Freelancer problems. Freelancing problems that are not usually talked about out loud. The client sets unrealistic deadlines

Did you choose freelancing for a job? Are you sure that you can earn remotely and successfully develop in this area? And you took everything into account before making accurate conclusions about the choice of future activities.

Just like any other job, freelancing has some disadvantages that anyone who wants to work remotely needs to keep in mind.

They can be different, let's consider the most important of them.

Freelancers are loners

one . Usually freelancers are lonerswho rely solely on their own strengths and do not communicate with people in the process of performing work.

Even if communication takes place, it is conducted via the Internet, which cannot fully replace real communication. Before as become a freelancer, think about whether you can work, being constantly at home and not communicating with other people, because loneliness is not suitable for everyone.

2. The second thing that potential freelancers need to consider is freedom of action. For some, this freedom of action is an advantage, but not for all. not everyone can engage in self-organization and plan their own activities.

3. When freelancing, you will need to do many things at the same time. For example, work, communication with customers, distribution money and much more. You definitely need to be prepared for the abundance of responsibilities, because it is not at all difficult to get lost in them.

4 . Continuous order processing and showing individual respect for each customer can also be a problem for freelancers. When reached high level professionalism of a freelancer, many simply cannot communicate with clients as with employers, and without this there is no way.

5 . The latter problem is the most common. A freelancer constantly has to deal with laziness on his own, which, when performing monotonous work, can manifest itself quite often.

To reduce the influence of laziness, you need to organize motivation, stimulate your activity, and much more, which, again, is not available to everyone.

Despite some freelancing problems, I believe that this type of earnings is one of the best, although it is not suitable for everyone. Anyway, remote work, this is a great option for organizing a workplace that can be used at any time.

I advise you to visit the following pages:

Why are some freelancers returning to the office? How to avoid "burnout" and not turn work from home into work non-stop, or, as hosters put it, 24/7?

Leaving the office on maternity leave, for the first six months I enjoyed what a miracle it was - freelancing. Freedom, independence, the ability to work at any time of the day, to choose the most interesting projects for work. I haven't seen any problems, just the benefits of freelancing. I didn’t understand why freelancers might have a decline in performance or motivation. It's so interesting to work.

In 4 hours I managed to do more than in 8 hours at the office. I didn't take tea breaks, I wasn't distracted by social media. networking and chatting. No one interrupted me at the most inopportune moment to give an urgent task. In general, everything was under control.

However, it soon turned out that it was impossible to work in the previous regime. Affected by a lack of sleep, a newborn baby, a loose schedule and chronic fatigue, which did not allow to concentrate and do work in 2 hours without distractions.

It turned out that the freelancer is influenced by no less external factors than office worker... The freshness of freelancing and the drive from work slowly disappear when you have to cook, clean, keep your kids busy, or entertain your relatives 3 times a day. Distractions and a long buildup before work delay the completion of tasks, work is postponed until "later", as a result, instead of the desired 4 hours a day, a freelancer often works all 12.

Many freelancers face the same common problems every day, which reduce productivity, reduce the amount of free time from work, and create other difficulties and inconveniences. In this article I want to talk about the most common freelance problems and how to solve them.

1. Self-organization problems

When an evil manager is standing over his head or his boss is working, it may not be very good, but it is more difficult to disrupt the deadline for the project. When you are your own boss, you have to be strict with yourself at times and learn to organize your time in the most efficient way.

Aspiring freelancers believe that working from home is like heaven on earth. Firstly, you can work even in pajamas, even in the country. Secondly, the hated office routine from 9 to 6 can be forgotten forever.

This is where danger lies in wait for us, instead of creating the most convenient working mode, we lose our schedule altogether.

Freelance success is usually achieved by well-organized people who know when to take a break and when to work, even if they are not in the mood.

2. Inability to concentrate

At home, it can be difficult to concentrate on work, both due to external interruptions and lack of new ideas. In the list of the most frequent interruptions: social. networks, skype, household requests, household chores, flash calls and urgent orders. It is especially difficult for freelance parents who combine work with caring for a small child.

