Blogging and Freelancing as a Part-time Freelancer
It is very true to say that a good number of Freelance Writers are into Blogging and also, a high percentage of these good numbers are Part-time Freelancers. So, is that a bad thing?
No!
What then is Part-time Freelancing?
Part-time Freelancing is the opposite of Full-time Freelancing. It means having a 9 – 5 job alongside freelancing. It is that type of Freelance you do as a side job. It means you have other distractions demanding your time, energy and consistency. Sometimes, a 9 – 5 job for some Freelancers could be schooling and for some, it could be a white-collar job, internship etc. So having established this, you may be wondering what is the issue?
Well, as ink is to pen, so it has been constantly affirmed that Consistency is same to Blogging. A lot of times, Part-time Freelancers are drawn into challenging moments between keeping their personal blogs alive, retaining and expanding their reading audience’s loyalty and numbers and also being diligent at their Freelance jobs.
Then, how do we solve and handle this challenge?
Number one; there are two types of Blogging Freelance Writers. The first type are the ones who started Blogging before Freelance (the Pre-Freelance Bloggers) while the other ones are the Post-Freelance Bloggers (the ones who took/developed an interest in Blogging after a couple of Freelance Jobs). How does this division influence creating a solution?
Establishing this division does affect creating a solution to this challenge in a very important way. My point? The pressure is higher on the Pre-Freelance Bloggers than it is on the Post-Freelance Bloggers. A Post-Freelance Blogger had the opportunity to fashion his/her blog, time and commitment based on how much Freelance jobs he/she had at that moment – in other words, he/she built the blogging career on the Freelance Career but a Pre-Freelance Blogger might not have that opportunity or didn’t have that opportunity because Blogging was what he/she first knew before Freelance. How? A lot of Pre-Freelance Bloggers got most of their Freelance gigs via their platform (their blog). That is, someone recommended them to someone or contacted them based on what they saw and read on their blogs and from there, they moved from being Bloggers to Freelancers. So, for them, Blogging compulsorily goes beyond things they enjoy but a platform to showcase what they are capable of. Therefore, to abandon such platform would be very un-thoughtful but to maintain it like they used to before the days of Freelance jobs tends to be challenging.
Furthermore, on the Post-Freelance Blogger’s end, things can become a little challenging when he/she begins to expand horizons in Freelancing as he/she begins to get more and more jobs and unconsciously, the attention, consistency, commitment and dedication is bound to become divided. So, how do we make sure we don’t lose sight of our dedication on what is us?
One thing I realized is that a lot of Full-Time Bloggers and Freelancers who are much more ahead tends to forget what it feels like to be a Part-Time Freelancer managing a 9 – 5 job and a blog with other projects lined up that you wish to achieve like getting a book published, etc. so they don’t know how to be a little sensitive to making you feel like if you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen. I’m just saying, if that was what they got, they wouldn’t have forged ahead still. And in as much as people want to say that don’t let people’s words discourage you, not everyone has that much of a word-absorber.
Let me stress this, so far you’re not giving yourself to procrastination 90% of the time, you’re doing your very best to be on top of all your game, so, don’t let anyone make you feel like you’re sloppy and you should probably quit if you know you can’t do them all. A creative mind is a challenging mind. So please, give yourself some credit.
What then are the steps to managing your freelance career with blogging and a 9 – 5 job?
Don’t be hard on yourself: Yes! Always remind yourself that you’re doing the best you can do at that moment so far it’s true! Also, allow rest to be a guilty pleasure! The brain needs to rest too sometimes. At least, if you can’t get maximum rest, be willing to get a minimum one.
Time Management: This is very important. Maximize every free time that you get to be productive. Sometimes to sleep when you know you have so much left undone and to attend to is counterproductive. You can delegate time to everything. Analyse it; how many times do you freelance in a week? If you know that, it would help you plan your blog timetable. How many times in a week can you afford to blog in a week? Is it twice or thrice? No one makes the damn rules. Some people would say at least blog thrice in a week. That is their yardstick! You can’t use what is convenient for others to measure convenience for yourself. They are not you and you are not in their shoes. . . maybe you probably have time to blog on weekends and that’s fine too!
Celebrate your little victories: This is very synonymous to number one, celebrate yourself and your achievements as a Freelancer and as a Blogger. Some days you’ll achieve the set number of times you gave yourself and some days, you may even exceed and some other days, you may not even meet any and that’s okay because you are making efforts.
This is not a conflict between Passion and Getting the Bills Paid: If there is anything very important that you must understand, it is that this is not a war or a conflict of interest between your passion and getting the bills paid. You’re not being made to chose one over the other ‘cos believe me, your passion is the foundation for both. It is that thing coupled with hard work and self-development that is keeping you a Freelancer. You can’t content write or contribute on those platforms without your passion – you have to be passionate about what you do! You can’t do something you’re not interested in! it’s a façade that won’t last for long if you do that! So you’re not at war with yourself! Don’t see it that way!
