could make passive income, but even the best ones take effort and time to set up. No matter what, you have to work to get what you want. Freelancing is no exception. If anything, you have to work even harder to cover your butt than at a “normal” 9–5.
Even though I get to do work I love every day, and I reap the rewards of the remote-work lifestyle, there are a few things I miss about the old office.
1. Garbage time
Where are my fantasy football lovers at?
“Garbage time” means the player on your fictional sports team can still put up points for you, even though their actual team has no chance of winning.
At work, garbage time is the idea of doing absolutely nothing but still getting paid to be there.
In an eight-hour workday, there's a lot of garbage time. You know what I'm talking about. When you're in an office for 40 hours a week, pretending to work is about as helpful as the work you do.
When freelancing, you can't do that. When you're "working," you're delivering products to the client or finding new ones. It's tough to have eight-hour days when sometimes the work is done in five. It's the reality you have to deal with.
2. Set hours
My parents are the most consistent people in my life.
I love them for it, but I wonder if it's because they are just so set in their ways. To them, change is an inconvenience. I've learned to welcome it.
I get bored doing the same task daily. Sure, I commit to morning routines of getting some work done, making breakfast, etc., but if I had to teach in a classroom every damn day, I would feel like a sack of potatoes.
Set hours are great if you're paid hourly because you know you have work. When you're on salary, it doesn't matter as much because you get paid regardless.
When freelancing, it's different. If you want set hours, you have to make them yourself. The funny thing is, when you work from home, inconveniences seem to pop up from all corners of the hours.
The dog gets bored and barks at you during a vital Zoom meeting
Your significant other forgets her work bag, and you have to deliver it
The neighbor rings your doorbell, asking to borrow your expensive Himalayan pink salt
The last one hasn't happened to me yet, but since I'm moving into a new apartment, who knows what’s in store for me.
3. Paid benefits
My teaching job wanted me to work 600 hours before giving me health insurance.
Fat chance of that happening when they know the turnover rate is high, especially for 2021.
Benefits are a nice peace of mind, but they're genuinely a ploy for corporations to keep you at your job. When you make money for someone else, they will do the most straightforward thing they can to keep you happy, and that's an insurance discount they subtract from your paycheck.
The government doesn't offer a cookie-cutter freelancer health insurance plan. But, it's just something you have to think about.
I'm moving to a state where the insurance rates are lower. I'm lucky, but of course, I don't want to pay. It's just a necessary evil.
4. Consistent clientelle
You're your boss, marketer, and HR representative when you freelance.
Nobody’s responsible for finding your work other than yourself. Your boss's company used to do that for you, but this is the reality of choosing your work hours.
It doesn't hurt to know what to do between clientele work. When I'm having a slow week, I split my time between finding new work opportunities and grinding away on my side hustle.
So the next time I publish seven articles in a week, you’ll know I wasn’t too busy.
5. Feeling good about off-time
This is my biggest issue.
I tend to let my work fill up my free time. It's a curse I thought was my own, but apparently, it's widespread. It's called Parkinson’s Law, and it’s the idea that work expands to fill the time given for its completion.
The clock will strike at 8 PM, and I’ll wonder whether or not I should relax for the rest of the night or pump out a little more content.
You also have to factor in future vacation time. Even though you can take vacations all you want and don’t have a boss to tell you otherwise, the fact is you don’t get paid vacation days.
In the end, working for yourself is all about learning to trust your mind and body. It takes years of practice. Sometimes you need to take a break for the day to feel pumped to keep working the next day.
What I've gained
I’d be remiss if I ended the story on a low note.
The thing is, I'm proud of what I've accomplished. Everything I do, I feel like I'm doing it with my best interest in mind.
Sure, waking up at ordinary times to give myself "regular" work hours isn't exactly fun or sexy, but I sure do love working from home. I rather enjoy the freedom of walking to my kitchen for a snack anytime I want.
I do the work I love to do from the comfort of my home. I also save a ton of gas and clothes money because I often don't leave the house.
I'm also able to move to a different state, and nothing changes for me. The work is the same, and my habits will hopefully remain consistent.
The best part is I feel like I'm doing what's suitable for me, and I have more time to pursue my side hustles. Everything I do benefits me in the long run, and that's enough to get me up early in the morning to start the workday.
Honestly, it's all fascinating. I'm moving, my friends are coming with me, and clients are reaching out to me more often than usual.
If there's anything to take away, it's that time, effort, and a dash of luck go a long way. Keep going. If you hate your job, work it for as long as you can. But work on that after-hours side hustle in the meantime.
It'll be challenging, but it'll be so worth it once you see your progress.