3. Workaholism and constant overwork

On freelancing, it is more important than anywhere else to be able to calculate your strength. Freelance often enthralls with great earning opportunities. Starting to earn much more than in the office, freelancers sacrifice evenings and forget about weekends. Some have worked like this for years.

Of course, from time to time, everyone has a crunch, but if you have been in this state for six months and there is no lumen, this is a serious reason to think about whether work has become the only meaning of your life?

4. Loss of boundaries between work and personal life

One of the most significant challenges for freelancers is that it can be just as difficult to sit down and be productive when distracted.

Chaotic work schedule leads to the fact that both work and personal life turn into a kind of homogeneous mass... And to determine where one ends and another begins is absolutely impossible.

Many freelancers sooner or later come to the conclusion that it is necessary to create a certain work schedule and adhere to it. Identify your peaks and valleys, consider your work preferences and favorite work hours, and structure your day with this in mind.

The advantage of freelancing is the ability to create your own ideal work schedule.What it will be - depends only on you. It doesn't matter whether you work 2 hours a day in half-hour intervals or 2 hours for 4 hours, with short breaks every hour, the main thing is that you know when you should focus on work, and when - forget about business and take time yourself and your family.

5. Self-isolation and lack of "live" communication with like-minded people

It's no secret that working remotely from home severely limits the “live” communication of freelancers. At first, it can be perceived as a long-awaited rest from unnecessary fuss. However, over time, if you do not pay attention to this area of \u200b\u200byour life, communication will become lacking, and this can become a real problem.

What to do?

• Go to the gym regularly and go for a walk;
• Schedule meetings with friends. One of the advantages of freelancing is that you can meet with friends and partners not only in the evening after work, but also during lunch or at lunchtime;
• Attend professional courses and seminars, attend exciting master classes of interest. This will help you maintain a high professional level, as well as relax and communicate with interesting people.

What difficulties have you faced when working from home? Share in the comments.

Entrepreneur Michael Thomas, in which he spoke about the disadvantages of remote work and constant travel. According to Thomas, not only he faced similar problems, but, for example, the Dutch developer Peter Levels, who traveled around the world for three years.

Peter Levels is a developer and entrepreneur who in 2014 set himself the task of launching 12 startups in 12 months. Levels managed to create two services that have become popular among freelancers - the site for choosing a place to live NomadList and the project for finding remote work RemoteOk.

Levels himself led a nomadic life - the Dutchman managed to work in Hong Kong, Thailand, and other countries. “His blog has become a source of inspiration for office workers stuck in the building from 9 am to 5 pm,” writes the author of the post on Quartz.

In the summer of 2016, Michael Thomas traveled to Europe and found out that Levels had returned to his homeland - the Netherlands. “He decided to go back to the old way of life. Just a few months earlier, I myself had abandoned the idea of \u200b\u200ban eternal journey - being in different countries, I suffered more and more from loneliness. " Thomas decided to find out if other freelancers moving from country to country face a similar problem.

“In 2008, The Economist published a story about entrepreneurs who traveled the world with their laptop and phone. At the dawn of the mobile era, this idea seemed completely new, but it appeared back in the 1980s. Then the adviser to the French President Jacques Attali used the term nomad to describe the lifestyle of wealthy people who in the future will travel around the world in search of entertainment and new opportunities. The prediction turned out to be prophetic. "

According to Thomas, the culture of “nomadism” developed rapidly in the following years. In 2009, National Geographic and Dell Corporation launched a blog dedicated to this lifestyle. And by 2010, the author continues, a whole industry has formed around him - conferences, trainings, blogs, and so on. The community's motto was: "Earn money to travel the world."

Nomad is a person who has managed to combine travel and remote work. This is the dream of an endless vacation.

The movement expanded, and tropical regions like Thailand and Indonesia were filled with specialists working remotely. An additional advantage of this lifestyle was that freelancers could move to a cheaper region, keeping their previous earnings - and thus improve their own standard of living.

