Well, I’ve completed my first week of full time freelancing and have learned a couple of things. Some of them are serious, some are obvious, and some are funny (at least to me).
So, here are the top 10 things I learned from my first week of freelancing from home.
- I know what my cats do all day … absolutely nothing. The photo at the top is a picture of them at the height of their activity level.
- I need to have my new latop configured prior to the jackhammer starting outside my house so I am ready to work somewhere else. As of this writing, I still haven’t taken care of that.
- I can watch soccer games that are on during the week! Yay! And they are usually on at my low/sleepy point in the day.
- It is important to have food in the house that is easy to prepare for a quick meal. I didn’t think this one through ahead of time and was a little lost once I ran out of hummus. I don’t mind cooking in the middle of the day but would rather have something more simple.
- Since I am home all day there are a lot more dirty dishes. See #4.
- I am getting a lot more sleep and actually feel well rested for the first time in I don’t know how long. I no longer work all day, take care of my daughter and then work on my site and client’s sites after 8pm. I am getting to bed at a reasonable time and am actually reading before I go to sleep.
- UPS delivery between 10am-2pm is completely negotiable on their end.
- I kind of knew this one but didn’t entirely get how much time I would be spending on writing emails and proposals rather than actually working. I need to schedule this better if I’m actually going to earn money. I did, however, take the time to make a couple of templates.
- It’s important to get outside. Because I’m a homebody to begin with this is hard for me. Fortunately, on most days I have to drop off and pick up my daughter. Since we walk, this forces me to get outside and get some fresh (city) air.
- I spend less money. I’m not buying coffee, snacks, etc while I’m out. A couple of days I spent nothing.
How about you? For any of you work at home types or freelancers what did you learn when you first started?
Heh. Most days I spend nothing. I also rarely drive, opting to walk if I need to go somewhere. Now that the weather’s getting warmer, I’ll be biking too.
Food is always a good thing.
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Hi Ari – Yes, food is a very good thing. :-) Today it’s the cats who are lacking. And I don’t drive so that isn’t a difference for me.
It is DEFINITELY important to take some outdoor breaks when you can. I try to remember to do that even at my office. I figure if the smokers can go out for a five minute break every hour, I can take my camera and do something more healthy just as often. It helps relax the mind and eyes.
~ Kristi
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Hi Kristi – I definitely have to try harder with getting out – especially now while the weather is still nice. Soon it will be hot and humid (I don’t like summer very much).
Yay! It sounds like you’re off to a great start!
I tend to make extras at dinner so I can have leftovers to eat during the day.
I’m eager to do my “10 Things I learned With All of My Kids At School All Day” post in 3 years. I’ve got big plans for that day, big plans.
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Hi Tracy – Leftovers only works if we make dinner. All my kid wants right
now is hummus and pita bread – I can only eat so much of it.
Did you know I stayed home with my daughter for 3.5 years? When she stopped taking naps I started looking for a job. Seriously ;-)
Well the cats might be waiting for you to leave, wondering “ok lady, when are you leaving for all these long hours so we can have some fun!” :P And the food lying around is good especially if it’s something sweet like a chocolate ;)
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Hi Stratos – The cats run around like idiots when I first get up in the morning and then they go back to bed after an hour. They seem to get another burst of energy when I go to bed at night. The little one does climb the curtains in front of me but they really don’t do much other than eat and sleep.
Wow, the first week flew by!
I think being able to make your own hours is going to fit really well with how independent you are. The proper sleep is going to help a lot too! It sounds like its going good so far. :-)
Its good that your cats aren’t making any feeble attempts to be productive when you’re there. “This is who we are…deal with it.”
And be sure to enjoy Newcastle v. Middlesbrough today! ;-)
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Hi Jim,
I don’t think I’m going bother with that match ;-) I had a disastrous soccer weekend.
And, yeah, it’s kind of weird to not be tired and cranky all the time.
