Freelancing is an incredibly popular career choice now that the internet has made it easy for people to share all of their work online and create amazing online portfolios with ease. However, there are plenty of freelancing do’s and don’ts that could benefit many newbies, and here are just some of those tips.
DO: Get involved with social media
There are hundreds of advantages for a freelancer that makes use of social media. Social media is a great way to spread your work if you are a creative freelancer. You can use Twitter to share your new pieces of work or commissions, and you might even get lucky and score a couple of paid jobs while you are spreading your influence.
DON’T: Spam your services to people
However, getting aggressive with your advertising can have the opposite effect. If you’re spamming websites and online communities with your services, then you’re going to swiftly get blacklisted from those communities and you’ll have no way to engage in those creative forums and discussions. If you are finding it hard to advertise your services, then do so in subtle and acceptable ways instead of blatantly spreading your links around.
DO: Seek out all the jobs you can get
Freelancing is a volatile job because it’s difficult to get a stable amount of work. If you are serious about freelancing, then you should take on as many jobs as you physically can because there will be times when you don’t have any clients requesting work and, as a result, you’re going to be living off money from previous jobs. Don’t spend all your money at once!
DON’T: Forget to manage your finances
You’re going to count as self-employed if you are a freelancer, so don’t forget that about your self employment tax liabilities. Keep a track of your finances using a simple spreadsheet or an online cloud account service so you can spend more time being creative and working on your craft than managing numbers. Keep in mind that many things such as computers and hardware can be counted as business expenses to help you save on tax payments.
DO: Set up a home workspace
Working at home is going to be tough. Since you’re in a comfortable environment, you won’t feel like you are actually working and you might get distracted easily by the television, friends and family members or other forms of entertainment. If possible, dedicate an entire room to your freelance work so you can separate work from leisure more easily.
DON’T: Forget to look after your health
Freelancing is a tough career choice because you are your boss. You’ll have to carefully manage your time and split it between work and looking after your own health. There’s no such thing as sick days to relax because you are already at home! If you aren’t looking after your health, then you might suddenly become ill and you’ll have to make up for that lost time by working on another day. Ensure that you are doing regular stretches and taking breaks now and then.