Peter Levels, Thomas says, received his MBA from the University of Amsterdam in 2012. After he went to travel the world. “Life after graduation was very boring. I wanted to break out of the routine, and I decided that I would go to the other end of the world. As an adventure, ”says Levels.

Since then, the developer has traveled to dozens of countries in Asia, Europe, North and South America. “His business became successful and Levels started making tens of thousands of dollars a month. He seemed to be living his dream, ”writes Thomas.

Once I was standing at the window in my rented apartment in Colombia and suddenly realized that I did not know anyone here. And all this is not what I would like to do. Yes, photos from different places on Earth look cool, but I don't feel any connection with these places.

According to Levels, he began to develop depression. “I felt lost. Who am I? Your personality is largely determined by your environment. When you move from place to place and don't make friends, you lose part of your personality. Even I - a fairly strong and emotionally stable person - was not ready for this. "

Michael Thomas notes that Levels' lifestyle gave him freedom, but ultimately he didn't need it. He finally realized this when one of his friends visited him in Colombia. Levels wanted to return to Amsterdam, where he could visit his family - and communicate with relatives in person, rather than via Skype. After three years of traveling, the entrepreneur returned home.

“The life of a nomad can be difficult - especially on a psychological level. Numerous studies not only prove that personal communication with colleagues can be important for building a career, but also demonstrate that prolonged loneliness can be harmful to human health. "

Everything is much more complicated than it looks in the pictures on Instagram. It's nice that Levels is not shy about talking about these issues, although he is personally interested in the development of the industry.
- Michael Thomas

“That doesn't mean Levels has decided to give up travel forever, not at all. He just plans to put down roots and live in one place, ”says Thomas. “There seems to be a lot of positives to this lifestyle, but there are also many downsides to constant travel,” Levels explains.

Anyone who wants to become a freelancer should know that freelancing is a very serious job that requires complete dedication. Freelancers devote as much (and even more) work time and energy to her as if they were working on a permanent job in an office.

If all freelancers understood the importance of remote work, freelancing would soon become a respected and accepted profession. Unfortunately, sometimes, instead of well-earned respect, freelancers are perceived as a cheap alternative to permanent employees - the lowest grade, the category of risk. Part of this attitude stems from the challenges that freelancers pose to themselves and their customers.

In this article, I'll explain why freelancers don't get the respect they deserve. I will also highlight a few of the most common problems customers face and give some advice to freelancers on how to avoid these problems.

Why freelancers don't get the respect they should

Unfortunately, some people consider freelancing to be child's play, just because they work from home, sitting on a comfortable couch. Frankly, everyone with a computer and Internet access wants to be a writer, SEO consultant or designer. There is nothing wrong with these ambitions, but they are only justified if the work is done with the proper dedication and responsibility. (Plus, of course, there must be certain skills.)

Remote workers often fall short of their obligations because they take their jobs for granted. They allow pets and personal problems and other concerns interfere with work and disrupt the work plan. It is not only the professional reputation of the freelancer that is under threat - the customer also suffers. The client is hesitant and frustrated, and the next time he hires a freelancer, he sets very strict terms and conditions.

Now that I've outlined the issue of respect, let's move on to its root causes and their solutions.

Problem # 1: Man of Mood

Freelancers sometimes allow mood to influence their work. If they are all right and happy, the work is done on time. If not, the client can only wait and pray for his project.

Missed deadlines are very common in the freelance environment - some freelancers can sit back all day. They often miss deadlines and delay project delivery. When they finally finish the job (by this time the customer is already beginning to lose his temper), the quality of the work suffers. A freelancer cannot fulfill an order in a way that makes them proud, or more importantly, makes the client happy.

If your bad mood affects your work, for the sake of your clients, look for another occupation, not freelancing!

There is a solution. Determine if you have professionalism, dedication, and a serious attitude to work that are so important for a freelancer. If remote work seems too simple, boring and uninteresting for you, then quit. Remember, if you cannot devote all of yourself to work, you can never earn enough. Don't let personal issues affect your work. Even if you work from home, learn to control your home problems. Why should someone else's project suffer because of your bad mood?

