What I wish you knew about being a professional freelancer and blogger

Today, we enjoy conveniences our parents and grandparents never dreamed of. (Heck – most of our younger selves could never have dreamed of some of the advances we’ve witnessed in our lifetimes.)

We drive cars that park themselves. We ask Google, Siri or Alexa any question that comes to mind. We shop without leaving our couch. Technology has changed everything.

And that technology has also totally transformed the workplace. Now, we can work almost anywhere. We can clock in within an office, on a tropical island, with a latte at a coffee shop, or in yoga pants at the kitchen table.

As a professional freelancer and blogger, I’ll let you guess where I work. (Hint: My yoga pants get a lot of time in action – and very little of that time is spent at the gym.)

When I left a wonderful full-time job almost four years ago, I did it with my sights set on a tiny little human my husband and I had created. I looked forward to time spent at home with my family.

And then, after only a few months, I started yearning for a little work again. (Isn’t it funny how that works?) Thanks to professional connections (and a little hustle), I was able to begin a career in freelance work and blogging – which I still do today.

I get a lot of varied responses to my career when people ask what I do. Here are a few things I wish more people know about my job.

Yes. I know I’m “so lucky.” But it’s also still work.

Most people I talk to tell me how lucky I am to work from home – on my own time. And I am. I try to never take it for granted.

The flexibility I have right now is wonderful. I can stop at the park in the middle of the day. I have the opportunity to travel more often. And I even get to do work that I enjoy and am pretty good at.

Plus – I never have to wear pantyhose. (Unless I want to. Which, why would I want to?)

But something that is hard to explain is that just because something is great, doesn’t mean it’s always easy or fun.

I still have to carve out time to work on projects and finish deadlines. That work isn’t always fun and can require sacrifices. And I’m also responsible for keeping myself motivated and focused. (This isn’t always as easy as it sounds.)

Bottom line – it’s still work.

There’s really no such thing as a steady paycheck.

When I left a full-time office job, I was looking forward to the flexibility and fun. But with flexibility comes unpredictability.

While I do have several ongoing projects and clients that round out my income, each month’s earnings can look a lot different. And keeping track of collections and billing and taxes are all on me.

So yes … sometimes, I miss the bi-weekly deposit into my checking account. And that 401k match.

Sometimes I miss the human interaction.

Working from home is a great opportunity. But for extroverts like myself, it can also be lonely. There are times I wish I could pop into a coworker’s office or to the break room for a chat.

It takes more effort as a freelancer to make time for professional and personal interaction. It means setting up a coffee date or lunch meeting, finding a sitter and putting aside work. (And that time is taken away from my actual work time, so it doesn’t often make the top of my priority list.)

I never really get to “turn off.” I think all woman juggle a lot of balls – and I’m no different. And as a mom, we also throw a few flaming batons into the mix.

So, just like everyone, I feel like my brain never really turns off. And because I work from home, sometimes the lines between work and play get muddled. It takes a lot for me to turn off the computer and shut off the email alerts, because I’m always trying to squeeze in a few minutes of work between other obligations.

Basically – I’m just like everyone else. Trying to get it all done in a day without dropping too many balls (or flaming batons).

Kim is the creator and writer at NewlyWoodwards.com. She blogs about her amazing, unconventional home renovations (among many other things).

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This guest post is part of an ongoing series called, "What I wish you knew about ..." If you would like to read more on this topic, click on the posts below.

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