“Stress is poison”, as Agave Powers says. For us as freelancers, stress can poison the whole process of working, and spoil the fruits of our efforts. Freelance writing is often known as an unhealthy and highly pressured way to earn a living, and rightly so.

What we need are some quick and effective remedies to keep the process of freelancing as intriguing, remunerative, and personally rewarding as it can and should be.

Getting rid of stress is a vital skill to master, because we want to avoid its negative consequences, even the potential failure, of our freelancing career. In general, stress in freelancing can be overcome by effective time management, frequent and regular change of activity, and reasonable expectations about deadlines and workload.

Any freelance gigs, including freelance writing, which can precipitate stressful situations, require preventive measures such as proper time management. To avoid negative outcomes from too much hurrying, the freelancer needs to figure out how to allocate time appropriately. It is helpful, and in fact, necessary if your workload is at all complex, to create a detailed schedule and plan. Then, using this as a guide, you can perform the tasks in the plan according to your schedule, step by step. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you at a crossroads between full time freelance writing and holding a full time conventional job? Can you think of dozens of arguments for both? Are you waffling over a decision?

If so, then you need to examine all the pros and cons of freelance writing with insight, and make an informed and genuine choice. There is definitely a long list of advantages and disadvantages to freelancing; however, you need to define what freelancing is for you individually: an unhealthy occupation, or a vocation for an entire life.

Freelance writing is often deemed to be an unhealthy profession because of the many stresses caused by the lack of steady income and work stability, and the need to spend excessive time at the computer, often accompanied by way too much junk food. The stressful situations that crop up in freelance writing are usually precipitated by the absence of work, and by dishonest customers. Such stress was incisively described by Robert Benchley definition: “The freelance writer is a man who is paid per piece or per word or perhaps.”

However, in reality, freelancing is not nearly as stress inducing as is commonly imagined in the contemporary business world. As with any other job, freelance writing is only as stressful as the current set of circumstances. For one thing, working with a firm that pre-screens and arranges payment for all work can reduce the probability of being “stiffed” by a client. Furthermore, the absence of regular work for a freelance writer is directly comparable to the potential for lay-offs from a full time position. Read the rest of this entry »

This article is the first piece in a small series of articles, which will tell a little bit more about the customers, that we, as freelance writers, have to deal with on day-to-day basis.

You’ll also learn certain techniques, which will help you to work out a solution for a problematic situation with an inadequate customer.

Problematic Customer Profiles #1: The “Next Time” Customer

Freelance writers who operate their own writing businesses encounter many different types of customers through their everyday business dealings and soon become adept at customer service in addition to writing. Eighty per cent of the time, freelancers and their customers enjoy a smooth business transaction from job to job and a mutually beneficial business relationship.

However, in certain cases, a certain type of customer appears, one that causes trouble for various reasons. The communication skills of the freelance writer become paramount in these circumstances. What follows are a few communication tips for self-employed writers to continue to receive payment and referrals from even the most problematic clients. Read the rest of this entry »

“Many people quit looking for work when they find a job” explains the workers’ attitude towards jobs and their wish to work. However, this statement concerns mostly those jobs which do not correspond to the worker’s abilities and desires.

Such jobs bring money, stability and full day of work; however, they fail to provide workers with pleasure, self-realization and freedom of choice. These jobs refer mostly to the full-time employment and oppose to freelancing which consists in self-employment and dealing with various types of works.

Therefore, both freelancing and full-time jobs have advantages and disadvantages, the preference is given to freelance work in respect of its independence, freedom of choice and ample opportunities.

The first thing that becomes obvious while comparing full-time jobs with the freelance employment is the dependency. The workers are completely dependent on the employer when working for someone since they have no possibility to choose the working time, type of activity and place of performing it. Read the rest of this entry »

Can you assume freelancing to be a permanent job? Can you think over its advantages and opportunities? In fact, they are so vivid that it is possible to deem freelancing worthy of consideration and trying.

Preponderance of freelancing would not be so obvious if there was no full time job which highlights the possibilities and unrestricted potential of freelance activities.

Undoubtedly, freelancing is in pluses which can be hardly seen while working for someone at the office: they are flexibility of schedule and variety of activities.

Freelancing as unbound employment does not foresee any work schedules and obligations to work for a certain amount of hours a day or a week.

Consequently, it is up to the freelancer whether to choose hard working hours or to spend the whole day in relaxation and peace. Such flexible timetable means that freelancing provides the worker with additional free time which can be spent for personal or family matters. Moreover, it is much easier to work when you know that you can have rest after you finish certain task. Read the rest of this entry »