Freelance Confidential - Amanda Hackwith [12]
For Linda, success was the ability to refine her work and cut back her work time in order to spend more life with her family. For Amber Leigh Turner, writer of Students That Freelance, balance can be as simple as working in quiet moments:
I have a strong desire to keep a nice balance between school, work, and family and friends, so I believe that is a strong factor in helping me achieve balance. Granted, it's not perfect, and it probably won't even be close to perfect until I graduate, but I do make sure to take time to myself, even if it is just to sing at the top of my lungs in the car during my long commutes from school, or just sitting in bed and enjoying the peace and quiet right before I fall asleep. It is definitely tough while I am in school to keep a balance, but I feel it is important to always take a few moments to yourself.
Do you work more or fewer hours than you did as a full-time employee?
While many freelancers reported working fewer hours than their full-time counterparts, there will be times in any career that ideal schedules can fly off the tracks. Ed Gandia sees value in strategically working "off balance" for a specific goal. However, it should be a careful decision:
Frankly, not every day or every week can be balanced. Sometimes you have to be a bit off balance to reach important goals. The key is to know why you're doing what you're doing. That way you don't fall into the trap of working for the sake of working—or just working all the time.
Much like our other definitions of success, perfect work and family time balance is not a one-size-fits-all goal. I asked Lea Woodward about her concept of success, and she refutes the idea that having a work-life balance is a necessary goal:
I think balance is a concept that's unnecessary if you love what you do and it doesn't feel like work. As long as you're taking care of your primary asset (you and your body or your health), then working hard, in and on your business, shouldn't be seen as 'unbalanced.'
Ultimately, to what extent you'll want to balance work with time for your personal life and family will be a personal decision. While you're evaluating your time, it's important to remember that "loving what you do" can sometimes skew your own perspective! If you are married or have other personal commitments, communicating with your loved ones will often grant you perspective on the actual time you spend on work.
The Myth of… Happiness?
Are You Happier Since You Started Freelancing?
Turns out, this one is not a myth at all! Despite long hours, demanding clients and uncertainty, freelancers overwhelmingly feel happier since they started working for themselves. Happiness seems to be rarely effected by location, profession, experience, or even income.
Happiness by Continent
Defining Your Own Success
So if success is not necessarily derived from job security, income, or work-life balance, what is it? I asked a few of our experts how they know if they are succeeding. Benek Lisefski emphasized the quality and enjoyment of his work:
Almost every day of work there's at least something I do that I really enjoy, and on better days everything I do that day is fun and I get paid for it! And it's not just enjoyment within work. If I'm enjoying myself more outside of work, especially if my success in work has helped bring me those opportunities, then that's the best measure of success.
Freelancers have the wonderful freedom to set their own terms when it comes to job performance—there is no handbook defining expectations or company profit profile dictating your performance. As an independent professional,