Ask a Mentor: Am I Cut Out for Freelancing?

Dear Mentors,

I think I might want to try freelancing, because ditching the 8 to 5 routine sounds heavenly. But, I am easily distracted. How do you make yourself work when there is so much freedom?

—Dreaming of My Own Schedule

Start with an actionable plan

Knowing exactly what you need to do is important.

It’s easy to procrastinate when your to-do list is nothing but a compilation of “triggers.” The only thing worse is not having any to-do list. A trigger to-do list might look like this:

Develop leads.
Create a marketing plan.
Start a blog.

Those things sound like they will take forever! Most people would look for excuses to get out of those tasks. When creating your list, spend a few minutes asking yourself, what exactly is the action I need to take? A better version might read:

Review contact list and select 10 potential clients.
Draft email introducing my freelance work to send to these 10 leads.
Email my most marketing-savvy friend and offer to buy her lunch in exchange for advice on a starting point for marketing my new services.
Log into Facebook and join the Freelance Austin group
Visit godaddy.comand select a URL to purchase for my new blog.

This list is not business-startup advice. These items are intended to indicate the difference between a scary-sounding, procrastinating-inducing to-do list, and a to-do list that inspires action.

Be sure to start every item on your to-do list with an actionable verb, not just an action verb.

—Maura Thomas, Chief Trainer, RegainYourTime.com

Consider the “work outside of the work”

When I was on my own, my motivation was that no work meant no paycheck! That kept me focused. I’d also say to make sure you’re taking all the “work outside of the work” into account when you consider a switch.

Remember that many of your hours will have to be spent on unpaid sales and administrative tasks, often outside standard business hours. Most entrepreneurs I know work harder than they did at an “8 to 5.”

Don’t get me wrong, often job satisfaction is higher, but not because of the extra free time.

Jenny L. Magic, Principal/ VP of Content Strategy, SiteGoals.com

We’re Here to Help
Need some career advice? Wondering how others have handled a situation? Got a question or comment for our mentors? Contact us at wcamentors@wcaustin.org. Our volunteers are glad to help. Confidentiality will be respected.