The act of balancing freelancing
In the booming economy when you think of opting for freelancing with your fulltime job, here is what you need to think about.
While each one of us owns a full-time job to deal with, opting for freelancing seems a good choice. Freelancing not only add a few pennies to your bank account but also gives you the freedom to work with a plethora of clients; breaking the monotony of the work. India is the second largest home of freelancers with close to 15 million freelancers.
But, how to balance the freelancing projects alongside a full-fledged job? Well, here are the tips -
1. Not more than half - Always maintain the ratio of 2:1 while balancing the freelancing work. Never let it exceed beyond your full-time job. This implies that if your full-time job demands 8 hours a day, your freelancing work should not be more than 4 hours a day. Keeping it in the ratio of 2:1 is always better and convenient than 1:1.
2. Buffer zones - This is one golden rule every freelancer must take note of. Never drown neck deep in your deadlines instead keep a buffer zone ready. This means when you can deliver a project in 1 hour always say that you would take 2 hours to do it. This would create a buffer zone for you where you can relax, take your own time without pressuring yourself. This buffer zone also comes handy when things don't go too well such as loss of files, power cuts and so on. This way you are maintaining the deadlines additionally you are also submitting the work before time.
3. Check the clause - Check your company's clause before getting into any freelancing business. This is particularly because a lot of companies do not allow their employees to work on freelancing projects. It is highly advisable to go through the contract beforehand and maintain your lawfulness.
4. Count your minutes - As a freelancer who also owns a job counting minutes is utmost necessary. There are multiple tools available across the internet. These multiple tools aid in optimising your time by auto syncing numerous daily based tasks. It might sound like nothing to you but every time it auto syncs a contact or saves a post, it actually saves your time.
5. Keeping yourself organised - Taking up freelancing projects is next to learning time management. You wouldn't be left with any option other than staying organised all the time. Prepare a schedule of your work. You got to make sure that you put in your working hours, family time as well as your office work synchronised with each other. Managing time and organising it becomes crucial at this point.
6. Learn to deny - Repeat after me - "No. Nay. Cannot. I will not." By heart, these words as you would need them later. I understand your enthusiasm as a newly launched freelancer but, you got to learn to say a NO at the right time. Taking up every project that comes across your route tends to become unmanageable later on. This might ruin your freelancing career even before it begins. Therefore, please learn which project deserves a nod from you and which needs a denial.
Being a freelancer also means being assumed that you are 24x7 available to your clients. On the contrary, this might not be the case with your full-time job. In such situations, it is significant to have an open channel of communication with your clients making them aware of your scenario politely. The balancing of both the sides heavily depends upon the individual who is tackling it.
I wish you all the best with these tips. Hope this helps.