Wow, that was great. A feeling of I can do a lot and what should I do first …and all those kind of frustrations and excitement and confusion….all things continue and the sentence we usually think is “It is on the on the way to be stable”. But really we feel on our own (a bit kind of responsible!)
By the way, all the very best.
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Hi Sanjeev – Thank you! I really appreciate your words of encouragement. :-)
I’ve been consulting / freelancing for almost 15 years now and it still remains hard for me to be 100% productive at home (in my eyes). However, if I look at what I do in a typical day versus what I did in a work environment, I shouldn’t worry so much. Having the flexibility of my time has been worth more to me than anything…participating in my kid’s lives as they grew up, not commuting, being able to take off when and where I want is tremendously liberating. All that being said, I know that I make about 3 cents per hour since I work like a mad man and rarely take more than 2-3 cumulative weeks off per year. Good luck Kim, your are going to do great!
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Hi Rick – Yep, now you have time to play the murder victim. Or was it the guy who is a really messy eater? ;-)
I don’t like to add up all the time I spend working because the hourly amount does come to something really low. For example, I don’t count any of the time I spend working on this site although it is kind of job related.
Thanks!
I have to get out of my pajamas otherwise my children come home from school and ask me why I’ve been sleeping all day.
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Hi – Most mornings I have to walk my daughter to school. If I did that in my pajamas she would be terrible embarrassed. Although it wouldn’t bother me at all ;-)
Congratulations, Kim. Interesting how this change can change your world, hopefully all for the better!
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Hi Terri – Thanks! So far, so good. My trip at the end of the week is throwing me off a little but otherwise I’ve been off to a good start.
UPS delivery between 10am-2pm is completely negotiable on their end. (I hate this so much…) Nothing drives me crazier.
Hi Stuart – On the day in question they actually never showed up at all and it was supposed to be the 2nd attempt. The next morning I found the package on the porch – this was also one that I was supposed to sign for in person.
They should just add a box to the slip that says “whenever we get there”.
Interesting!
I agree about writing emails and proposals. I finally have templates too, which makes things simpler.
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Hi Vered – It really is time consuming but the templates really do help.
I’m not a freelancer, but disability has afforded me the time to work on Green and Chic more than I was able to while working 45+ hours a week.
1. I learned I really need to set schedules to eat and drink water! Its so easy to sit for hours at a time and not even use the bathroom. I didnt have that issue at work because I tried to find every excuse to get up as much as possible.
2. The ability to check out the farmers market during the day, shop at popular markets and avoid the commuter run hours (5:30-7:00) at the stores, ship packages without having to rush back to the office, sit a a cafe and work, take breaks, be sick without burdening co-workers (I was out of commission for almost the entire month of April), have my doctors appointments w/o obsession over having to go back to work and so on.
3. I’m able to use the phone more often to communicate with customers, potential partners, web designers, etc without having to be confined to email, IM and Twitter for these things.
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Hi Carla – Well it sounds like you’re a freelancer while on disability. I didn’t realize you weren’t working – sorry about that and I hope you’re feeling better.
All of your points are very true. I used to have a very hard time scheduling calls with people before. My employer didn’t come in until noon so I could make calls in the morning but that didn’t work very well with people on the West Coast.
I don’t have too much trouble with #1 – I tend to wander around wherever I am. I can sit and focus for about an hour at a time and then I get up for some reason or another. I actually once got in trouble at work for not being at my desk ;-)
Good going :)
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Thanks Manshu – Let’s see if I’ve learned anything else after a month. Today I actually figured out the best schedule for myself ;-)
Christie, I’m not a freelancer either but a lot of my time at work is spent by me talking with Freelancers, on VOIS.com such as yourself who are looking for work, and boy, I’ll tell ya, it’s hard but there are definitely a lot more pro’s than cons. For me, personally, the cons would outweigh pro’s. I would get nothing done, become way too distracted, and start to feel trapped, so I don’t think it would be good for me even if I wanted to.