Problem # 2: You are making more commitments than you can meet

It's fun to negotiate multiple projects at once, and it's great if you can get some of them back. You are excited, triumphant, start counting your income, but when you finally get to work, a sad reality sets in. Too much work, limited time, demanding customers. You think you're finished! Your work is turning into chaos. You can lie, apologize, try your best to please everyone. Quality suffers, customers complain, your pride is hurt, and you just got wet from worries.

There is a solution. Don't take on more than you can do. Keep a diary. Plan the amount of work that you can complete on time, and set aside time for each project and try to get it done on time. Once you're done with one project, tackle another. This way, you won't have to worry about numerous unfinished projects and can concentrate on just one. This will ensure a high level of work performed. Customers will appreciate the quality. (Trust me, they're not as stupid as you might think.) If you can guarantee and deliver quality work, you will gain loyal customers who will pay handsomely for your work. Working less and better quality will make you more money than if you did more poor quality work.

Problem # 3: Ignoring deadlines

This is probably the biggest mistake freelancers make. Ignoring the deadlines set by the client means that the freelancer is either not serious about the case or too proud to follow the terms of the assignment. If the freelancer is a professional, he will carefully read each point and fulfill each customer's requirement. However, due to the fact that freelancers are constantly in a hurry, they do not always delve into the requirements and start work without hesitation. In the end, the end result is far from what the client wanted. Naturally, the customer will demand to correct the errors, and the freelancer will have to spend more time on the project, to the detriment of other projects.

The solution is simple! Breathe in and carefully read every word of the list of requirements that the customer sent you. Each client has his own requirements for work. Sometimes they may need additional explanations where everything seems very simple and since the customer pays for the work, then his requirements must be met. Missed deadlines undermine your credibility. A careful reading of the instructions will take no more than ten minutes, so why neglect them, risking your reputation and wasting precious time?

Problem # 4: Qualitative examples, poor quality work!

Many clients face this problem: “The freelancer sent me great examples of work, but when I finally got the job itself, its quality was much worse than thatwhat I've seen in the examples. " Often, to convince the client to entrust the project, freelancers show the most best works... However, freelancers themselves often outsource projects to other performers. Problems arise when the work that another freelancer did for you does not meet the client's expectations. The client thinks that he was cheated and the freelancer no longer receives any orders.

There is a solution. If you are transferring order fulfillment to another freelancer, check the work and make any necessary changes before sending it to the customer. If you don't, you could be embarrassed. If the project is very complex and it requires your experience to complete it, do not outsource the work to anyone. If you don't have time to make it yourself, just refuse.

Problem # 5: Delayed Message

Sometimes freelancers don't check for updates or new emails often enough, don't respond to client emails in time. When a freelancer doesn't check inbound correspondence, he not only annoys existing customers, but will miss out on new opportunities. In fact, freelancers should go one step further and check their spam folder. Sometimes, clients who contact a freelancer for the first time can easily end up in the shopping cart.

Decision. If you are using a platform like Elance or oDesk, check that the exchange account is linked to the main address email (yes, the same mail that you check ten times a day). Thus, you will not need to check your account on the site very often, and you will not miss important messages and notifications. Take care to respond to customers as quickly as possible. Don't make them wait if you don't want to wait for payment in the same way.

Your turn

Have you hired a freelancer? What problems did you face? In the comments, share your problems and suggest a way out.

The biggest benefit of working as a freelancer is independence. There is no specific employer who would strain and control you. Freelancer works on the Internet in general, and not for anyone in particular. This independence has one advantage, which can be summed up in the following words: "surf the Internet, travel the planet." When you are not tied to any particular territory, it frees your hands to be free in your geographical movement. But, due to the specifics of the work, freelancers also have problems.

Short introduction

Naturally, the given list of problems will be subjective; some people may not have these problems. Maybe on the other hand, I can not mention the difficulties that other freelancers have in connection with their work. By freelancing, I mean a person whose main source of income is the Internet.

