The Road To Freelancing

I've been a freelancer even when I was in college. Sure I've tried befriending the bundy clock. Twice. And yes, I threw in the towel eventually.

Freelancing has not only given me the option of unlimited income depending on the number of projects held. It's also enabled me to manage my time better in order to have more free days on my schedule.

Unfortunately, as freelancers will attest, I am guilty of a few freelance pitfalls up till now.

1. Project Overload
   The more projects you have, the more income you reap in. But of course, the less time you have to actually spend it. After a stressful series of weeks running after deadlines and frantically multitasking, you end up splurging on some all-out spa treatment or shopping therapy -- just coz you think you deserve it.
   
   
2. Not Knowing No
   A downside to freelancing is not knowing when your next paycheck will come, nor where it will come from. As I've experienced, when it rains, it pours. And when there's drought, there's not a drop to drink. So common tendency is to accept all projects, no matter how unprofitable it turns out in the end. And also going back to problem #1, overloading with a bunch of projects that don't actually add numbers in your bank account.
   
   
3. Greed For Free Time
   When I was producing for 3 different TV shows at the same time, I'd schedule all my tasks for the first 2-3 days of the week. Leaving me overworked and tornado-ing around the city for shoots, edits, research, writing, and interviews. Though I free up 4 days out of my week, my work ends up mediocre due to my greed for a longer weekend.
   

Well now that I'm more aware of the potential pitfalls of freelancing, it's simply a matter of meticulous scheduling, evenly-spaced out work / free time, and learning to ignore small-time projects.

I can't promise that I practice what I preach, though. But I am practicing.