Starting Out Adventure

One of the biggest hurdles that I had to overcome when I started working at home, was how to manage my time. With the noticeable lack of authority figures looking over my shoulder, and no network restrictions, you can imagine just how much time a person can spend just browsing the web. Then add to that the blossoming needs of a (at the time) 1 year old daughter. Then you can just sit back and watch those deadlines fly away (as well as your livelihood).

I must admit, at first I had fallen into the trap of thinking, "I'm working from home! I'll have tons of time to take on other projects and hobbies." That mindset didn't last long.

I had pretty much jumped, without a break, from my old company into my new lifestyle. That wasn't without it's bumps though. As the sole employee tasked with everything web-based in my old company, there wasn't really anyone who could readily take over my responsibilities. Even if we were able to hire someone new, just getting them familiar with the system would have taken longer than I had left with the company.

Being the nice guy that I am, I worked out an arrangement with my boss. I'd stay on retainer for a reasonable amount of time after I leave. Since they're a US company, I could commit my evening hours to their projects. I naively volunteered to set aside 20 hours a week for them for the first month. By the second week, I was about ready to hook myself up to a caffeine drip.

The following month saw a decrease in the number of hours, but even then, my performance suffered. We finally settled on my billing them for whatever hours I spend working on their projects, instead of just being paid for a set number of hours. Around that time, they had also hired someone local to do part time work.

The moral of that little adventure is, just because you have a stay-at-home gig, doesn't mean you'll have all the time in the world as you might think you would. Sure you'll probably lose the time wasted in the morning and evening commutes, but in my case, that was replaced by my daughter's morning rituals and other household chores. It's as time-consuming and draining as a regular 9-5 office job. There are undeniable perks (working in shirts and shorts in the middle of summer for instance), but bottom-line, it's still a job and you have to deliver.

Since then, to help me keep focused, I've taken to keeping near office-like hours when I work. There are days when I end up being almost completely free, and there are days when I'd be completely involved with work. But either way, keeping a schedule helps not only myself, but also my teammates in other locations.

An average day would have me up by around 7 AM. Breakfast and seeing to my daughter's needs should be done by 8:30 or so. Around that time, I'd be logging in to check work e-mail and see what the objectives for the day would be. Depending on the project, around 10am, I'd be in an online conference with my colleagues to give updates on whatever I'm working on. Lunch is pretty much always a full hour. After the dishes are kept, work is a marathon til 5, 6 pm, or until I hit my targets, after which, I start logging out and turning my servers off.

Tips on how to get part time or freelance work via a referral

You may be wondering how do some people get part time work in the first place? There are many sites that can help a person who is really interested in getting freelance work. However I'll probably compile them for a later post since that is not what I did. What happened to me is that I stumbled into freelance work because a former office mate referred me to it.

For me, being referred to freelance work is the ideal situation because it means that someone whom I've worked with, enjoyed or was satisfied enough with the experience to want to work with me again beyond our normal working engagement. Either that or he/she is confident enough in my abilities to be able to refer me to someone who is looking for a specific skill set.

This leads me to want to post my thoughts on the subject of being the kind of person people will want to work with or refer for freelance work.

1. Be good in what you do

You can be a graphic artist, a mobile applications developer or a writer. It doesn't matter what you do as long as you can say you're good at it and most importantly your colleagues know you're good at it.

OK, maybe you will ask what do I mean you are good at it? What I mean is that you are able to do your work in an above average manner that shows your skill and you are able to do this in the time that is allocated. Perhaps as a copywriter you are able to show that you can provide the most creative and apt copy. Maybe as a graphical artist you are able to capture what the brand identity is in a logo. Or as a QA engineer you are meticulous in your ability to find bugs and outline how they are replicated in a detailed manner. You are good at what you do.

2. Be a pleasure to work with

Sometimes there are people who are geniuses at what they do but boy you never want to work with them unless you really have to. This could be due to a number of things, perhaps your graphic artist needs to get a bit tipsy before his creative juices flow or you know this amazing developer who sometimes just refuses to talk to you and give you updates. It could be any number of things but what happens is that their genius is marred by their lack of people skills.

Since we're talking about freelance work this also means working with people whom I've chosen to work with. Ask yourself if you really want to work with a person who would have derogatory remarks for anyone else's work but his own. Would you want to work with a person who only talks to you if she feels like it? Probably not.

You want to be a person people will choose to work with not just in your day job but also for any part time gigs.

3. Be able to manage your time

Most people already have a day job and are going to take freelance work in addition to their normal work commitments. If you work all day and until late at night I don't think you'll be able to take on additional work. However if you think you have additional time after your normal day job commitment, you must also be able to compartmentalize. You must be able to separate and put equal effort into your day job versus your freelance work. The deadlines in freelance work are also important and you cannot disregard them. You also need to put the worries of your day job aside as you delve into your freelance work. Then vice-versa when it is time for your day job.

4. Be a good communicator

A lot of freelance work can be done from the comfort of your home. You need to be able to communicate with the client what the business engagement will be. Make sure you know what you are supposed to deliver, when and how much you are supposed to be paid for it.

You also need to manage client expectations. It also is imperative that you are able to effectively communicate what your progress is, any roadblocks you encounter and what you can and cannot do. Like I mentioned earlier, deadlines are still very important so you need to show your client that you are working on his project not just playing Facebook games. You may want to set a certain time of the day for calls with your client for updates and set a time for previewing your work.

5. Be open to opportunity

Sometimes we do not necessarily do what we want to do. We may have to start with small tasks and build up to be able to do what we really want. Your first freelance gig can actually be a very small part in something bigger. However if you do it well, you'll be able to build your reputation. This will snowball and soon enough you will become the person people think of first when referring for a freelance job.

Let people know you're open to anything. Accept the small jobs that come your way and do them well. Don't try to go for big bucks at the very start because you will be untested. If people like your work and how you do your work they will insist on paying you more.

I hope these tips help you in thinking about how to become the person people want to do freelance work with.