Common Freelance Issues

1. Health problems. There is a good Russian proverb: "the wolf is fed by the feet," in other words, if the amount of your earnings depends only on you, then why not work more. Due to the large amount of time spent at the computer, there may be problems with posture, or rather with the spine and vision problems. Also due to sedentary lifestyle, there are prerequisites for the appearance overweight.

2. Problems of freelancers with motivation. When there is no external stimulus in the form of a boss or manager, motivation problems can arise. Such is the nature of a person that for motivation he needs like a stick, or a carrot, but for himself, not everyone will prescribe a stick. I noticed for myself that out of 15 hours spent at the computer, I can only spend 30% on work, and the remaining 70% is not clear for what. It's much easier to skip work on the Internet than offline. If you work in an office, then the administrator can monitor your work through any programs, for example staffcop. If you work at a construction site, that is, the foreman with whom you are in sight will motivate you in different words. And if you work at home, at the computer, and in one click from you there is: a sea of \u200b\u200bvideos on YouTube, a sea of \u200b\u200bwitty jokes on the bash, and hundreds of friends on VKontakte, then the work may not withstand the competition with these services. In general, you know what I mean.

3. The feeling of elbows is lost. When you make a mistake in offline work, it quickly becomes obvious, and almost immediately they point out this mistake. If you, as a freelancer, make a strategic mistake in website promotion, then it may be revealed when the problem gains proportions. Anyway, when you work yourself, then there is nothing to compare your work with in order to understand the right direction do you go or not. Naturally, you can see the finstrip of another freelance blogger or compare his blog design with yours, but this is all a little different.

4. Family problems. If you work at home, and at home there are still relatives, for example, a wife, then too much time spent together can be a problem. To maintain a normal relationship, you need to take a break from a friend. In general, it is normal when work and family life are territorially separated, and when this separation is not, then the line between personal life and work is blurred. Naturally, with the right approach, such problems may not exist, but nevertheless.

5. Difficulties with education. Since a freelancer-freelancer is a friend, comrade and feed, then all the subtleties of work have to be comprehended by yourself. A similar problem exists also offline, no one wants to increase the number of competitors, so this is a purely personal matter. But the fact is that offline there is no such tough competition, since you can work in different territories. And the Internet is like a big collective farm, if you have risen in the SERP, then someone has dropped in the SERP, and no one wants to “burn” their topics so as not to lose their positions. You can formulate this point differently, and say that it is not freelancer problems, and the difficulties with the education of freelancers.

6. Social integration. I described the extreme degree of this problem in a post. This is a controversial point, someone may not have a similar problem, but the prerequisites for this exist. Since many freelancers work more than the norm, real world and on real people less time left. And what we waste a little time for does not develop and degrades. In order not to be completely absorbed, you need to keep in touch with real people.

I am always glad to see the reaction to my posts, including in the form of reciprocal posts. I will definitely read it.

Yes, there are many problems. But there are enough pluses too 😉

There are pluses, no questions asked. When I worked with sisdamine, in one not very good organization, my nerve cells died much more often 🙂

There are also things that freelancers need to think about. For example, the relationship with the state: taxes, pension ...

Well, I think it's worth thinking about it when it becomes the main source of income and the income exceeds $ 200.

Although I do not know from what amount you need to start declaring your income

Sergei

I agree with these problems (although some problems are sometimes, on the contrary, problems for the official one, everything happens in life) But what about taxes? a freelancer does not face this? and experience is not officially recorded anywhere ... but what about the future pension?

Apocalyptic

I read the article "Freelancer to the bone" 🙂

Good example with Google and liked the position on the 5th point.

I also heard the opinion that you need to share your knowledge in order to free your head for new knowledge 🙂

1. For example, that the problem of motivation is solved by the lack of money.

I work hard when the money is a real minuscule, and when I reach a certain minimum, and I have it very low, then motivation disappears. It's about values, if for someone money is the highest value, then there are no big problems with motivation to work.

