We want to help you understand which ‘truths’ will lead to a successful career and income within a freelance lifestyle, and in effect, to continue your employment well into the future.
In recent years, many businesses have opted to work with remote teams and employees rather than having in-house staff and this, in turn, has contributed to the growth of freelancing careers all over the world
Yes, opportunity abounds!
The outsourcing boom has led many people, both the employed and unemployed, to seek a part-time or full-time job as an online freelancer, and fortunately, many of them report being successful in the field.
Others, perhaps even you, hear of these successes and want to live that dream too.
It is true that there are many perks to being an online worker.
- For one, you are able to work in the comfort of your own home and are not holed up in a tiny cubicle of a corporate building.
- Second, to a certain extent you get to work on your time, take breaks when you want to and work only when you’re ready.
- Third, there’s no need to commute since you can simply walk to your “office” and be there in less than a minute or so.
But, there’s a small catch …
I hate to break it to you, but working freelance means really working. And I mean really working.
Unlike a 9 to 5 office cubicle, there is nothing cushy about online freelancing, nothing financially stable about it until YOU have made it that way.
One of the biggest misconceptions about freelancing is that you sit at home and work comes to you. Whereas the reality is you have to fight for it and fight hard.
There are thousands of people who want to live that same dream and they will compete with you, take your job and you’ll be back working in your office cubicle before you can blink your eyes.
It is incredibly important that you learn and then truly incorporate the behaviours that ensure long-term success.
Without understanding these behaviours you are likely to fail in your pursuit of an online career.
Yes, freelancing can be a dream job for many people, but it does not come without challenges.
So, what behaviours and habits lead to a successful online career?
The standard path that most people take is to work on improving their skills and tool use. They want to be an expert Photoshop guru or perhaps know everything there is to know about online advertising.
But this is worth nothing to an employer if you can’t sit at your computer and concentrate for the time it takes to complete a task.
Completing the task, getting the work done, publishing the paper, crossing the finishing line …. that’s where the real value for an employer lies.
To live the online freelance dream you’ll need to regularly and continually focus on improving your skills and techniques. But, equally important is the ability to develop behaviours and habits that enable you to complete the tasks at hand.
Imagine that you’re a copywriter…
To improve your skill-set you’ll learn new ways of getting customer reactions from customers on social media platforms.
You’ll develop your persuasion skills so you can create compelling sales copy on product pages using just half the words you thought you needed.
Indeed, you’ll even learn how to use collaborative writing tools in new ways that make you more efficient in producing high-quality content.
But …
Have you also worked on developing a habit that enables you to sit at your desk for the 2-hour stretch that it takes to write sales copy?
Have you worked out how to tell your family that you need to concentrate on writing copy for a Twitter feed rather than talking to them about what’s for dinner?
Do you know how to focus on your work instead of being distracted by your own Facebook newsfeed?
If you are not able to harness your attention – completely – for a 2-hour stretch, then working from home is not for you.
Here’s something else to keep in mind…
You want to make the right decision before taking the big leap and becoming a digital nomad. It may be scary and confusing at first but there are some nifty pieces of information that can help you make a decision that you’ll be truly proud of.
Is online work for you? Read on and be the judge…
Pros vs Cons of Working from Home
- The pros and cons of working from home
- Telecommuting, the pros and cons
- Deadly disadvantages of working from home
- Sweet perks of remote working go sour
- Working from home advantages and disadvantages
- Work from home life balance
- Surprising truth behind remote work
Tools to help you concentrate
To be a well seasoned online worker you have to work smart. And that includes using handy tools to help you concentrate and stay focused on the tasks at hand. Let’s sample them next:
- Remote team management tools
- Tools that help you stay focused
- Stay focused avoid distractions
- Tools to help you focus
Over to you
Now you know the truth, is work from home for you?
