Dear freelancers, please give yourself a break!
I recently remarked to a friend I was trying to get the time, energy, and motivation to do the housework. He retorted it just requires discipline. It made me realise that I most probably do lack discipline as well as all the other stuff!
Does this make me a bad person? Hell, no!
Am I sometimes unfocused, overwhelmed with what to do next, and occasionally just downright tired? Hell, yes!
Perhaps this is one of the downsides of freelancing. When you are in employment, there's usually someone riding your arse to get your work done — you are accountable to someone.
When you freelance, you are really only accountable to yourself. It’s down to you to meet your deadlines, keep your clients happy, and do everything else your business requires.
What can be liberating on many levels can also be crippling.
When you’re freelance, you need to be a jack of all trades. You need to be able to do the thing that actually makes you money but also all the admin, legal contracts, taxes, invoicing, chasing non-payers, and self-promotion.
So, where does time, energy, motivation, and discipline fit in?