But this is a personal question, so there cannot be any clear advice.

2. And on the issue of social integration, I think Skype, etc. do not resolve the issue. It's like with correspondence, you are writing a letter not to a person, but to the image that you mean by a certain person. And relatives are a little different.

It's just that if you are a freelancer, then you can come to the conclusion that you are in touch with all of humanity, at least in its digital form, and not with someone in particular. This is how FMD said, "the more I love all people in general, the less I love a particular person."

This is all IMHO, and I think that such a point of view has the right to be 🙂

Sd3000

The problem of deducting pensions is indeed a problem. Since there is no law regulating this activity. That is, a freelancer does not go for work experience.

Further, I agree to pay taxes only when the costs become open to the public and will not buy buses for $ 1,000,000 to travel outside the city of 10 administration people for recreation. Because at the moment I can't ask anyone for the fact that my money was not spent purposefully.

I am ready to help orphans, children, doctors, teachers and so on, provided that my money really reaches them. And not so that, for example, 12 million rubles were allocated for our school for a complete reconstruction, but only the roof was repaired, and the director of the school got the same roof from the same material, and the administration has been building a church for 10 years and all the money is not enough, they only put a cross, and there is still no foundation for anything 🙂 although 12 million rubles have been spent on securities. I don’t think that a wooden cross 1.5 meters high is worth that much. But these lyrics are not related to the topic. By this I want to say that as a freelancer, as long as there is an opportunity I will not pay taxes, until the general principle changes to people and to taxes and waste.

Sd3000

So let's take the evolution of writing.

They used to write letters and mail sent them.

Now I think no one will argue that we didn’t write less, but much more, because e-mail has become much more convenient. The same goes for the phone. Previously, many did not even have an ordinary one, now almost every progressive person has a cell phone. The same will be the current communication.

Zheka

Whether you agree or not to pay taxes - no one will ask you ... it's one thing if you don't pay them as a freelancer - then the tax authorities most likely won't see you, but if as an individual entrepreneur (so that there are no problems with the pension))) ) - then dismiss

Lightg

Itself for almost a year and a half as a freelancer, but I do not agree with the last point - there are even more friends than there were, and not only online, but also the most ordinary ones. And there are much more reasons to write than reasons to call or even see each other, so even very delicate connections are not lost.

Apocalyptic

The problem of deducting pensions is indeed a problem. Since there is no law regulating this activity. That is, a freelancer does not go for work experience.

It's really strange that government officials, by their stupidity, leave themselves without money. By the way, if you work in the field of "provision of occult services", you get experience in Ukraine. This is of course stupid, but it brings income.

I am ready to help orphans, children, doctors, teachers and so on, provided that my money really reaches them. Not that, for example, 12 million rubles were allocated for our school for a complete reconstruction, but only the roof was repaired, and the school director got the same roof made of the same material,

Well, this is certainly a big question, budget money is cut to the left and to the right, and I know all this. So, and with Zheks, you pay for utilities and the elevators do not work, etc. Nobody wants to waste money.

Everything will slowly but surely crawl to the Internet and it will be convenient to communicate. Everything goes to that. I pressed the button and saw my grandson, etc. Laziness is a kind of even a very big engine of progress.

We do everything in this world to do nothing, but at the same time to make everything happen.

Well, yes, the main thing is to remain human, and not as in the film "Surogats" 🙂

Much more has been written about the reverse side of the medal, but the negative consequences are somehow not accepted to be discussed, so the author is well done!

Thanks 🙂

Itself for almost a year and a half as a freelancer, but I do not agree with the last point - there are even more friends

Okay, all these innovations make communication easier. That's right, you need to be sociable 🙂

Lara

disagree about motivation. To me, on the contrary, freelancing is closer to me because how much I earn, so much I get. That is, it definitely makes sense to develop and work harder. The minimum is clearly not enough for growing needs. And in an ordinary job, the increase in salary sometimes does not depend at all on the hours in the office. Even if you crash, you can't jump higher than your place there. Or it takes too long.