Discipline is the key to success in freelancing!
Many of my friends - employed, not employed, job hunters, freelancers – ask me about my freelance jobs and how I find projects to stay engaged without a break. Yes, it is hard to stay engaged always in freelancing as it depends on available projects with clients and my skills that match with their requirements.
But, once you have won a few regular clients, it is not a big deal to find assignments. Again, the same friends use to ask me freelance jobs that they would like to do while employed somewhere else or as a full time freelancer. I am always happy to share assignments if I am running out of time.
Last month, I was working on a huge project, I miscalculated the complexity and volume of assignments and ended up in tight schedule which made me work day and night. Despite my efforts, it was hard to complete my tasks within given time. I decided to seek help from my friends who asked me for freelance jobs. I approached three guys and what happened was really upsetting.
- The first guy was very excited with a bike trip to some hill station. So, he was not ready to take the job.
- The second guy had a marriage function to attend and said a big ‘no’ with an apology.
- The third guy was not good at Malayalam typing and had some other pre-planned engagements.
I didn’t go further with seeking help from friends as I lost hope in them.
Ok, now I come to the point. Freelancing is not something that allows you to work as ‘you like’ and as ‘you decide’. It is as important as in a regular job to keep discipline, punctuality, and responsibility. Do you plan a vacation without consulting with your seniors and HR? The same decorum is expected in freelancing also, if you don’t want to lose clients.
As a freelancer, the only freedom I enjoy is the option to whether accept or reject assignments. Apart from that, once I sign-in to a project, I work like an employee of the client. I have to complete work on time, I have to let my clients know about the status of ongoing job, I have to rework on the completed job if client is not satisfied…
Of course, I have the privilege of not getting scolded or abused by my seniors :)
So, here is my two cents for aspiring freelancers:
- Without discipline, there is no way to survive with freelancing.
- If you lack a skill, learn and develop it.
Have a nice day!