5 Lessons of a Lifetime from Freelancing at 18
I came across the concept of freelancing in Grade 11, and was fascinated. The freedom, the work-from-home lifestyle and the working-from the-beach pictures had me hooked.
I eventually found that my love for the English Language could be monetized, and what I considered as fun was actually a paying occupation in itself. And that, my friends, is how I got in to the Freelance Editing and Proofreading Industry.
Four months and four large projects later, I've got five invaluable lessons for a lifetime. I find that they are especially applicable to Corporate Life.
- Adhering To Tight Deadlines
Freelance projects often have super-tight deadlines, due to the hyper-competitive nature of the industry. This is a very valuable skill, which taught me the importance of setting clear-cut priorities. Intrinsic Motivation over Extrinsic Motivation. Have fire in the your belly, and you will go places.
2. Time Management (for the win)
Whether you’re an employee or a freelancer, the sirens of procrastination always beckon. One day=24 hours. 8 hours for sleep (yes, yes I know about your 'hustle'. But a good night's sleep is non-negotiable for a productive day). So that's 16 hours left for you to play with. Now, how you spend that is what makes the difference.
3. Discipline
Oooh someone's getting all 'adultsy' now. Yes, you can guffaw all you want, but at the end of the day this is absolutely critical. It is completely unsexy. I know. No one really talks about this aspect of success. Your mind actively pushes you to do mindless tasks(!) like cleaning out your wardrobe or your table, giving absurd justifications for doing so. In doing so, you get a temporary hit of dopamine that your brains craves for. So, discipline is all about putting off those tasks that don't matter in the short run, and doing the boring stuff that actually matters.
4. Open, Two-Way Communication
I cannot emphasize this more. There MUST be open, two-way Communication between a client and a freelancer. If not, it leads to huge disagreements later, due to differences that reach massive proportions. In the end, both, the client and the freelancer walk away from the deal with no one having gained anything.
Team-tracking and messaging services like Slack and Flock have made this erstwhile tough task much easier today.
5. The Value of Money
Money. Cha-ching. Yes. Freelancing really drilled into me that money ain't super-tough to earn, nor is it super-easy. A sweet spot somewhere in the middle. A middle-class upbringing in the India always bombards you with funny stuff like 'Money doesn't grow on trees' or 'I am no Tata, Birla, Ambani.' Once you go out there and try to make it yourself, you will get a feel for it yourself. Try it. It's fun.
6. Working Without Constant Direction
A thing most commonly seen in the Corporate World, an effective worker of Industry 4.0 must learn to work without constant prodding and direction from his superior(boss). For instance, I've learnt to report results only when some milestone is reached or an objective is attained.
One word of advice, people. Your bosses are super-busy. They handle and juggle SO MANY tasks at the same time. Give them a break. Let go sometimes. Break out the humour sometimes, make their day brighter. Your career will thank you.
And that's it for now. I'll keep updating this article as I learn in this super fun and enriching world of freelancing.