As for UPS, It’s never negotiable, but they are way better than DHL. Happy Freelancing to you!
Hi Jess – I think the type of work you do really depends on your personality. Freelancers often go on and on about how great it is to be at home and be on their own schedule but it definitely isn’t for everyone. I’m independent, disciplined and a little obsessed with schedules so it mostly works for me. But some days I don’t have any focus at all – I try to work around the times of focus and the times of distraction.
We used to have a great UPS guy when I stayed at home with my daughter. He knew my schedule so if he missed me he figured I was at the park or something and would come back later.
Kim,
First, good for you for doing this and making yourself happy. I agree with you on the answering emails and writing proposals and bids – they take time and it’s time that doesn’t always turn into money. For me, I’ve been more careful with how much time I put into the proposal because it’s been taken, used and I haven’t been hired. So I keep some of my cards close to me now! =) I also have to take breaks and find that if I don’t my wrist just kills me. Good luck to you!
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Hi Sommer – Thank you :-)
It’s frequently a lot of work that turns into never hearing from the individual again.
I am not a freelancer :) so, i don’t have any points to say.
BTW, you are cat is cute. if you don’t mind can i take it :)
Hi Nihar – Please do take the cats ;-)
Kim,
Excellent “ten” list.
I think what I figured out in the first week was that I needed to organize a bit better. The work ethic has never been too much of an issue for me and I actually found myself working longer (5am until 11pm most days) than ever before.
I am so excited for your new lifestyle, Kim. How about keeping us updated on a freelancer’s life regular-like, you know?
George
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Hi George – I ran into that last week too – I would work long hours but not get a lot done. I’m also so used to working after 8pm that it’s difficult to break that habit.
And I was already thinking of doing a follow-up after a month. ;-)
Hi Kim,
I’ve been working from home for some time now (for our business), and not only are we saving money, but I find I cook more, have more dirty dishes (like you said), and am forced to be more organized (so the office mess doesn’t migrate into other rooms).
From the time we moved our office to our home, I treat it like a regular job and get showered/dressed before I sit down at my desk. As tempting it is to work in my pajamas, I find that’s not a good idea as I never know when an employee or client may show up.
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Hi Barbara – On the mornings that my daughter isn’t here I don’t get dressed until later but most mornings I’m up and ready to go by 7:30.
I’m glad I’m not the only one with more dirty dishes ;-)
I think the most important thing in freelancing in home is self-discipline, as there is no one around you, sometimes it is easier to get hocked by TV.
One thing I have noticed is, people also treat freelancer as “free”, they think you can go anywhere any time, it is not sure actually as you have plans, deadlines to meet, but most people just do not understand, I kept asked by the friends to going out together in odd times .
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Hi – I have quite a bit of discipline :-) I don’t like tv either so that isn’t a problem. Most of my friends are at work during the day.
I wish I could buy a new laptop but what I am earning right now is just enough to pay some bills around the house.
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Hi – I understand that – it’s hard right now. I’ve been saving up for it for quite awhile.
It’s such a long while back…I’d have to schedule some time to think of what lessons I learned early on. Important thing to remember is to keep all your receipts to offset against income tax!
Hi David – Tax? ;-)
Your moggies look sweet :)
What soccer football games do you watch? My favourite team at the moment are The Potters.
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Hi David – I like Aston Villa and Real Madrid.
They look sweet but looks can be deceiving ;-)
How popular is football becoming in the U.S.? I just hope you guys don’t get better than us :P It shouldn’t be allowed.
Aston Villa are a good team these days. I particularly like how O’Neil is keeping the squad full of UK players. Don’t know much about Real Madrid other than the fact they got trounced 6-2 last week.
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David – Football isn’t popular in the US at all. All little kids play it but they don’t grow up to be interested in it. I am not really a typical American.
I like how Villa is mostly UK players too – they were doing well but have been terrible lately. Fortunately they have a great GK, who I was surprised to discover is American.
