RE: The Mental Challenges You’ll Face When Going Freelance
The suggestions in this post are so generic that it's making me mad :P
Guys, if you ever start freelancing, only the first 3-4 months will be tough. Think of it as entrepreneurship. Sometimes, you will work 14 hours (or more) per day but all profits go to your pocket :)
Choose your clients wisely so you won't feel pressure and fear. Network with people that work in the same field like you and ask help from them when you feel that you don't know something. (For example I had to work with a woocommerce site which I had no idea about. I contacted a friend who helped me. FOR FREE)
Go to work in a coffee bar or a public library or any other place. You won't feel lonely. If the noise disturbs you, put your earphones on and listen to music that you enjoy.
You don't feel motivated? Go to gym. Or outsource. There a lot of places where you can find people to do the job for less than you are getting paid.
You are not allowed to do mistakes. You did one? Refund your client and do the rest of job for free. (If the client is a good person and he/she will pay you anyway).
Keep in mind and learn more about: time management and customer relationship management. Both are fundamental to your career as a freelancer.
:D You made it look soooo easy, but I really agree with @repholder and would go even further and say that a lot of people just are not able to work as freelancers. Self-discipline is not easy at all, a lot of my friends tried to become freelancers and quit it exactly because they're unable to organize themselves. :( When you work in the office you may even do almost nothing once in a while. Of course, this hardly will lead to a promotion, but the employee still will get a salary. I remember when I worked in corporate office, we had such a great team, that when somebody felt low or something once in a while, others covered up for him/her and did his/her job... No such thing in freelance.
For me too most difficult things are - the opinion of others and loneliness. My parents refuse to see what I'm doing as a normal job, and almost every skype call or family gathering I listen to some "get a real job" stuff. :) Mostly I ignore it, but sometimes it gets close to me.
And it's easy to go to work to a library/workplace/cafe, etc if your family status allows so. I even have a friend who keeps travelling for 2 years already and does his job in cool places worldwide. :) But I, for example, have a baby-daughter and am not able to just flee away somewhere. When I get my job done usually she needs to go for a night sleep already, so again - evening at home. Of course from time to time one I can get a nanny, go somewhere with family, invite friends to my place, etc, but it's not the same as if you spend time out of home each day.
So, it's not so easy as you say, it's just you so tough that you handle it all easily!
Good job! :)
I already said that the first few months are tough :) I agree with @repholder's post :) I was merely giving some suggestions from my personal experience.
Time management and the ability to always take action is essential when it comes to freelancing.