angel 's Key Ideas from Survival Skills for Freelancers
by Sarah Townsend

Introduce routine

Aim to start and end your day at a set time and schedule regular breaks.

Keel moving

Instead of spending your entire day glued to your laptop, stretch out those muscles, take your calls standing up, go for a walk, do a 10 minute yoga class - anything. Don’t get stuck in sedentary lifestyle.

Claim your space

You are in fact lucky that you can run your business from home, but don’t fall into the trap of mixing work with leisure, or even worst; loneliness. Have a dedicated ‘work space’ and consider working from a coffee shop or co-working space to switch things up.

Avoid distractions

Our attention can become scattered easily in the freelance life. Take actions to prevent this: hide the TV remote, stay off social media, turn off notifications and develop discipline to check your email twice a day.

Stay focused

Multitasking is your enemy and significantly reduces your productivity. Rather than focusing your attention on doing one job well, hopping from one to another increases likelihood of mistakes.

Manage your time

Plan your day using your calendar into time-blocked structured tasks. Try the Pomodoro technique; 25 mins work, 5 mins break & repeat.

Nothing prepares for the loneliness and isolation of going solo. You can build your own community and find connections through:

• Co-working spaces
• Online communities
• Networking groups

You don’t need to nor have the time to be your own accountant, assistant, coach etc.

Its simple:

as much time as possible doing the things that make you money

+

as little time as possible doing the things that don’t

=

the secret to time efficient management & freelance success

You can’t expect clients to take you seriously, if you, yourself don’t.

Start by setting yourself up as a business (because you are):

• Finances - business account, invoices, contracts
• Have the correct technology, software & equipment
• Create a logo
• Build (or outsource someone to build) a professional website or portfolio
• Set up business pages/accounts on your chosen social media platforms

This is your business personality and it should be cohesive across everywhere your business is present. It incorporates;

• Your business name
• Your colour scheme
• Typography & Fonts
• Writing style (tone)
• Business cards
• Domain name
• Website / Portfolio
• Email address & Email signature
• Marketing materials
• Social media posts & Profiles

Make sure these are clear and consistent.

Freelance isn’t free and it is important you don’t undervalue yourself. Don’t panic if someone can’t afford your services, this just means that particular client isn’t a fit for your services.

Charge a fair price that reflects your skills & experience

Every freelancer is different and benchmark rates can vary drastically. Your rate will depend on your skills & strengths, industry, location, living costs & lifestyle.

If you have little experience you may begin with mock projects, or offering a free trial - but don’t get stuck in this loop.

Picture this. A company is looking to hire a freelancer, they do a quick online search and receive 3 responses of £600, £400 or £200. They’ll go with the cheapest.

What they don’t know is their chosen freelancer is new to the game meaning the process takes twice as long and is delivered half as good. Suddenly this cheap job becomes expensive.

Though, if you are determined to charge day rates work out your ideal annual salary, add expenses and divide by the amount of days you wish to work.

As a freelancer you have the luxury of not being valued per hour or per day. You don’t need to exchange time for money.

A better approach would be to charge a fixed fee based upon the service being delivered.

50% deposit upfront & 50% upon completion.

Always provide a clear description of precisely what is and isn’t covered by your estimate.

Reinforce this with a contract.

It may take a little trial & error to find a value that’s just right, but trust your value, learn from experience and review your rates regularly.

Its a game changer.

Say YES to clients who:

• You enjoy working with.
• They provide clear expectations and a defined scope of work.
• Don’t undervalue you and pay your invoices in a timely manner.
• The work compliments your niche or direction you wish to go in.
• They’re mission & goals are in line with your values.

Of course, if you have bills to pay and little work then you may not be able to say no but providing that you’re financially stable these tips can make your work way more enjoyable and stress free.

Aim to have between 3-6 months of living wages saved for adversities and dry spells.

You should allow at least a month to secure your first job, a month to complete it, and another month to get paid.

You must register yourself as self employed with the government, so this also means you become responsible for paying your own tax.

There’s a catch! Once your annual tax bill is over £1,000 you are required to make payments on account. This involves paying half of the following year’s estimated tax upfront.

Payments on account are due twice a year, so that first tax bill can come as a nasty surprise - if you’re not prepared for it.

If you're just starting out and you expect your business to have high set-up charges, you might want to consider registering for VAT.

This enables you to claim back at least some of the tax on the cost of your home office, equipment, training and marketing.

An accountant can help you decide.

Like any career, your freelance journey will contain good days but also bad days.

On a good day you’ll feel positive, confident, motivated, organised, driven, determined and even untouchable.

Then there are the bad days when you feel like you’re a failure, and nothing you can do or say will change the way you feel.

It’s okay not to be okay.

• Don’t suffer alone
• Don’t compare yourself to others
• Be kind to yourself

As a golden rule, if you wouldn’t say it to a friend, don’t say it to yourself.

The things we repeatedly tell ourselves tend to become our reality, so become aware of the language you're using. If you're in the habit of berating yourself when you make a mistake, and you're unforgiving when something doesn't go to plan, make a choice to be kind to you.

• Don’t suffer alone
• Don’t compare yourself to others
• Be kind to yourself

As a golden rule, if you wouldn’t say it to a friend, don’t say it to yourself.

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.

Meditate

Use apps such as Calm, Headspace, Waking Up.

Exercise

Go for a run, walk your dog, dance around your kitchen, yoga, pilates.

Listen to Music

Create a positive, uplifting playlist you can use to elevate your mood.

Get Out in Nature

Spending time outdoors has a positive affect on our mood, along with an array of other therapeutic benefits.

Sleep Well

Structure your routine to work for you. If you’re a late owl, start your day later so long as you can get the adequate amount of sleep.