Madrid tends to be the best team in Spain. They haven’t had a good year and that 6-2 was against Barcelona who have just been amazing this year. I also have a crush on their GK, Iker Casillas, who many consider to be one of the best in the world.
I can rest assured that the U.S. will not be winning the World Cup any time soon then :) I believe that the U.S. women’s team is the best in the world though.
Yeah, Brad Fridel is probably the second best keeper in the league at the moment.
Did you ever see this guy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GHI34RphiA
Never seen anyone move the ball like that.
Congrats on your first week! The most important things I have learned are that I go insane if I don’t get out of the house on all or most days for at least a little while, and that even though you work from home, there still needs to be a “quitting time” because it is too easy to just keep working when you never have to leave. I still have trouble doing both of those things regularly.
My favorite benefit is that when there is little work to do, I don’t need to “look busy” for any managers or bosses, so I can use that time to learn new skills, work on personal projects, or do the aforementioned leaving of my house.
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Hi Lori – Thank you! I am having a hard time with quitting time. I stop around 4-5 usually but find myself working at 8pm again after my daughter goes to bed. I think I’m just still in the habit of working at the
time of day.
That is something I hadn’t thought of – no more pretending to look
busy ;-)
Heheheh. Don’t make jokes like that in public, you’ll land yourself an inspection :-(
Reckon you will want to factor in a bit of an exercise regime in there somewhere Kim, that walk to school to pick up your daughter may not be enough. Personally, as much as I would love to work at home I reckon by biggest challenge would be to organize myself.
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Hi Sire – Actually I’ve been using a pedometer for some time now and I walk about 5 miles a day. I should get back into aerobic stuff though.
What’s ironic is that all my pants are sliding off of me. So, I weighed myself and weigh the same. So unless my clothes are growing I don’t
know what’s going on ;-)
I’m kind of annoyingly organized – I think it bothers people.
Hey, 5 miles a day is pretty good as are aerobic exercises. Have you ever tried weight training? I find it more stimulating.
As for the clothes, I reckon that’s a good thing isn’t it? Except for the added cost for replacement that is.
Yeah, I need to get more organized. It would save me sooooo much wasted time and effort.
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If all those advantages come along, freelancing or a work-at-home option may not be bad at all :) After all, ability to decide your own pace itself is a great thing. However, I am still not in a position to give up my regular job for freelancing or blogging… recession worry is one thing, the other thing that bother me is things like retirement funds, pension planning, medical insurance, trainings etc that come along with regular jobs…
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Hi Ajith – I agree that the benefits that come with a regular job is the primary concern when deciding whether to leave the job. I was already getting health insurance outside of my employer as I was actually able to get a more affordable plan.
Hi
Fun topic.
Let’s see:
That I need to work in an area of the house that means I have to move a bit (working in an office means you generally do have leg stretching time)
That I need a quiet place for phone calls
That I need some sort of back-up internet connection
That I need strict “stop working” times
seems I could carry on for quite a while, but I’ll leave it there ;)
Juliet
Hi Juliet – I ran into a little trouble with the strict working times – I found I was working all the time. My schedule is a little odd because of childcare issues so I try to be a little flexible. But I definitely take the weekends off now.
A backup computer can be just as important as backup internet.
All so true… I like Juliet’s advice – once you can separate your work space and times from the rest of your life, things become a little easier and more sane.
All the parts about food ring especially true: you’re spending so much less money on buying snacks, but the dishes do pile up. I find that if I’m in a procrastinating kind of mood, I start creating pretty complicated meals in the middle of the day.
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Hi Ravi – I do the same thing :-) When I am procrastinating I will start cooking or will exercise.
Same thing here.. the only ugly thing i learn is that our belly is getting out of shape.. LoL
Hi Kendi – That started before I started freelancing :-) But I’ve decided to
take the time to exercise 5 days a week.