There are countless perks of becoming a freelance writer. Here are 7 of the biggest and best reasons to be grateful for freelance writing. THIS is why we all keep going.
Getting to be home with my kids
This is why I started. I was a single mom with a baby on the way, and couldn’t see myself leaving my little one at daycare just to work at an office job I hated.
When you work from home, there is no long commute, which is extra time away from your family. You don’t have to pay for daycare. You get to be the one raising your children.
Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of challenges in working from home with small children. But when it’s something you want to do, finding ways to make things work is worth the added closeness.
Incredible personal growth
As a freelance writer, you have the freedom to take charge of your career. Workflow and task set-ups are your decisions. You get to be in control of how much money you make.
You are building your dream life, not someone else’s. This requires you to think and dream. You’re no longer following a set of rules given to you by a company. Sometimes people realize that they didn’t even know what they wanted until they quit their traditional job and had to make these decisions.
Facing fears I wouldn’t have otherwise faced
Some people are afraid that they can’t be a freelance writer without a college degree. You can. You do have to build up your writing skills if you don’t have any, but don’t let that fear dissuade you.
When I first became a freelance writer, I had to overcome anxiety. I had to pitch, network, and get out of my comfort zone. I was a meek little mouse stretching myself into an elephant.
The discomfort that comes with being a freelancer will grow you. It will make you a better, stronger person, a more capable person, and it will equip you for bigger challenges in the future.
Flexibility for my life
Being a freelance writer gives you so much flexibility in your life. As a parent, you can work around your kids’ schedules. If you take care of an elderly relative, you can write when you’re not taking them to their medical appointments.
If you have health issues that make it difficult for you to work in a traditional job, freelance writing can provide the flexibility that you need. It’s not physically strenuous. Do you suffer from fatigue or migraines and need a nap midday? Take one. There’s no boss or HR committee to get permission from, including when you need to take a few days off for a personal crisis.
Freelance writing also provides flexibility for the digital nomad lifestyle. Travel, with the internet and a laptop.
For more on the difference between freelancer and employee, read this post: Freelancer Mindset vs. Employee Mindset.
Interesting creative work
So many freelance writers exclaim that they can’t believe they get paid to do something they love. You get to learn new things, and can be working on a different topic than the day before.
Learning how to be the voice of the customer and write in their style is a fun creative skill. In comparison, for someone who loves to write, working in an office job can be stultifying–brain meltingly boring!
Connecting with people without being limited by my physical location
Speaking of office jobs, sometimes you like your coworkers, and sometimes you don’t. But you can’t do too much about it. Freelancing means no noisy coworker breathing in your air space (except your kids, but they’re related to you).
When you work online, you don’t have to be limited to the people you see at meetings, the coffee area, or at your bus stop. You can connect with some of the best people on earth. These people most likely will be interested in freelance writing or online work, unlike the guy down the hall at your office who’s only interested in contact sports and hates proper grammar.
My kids don’t have to buy into cultural norms about education and career
My kids are going to have more options for what success means than I did. I was raised to go to college. That was viewed as the path to a successful career. Luckily, I wanted to go to college. But what if I hadn’t?
The existence of online work and freelancing mean that my children are going to be more likely to find what is really ideal for them. They don’t have to do what I did, which was work weird, semi-interesting, mostly kind of boring jobs until I discovered freelancing.
I’m grateful that they’ll have more options. I think college isn’t the right fit for everyone, especially now when a college education costs as much as a mortgage.
Questions on becoming a freelance writer?
What other perks would you add? Let me know–I’d love to hear from you. The best thing you can do is pop into my free Facebook group, The Ink Well Guild with Ashley Gainer.
We’ll welcome you in and celebrate with you. We have a Weekly Wins thread. I’d love to hear your accomplishments, big and small.
Booked-Out Writer
Do you need more writing clients? If you do, then I challenge you to stop getting ready to get ready and start taking the real action steps that booked-out writers take every single day to find, reach, and impress their ideal clients so that you can finally have the writing career of your dreams.
I encourage you to do so with Booked-Out Writer. It’s my newest course, and has everything you need but nothing you don’t. It’s a course for freelance writers who want to skip the low paying work and start making good money with great clients.
Whether you have five hours a week to devote to this, or you’re ready to go full time, Booked-Out Writer is perfect for establishing yourself as an in-demand go-to writer. Learn more at bookedoutwriter.com!
