Your Checklist as a Freelancer

Here are few considerations before embarking on the freelance journey:

1. Budget & Expense
   
   It is important to consider your budget and understand your expenses before wading into deep waters. Understanding how much you will need to spend, especially on basic amenities such as rent and food. This will allow you to determine the feasibility of your decision to venture into freelance work and your ability to meet your budget requirements with your potential new career.
   
   
2. Task Management
   
   It is essential that you determine craft and internalize an effective task management system, a mechanism that will enable you to juggle the chaos of your normal day to day life in such a way that allows you to engage in your freelance work and meet as many of your obligations as you possibly can. After all success in the freelance arena largely depends on how much work you can get done.
   
   
3. Networking
   
   Networking is an important tool in any trade and never more so with freelancing. Not only in regards to entering the field but also meeting your obligations. Having the use of a trusted group of individuals, to whom you can trust with your clients’ works will likely aid your efforts towards success.The idea isn’t to network for network’s sake, but to seek out individuals outside of your own field of expertise, gaining access to a diverse pool of resources.

What do you guys think?

Source: http://freelancenomads.com/your-checklist-as-a-freelancer/

 

I'd add that you need to consider investment of time versus revenue earned. Don't invest 10 hours in a freelance project if the income is not worth it. Time is one of your most valuable resources.

 

What are you using for task management?

 

Let me add this:

Time for Money

Whether you are a freelancer who charges your clients by the hour, day, week, or project, you are trading your time for money.

Then, you should know how to value your time. It is not wise to have many activities that won’t bring in revenue to you. To be a successful freelancer, you must know how to compute your time consumed in a certain project versus your earnings.

 

I love using OneNote for organizing my stuff. I depend on Google Calender for reminders.

OneNote allows you to paste content easily (image, articles).

 

@David Tile @Yasmina Abdula I concur. Always make sure it is worth your time (go by hourly rates, else estimate how long you will take).

There is always a trade-off. I think it is important at the beginning to build up your portfolio, so it is advisable not to be picky. But then again, only take on quality projects and not "cheapen" your services.

 

I would like to know more about Networking with client requirements getting stiff with every day and not that easy to buy clients with traditional methods.

 

Consider your skills first. If you are good at writing, then ask what kind of writer are you and the topics can you handle. This way you can specifically target your employers.

 

I like your idea of self evaluation. I think it is important to be targeted in your skill set, and not try to be jack of all trades in order to get more jobs. Being specialized can help brand yourself in that particular niche, and from there, like what you mentioned, you can go on to target the right employers instead of wasting your time beating the air.

 

Networking is not just restricted to getting to know more prospects, but also other freelancers.