How To Deal With The Freelance Life - Five Things Every Freelancer Should Know

The findings about freelance life are many and not always easy to navigate between. This may not even be the first list of tips, life hacks or shortcuts to a healthy and successful freelance life you read. But what does all these myths, advice and guidelines boil down to? Here are five things all freelancers should know.

Freelance life is difficult to adapt to a universal template. Each freelancer's unique prerequisites and dreams create different needs and different opportunities. That in itself - finding one's own way - is certainly not a problem either, but rather a source of personal development and great wealth. But even for the most clairvoyant and well-prepared freelancer, it can be valuable to have some guidance on how to feel good and get your finances together as a freelancer.

1. Create a social freelance life

The lone freelancer is a thing of the past, at least for those who want to. You who worry about feeling alone today have good opportunities to create a social freelance life. Through office hotels and coworking spaces, you as a freelancer can get the social stimulus and community that is connected to the traditional office. If, after all, you thrive without company, well then it is of course just as easy to start from home or from another workplace where you can work more separately. As a freelancer, you have the flexibility to choose for yourself.

2. Focus on what you do well (and let someone else do the rest)

After all, you can not be the best at everything, and getting help in some areas will save you both time and money. Whether it's an accountant who helps you with the bookkeeping, a self-employed person who organizes your work or a developer who builds your website, it almost always pays to get help with things you feel insecure about. It minimizes the risk of something going wrong and also frees up time that you can instead spend on what is the actual purpose of your business (and which you are probably doing very well).

3. Do not put all the eggs in the same basket

Focusing on your thing is not the same as blindly trusting that a customer will be able to carry your business indefinitely. That distinction is important, because when it comes to customers, things can change and that quickly - This is what the corona crisis' entry into society has reminded us of. Remember to take advantage of your networks and try to find more customers to minimize the risk that you will one day be left without an assignment.

4. Maintain a healthy work-life balance

It is easy to get engrossed in freelance work, not least if you are doing something you are passionate about. With looser structures and more freedom, it is also not uncommon for the boundaries between leisure and work to be blurred (no one reminds you to take a break or holiday). But taking care of body and mind is the basis for both good performance and a healthy professional life. For the freelancer, it can therefore be especially important to remember to allow yourself to disconnect from the job at regular intervals. Start by finding your formula; whether it is based on training at lunch, turning off email alerts or setting up specific daily routines, it will pave the way for a better freelance life.

5. Keep track of your work areas (and do not stay awake at night)

Running your own business entails certain obligations, not least when it comes to reporting VAT and tax to the Norwegian Tax Administration. To minimize the risk of having to stay awake at night with worries about whether you have done the right thing, you need to familiarize yourself a little with how taxes and accounting work. For those of you who experience the administrative responsibility as burdensome, self-employment can also be an alternative; then Frilans Finans ensures that taxes, fees and other important information are handled correctly.

It is important to remember that there is no exact conclusion on how to relate to freelance life. But a sustainable framework for entrepreneurial dreams, an extra job and other freelancers is always a good starting point.

Read more (swedish): Trygghet som egenanställd – vad menas med det?