To be or not to be a freelancer? 

Whether that’s your question or whether you’re already in the freelance camp feeling overwhelmed, it’s no secret that self-employment can have blood-pressure-raising moments. 

But is the career really as stressful as people say? And is now the right time to get started?

As a freelance writer, I’ve had plenty of tense moments. However, I’ve also had lots of happy ones, too. Using my experience and hours of research, let’s explore the challenges of freelance work to find out if this career is a path to high blood pressure.

How Stressful Is Freelancing?

I won’t lie. Freelancing can be stressful, and nearly all freelancers will experience tough moments. 

This doesn’t mean it’s not worth it, or you should quit now. It’s just important to understand that working for yourself won’t always be a smooth ride. But is any career a walk in the path? I’d wager no.

Prepare for late invoices, unresponsive clients, awkward deadlines, and quiet periods that make you wonder whether there are any clients left on Earth.

It’s not all doom and gloom, though! 

As a freelancer, you have complete control over your time. You can work whenever or wherever you want, provided you meet project deadlines. You can also create your own brand and be as authentic as you wish. Plus, you can work in your comfy clothes. Always a win for me. 

Common Freelancing Stress Factors

The best way to beat stress is to be prepared. Let’s quickly look at common challenges of freelance work. These are in no particular order and can be applied to most freelance roles. 

1. Getting Started

Starting a freelance business is often the largest hurdle. Not because it’s tough to find a niche or make a website but because you need to land your first few clients.

“How do I find clients?” is the number one question you’ll see in freelance forums or networking spaces, and it’s an age-old request that’ll never go away. 

However, it’s not impossible, and easy to do with a handy guide by your side. There are plenty of online options, but from my experience, I recommend the r/Freelancewriters Reddit page. Here, you’ll find a big wiki with specific answers and years of valuable advice from industry experts. 

Not a writer? r/Freelance is just as helpful! 

2. Unpredictable Income

An unpredictable income is a major reason people ditch stressful freelance jobs for steady employment—and there’s nothing wrong with that! 

Not knowing how much you’ll make monthly is unpleasant, especially in your first year. 

Also, quiet periods can happen at any time, sometimes without rhyme or reason. 

The best way to beat this is to save around six months of living expenses before you get started. Yes, this is a lot of money. But going slow and being secure is always the better option, even if it delays your freelance debut. 

Tracking your expenses through a budgeting app can help you understand your finances better. And me? I enjoy reading content from The Financial Diet. Maybe you will too. 

3. Work-Life Balance

You wouldn’t think being able to take time off is one of the top freelancing stress factors, but it can be if you don’t manage your time well. 

Taking too much time off and leaving work until the last minute is a sure way to feel stressed when the deadline approaches. It also puts you at risk of rushed work and poor client satisfaction. Not ideal. 

Likewise, you don’t want work to take over your life. Just because you can work at any moment doesn’t mean you should. 

Be mindful and try to keep consistent work hours where possible.

4. Motivation

You’ll likely feel fired up and ready to work for the first few weeks. But this motivation can wane, and you might find yourself sleeping in and working less and less. 

A key part of being self-employed is motivating yourself without a manager or boss. Some struggle without the office structure, leading to poor productivity and lower earnings.

This is where setting work hours comes in again. If you carve out specific work time, you’ll be more likely to get stuff done with less stress. 

Set aside some deep work, no-phone time every day.

Your future self will thank you!

I looove using Pomodoro timers. Helps me work without distraction every time.

5. Isolation 

Lastly, as a freelancer, you’re at higher risk of feeling lonely. This might sound false at first, but it’s true. You don’t have co-workers to share experiences with, and you’ll spend long periods alone. 

For some, this is heaven, but for others, the novelty wears off pretty quickly.

Beat the stress and burnout by organizing time away from work with friends and family. It’s easy to neglect this precious time when starting out as a freelancer.

You may also want to join freelance communities on Linkedin, Reddit, or in professional networking spaces. 

Photo taken from one of my midday runs while staying in Zurich, Switzerland. Flexibility is true perk of being a freelancer!

Freelancing vs Employment: Remember the Positives

It might seem like I hate freelancing right now. But this couldn’t be any further from the truth!

Working for myself has given me so many opportunities. From working with awesome brands to being able to work while traveling, I’m ever indebted to the blogs I read when starting my own freelance career.

Freelancing is stressful sometimes, true. However, don’t forget to appreciate the positives of this flexible career:

• You have autonomy over your schedule, work location, and work hours
• You can be as creative as you want to
• You can take holidays whenever you fancy them
• You’re not stuck with a salary cap
• You don’t have to play the game of office politics

These are only a handful of pros, and you’ll discover more as you keep working.

For me? I enjoy being able to fit my exercise routine into the workday. It makes me feel better and gets me some fresh air. 

Much better than trying to get your steps in during the office commute!

Balancing Freelancing and Stress – Final Thoughts

So, is freelancing stressful? Maybe! But what job isn’t? The key is being prepared to tackle the bumps in the road rather than riding the wave with a blindfold on. 

Hopefully, this blog and my personal insights have helped you understand more about day-to-day freelancing. Don’t let the negative freelance articles put you off. But similarly, don’t expect life to be fault-free. 

You’ve got this!

Are you a freelancer? Tell me your stresses in the comments below.

Or keep reading! Jump back to the blog online here.