As a freelance writer, you no doubt wake up almost every day being completely grateful that you have such an amazing way to earn a living. You get to pick and choose who you work for. You have control over your work schedule and your work hours. You can even spend all day in your pajamas if you want and make money without leaving the house. Of course, as amazing as you might think freelance writing is (and certainly your friends and family think you’re a lucky duck, too), there are some hidden downsides to the job that you have to cope with.
“That’s Not a Real Job.”
Sometimes a few crass individuals may come right out and say what’s on their mind, and other times you may simply get the impression that this is what’s on the minds of other people when they hear what it is you do for a living. Of course, as freelance writers we know that this is a real job and we certainly do earn a decent living for all of our long days of hard work. Of course, you can take the higher road and simply ignore such comments and thoughts, or you can take a few minutes to talk about your work day, how many words per day you write on average, how many hours your work each day, and other fun facts that show just how hard you really do work.
All the Free Time in the World
Many people assume that because you are working from home, and more importantly because you don’t have any boss or manager keeping a close eye on your work hours, that you have all the time in th world to do various things throughout the day. They may ask you constantly to hit the gym with them, to visit with them at the coffee shop, to run errands for you, and even to babysit your kids or wait at their house for a repairman to come by. Of course, the truth is that freelance writers are not salaried, and so we only get paid when working. While many of us truly do take full advantage of the flexibility our career choice provides to us, we also generally have a very good idea about how much work we need to do each and every day to meet our income goals, too. While everyone wants to be a good friend and help out or spend time when asked to sit down and chat, we also don’t want to be a doormat. If the day is truly busy for you, you can certainly just say you are slammed with work. Otherwise, you could ask for a return favor that would help you get more work done on another day.
Summer Months with Kids
Many freelance writers do have school-age or even college-age kids who are at home during the summer months. On one hand, it’s great that you can spend this extra time close to home and those you love. On the other hand, nobody wants to sit at home and watch you work all day on those beautiful summer days. Yet you have clients with deadlines and bills to pay, and so you find yourself stressed out as you try to make everyone happy. Sometimes the easiest answer is to work a split shift, so to speak. You may have to get up a bit earlier in the morning and burn the midnight oil so you can free up your days a little more. This holds true for spring break and winter break, too!
These are just a few of the more common downsides of freelance writing that many people face. Of course, as bothersome as such downsides can be, most will agree that this is a small price to pay for the freedom and flexibility that comes with working in a job most truly love.
