6 Struggles Every Freelancer Will Relate To

6 Struggles EVERY Freelancer Will Relate To - noted from my goal setting workshop with WeBlogMCR

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of hosting a goal setting workshop with the fab group at WeBlogMCR. Having been part of the group myself for a long time, it was a dream to be able to give back to everyone, as I’ve been shown SO much support and value from the group myself. Be sure to follow us if you’re a Manchester/North West blogger (or plan to be one!)

Many of the group were freelancers/self employed in some capacity (myself included). So naturally, the conversation led us down this topic of conversation. I wanted to share a few key takeaways I had from the group.

Here are 6 things I learnt about freelancers, bloggers and self employed work-from-home-ers (?) 

We never switch off

We just don’t. Work is home. Home is work. Our work weaves into almost every aspect of our lives, and often our schedules mean we work way past the traditional 9-5 schedule. Even when we’re off, we’re probably thinking about work still. Especially if we know we can open our laptop, even in bed, and just spend 5 minutes on this one thing…

We struggle to say no

The main issue I took away from the group was that many people were struggling to find time to fit everything in, or spending their working days manically juggling different projects – largely because they couldn’t say no. Whether it’s a fear of losing money, losing a client, losing an opportunity, not being busy enough or all of the above, it’s an epidemic I’ve seen and heard about before.

Self care isn’t always a priority

With a hectic schedule and blurry boundaries when it comes to work and time off, self care is seriously lacking in many freelancer’s lives. Whether it’s not leaving the house for days, opening your laptop as soon as you wake up, or skipping meals/workouts/sleep in favour of work, us freelancers often end up at the bottom of the pile. And that sucks!

Busy = Glamorous

We wear the “busy, over worked, and over booked” look as a badge of honour. in fact, as mentioned in the previous point about saying no, we feel terribly guilty if we ever turn down a new project, a new client or the chance to be even busier! 

Procrastination = The Devil

Enough said! Read more about my thoughts on procrastination here.

We put so much pressure on ourselves

The majority of struggle and pressure we experience as freelancers comes from ourselves! Whether its a need to control everything, a need to be perfect, a need to be validated by outside sources like our bank account, a client’s approval, our family’s praise or other accolades – a lot of this is happening on the inside.

As you’re self employed, you’re likely to be incredibly self motivated, a perfectionist and, in many cases, a bit of a work-a-holic. So there’s no wonder all that pressure is weighing on your shoulders! 

Do you relate to any of these points as a freelancer/business owner/blogger? I’d love to hear your thoughts. 

Stay up to date with the blog, as I want to address these issues individually in various blogposts and videos. If there’s anything specifically you want me to talk about in more detail, please leave your request or question in the comments! 

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