Bolting Down Boundaries: Setting Yourself Up For Freelancer Success

 It's been two months since I officially started my freelancer journey, not counting the three months beforehand that I spent contracted to the late Gothenburg Times. I went into this business both blind and with an upper hand. Blind because there are several things I am trying to learn about. I have, however, an upper hand because I am not new to managing my own business. I've been working on my income and taxes since 2016 when I first self-published. Taxes are a daunting issue, I'll admit. Now that I'm not paying social security or income tax I'm scared to see how much I owe, come our yearly tax time in the United States of America. 

  I do have some tips and tricks to share with you all, though. As I've found it difficult to locate a steady mentor in the field of freelancing, I think it's important that I share what I learn from this journey with you. Freelancing, like self-publishing, is a small business and as much as creative minds like to ignore legalities, technicalities, and finances, you have to think of it as a business first and foremost. 

  I know, that sounds awful, but it means:

  -You are your boss.

  -You have hour flexibility.

  -You get to write what you love. 

  -You are in charge of all aspects of your career. 

  Now I have my thoughts about brands and businesses, but that's a topic for another post. Right now we aren't talking about brands and how they relate to your business. We're talking about fighting off your people-pleaser natures to secure your place in the freelancer world while not overworking yourself. 

  I'm a people pleaser. My love language is gift-giving and words of affirmation. I show love by giving people I know gifts and compliments, and bending backward to accommodate their schedules. Often this leads to burnout.

  I burnt myself out working for the Times. I did more than was required of me and barely had a day off. I was fine with it because I was passionate about the work I was doing. However, I promised myself that I wouldn't get put in a position where I was doing the job of a manager without the proper pay ever again. 

  For the record, I hate managing. I'm decent at it. At least, I assume I am because I've held three manager spots and only lost them because I either left the company or the company closed. I'm too nice to be a manager. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt and I cover for them way more than I should. However, I had someone once tell me that it's why she liked me as a manager because I would step in and do someone else's job if they were absent.

  The thing is, I've always had boundary issues when it comes to socialization. My niece and nephew need picked up for school. I'll drop everything to go get them, even though it'd be just as easy for someone else to do the same thing. You're bored and want to go for a drive? Sure, I didn't need to work on my manuscript. You're snakish but not starving? Don't worry about it, I'll give you my last $5 without a second thought. 

  This is a problem. Not a big enough one that it's going to change in my everyday life, because, again, that's just there a person I am, but it is a problem when it comes to my career. I had to tell myself going into freelancing that just because I needed the job, just because I love the community, and just because I want to help out, doesn't mean I should dedicate every waking hour of my life to an organization.

  I am a writer, but I am a human being first and foremost, and so are you. As humans, there are five aspects of our overall well-being.

1) Physical Health

2) Mental Health

3) Emotional Health

4) Social Health

5) Spiritual Health

  All five of these needs must be met to thrive. When one is neglected, they all suffer. So, yeas, I could work past 5:00 on the days I'm contracted to be in an office, but then I'm going to end up mentally exhausted, irritated, have trouble sleeping, and feel like I won't have enough time left in my day to go on a walk or relax with a video game. 

  Boundaries have to be set. 

  As a freelancer, your job is to write and abide by the contracts you sign. My current contracts pay me according to words per story and time spent in an office. I am very stingy when it comes to my time. 

  I agreed to work in an office on Mondays and Tuesdays, but I won't be in the office past 5:00 pm. I have no problem working weekends and covering spur-of-the-moment stories, but Wednesday afternoons are dedicated to my personal life and Thursdays are all about my books.

  If you don't set boundaries, people are going to walk over you. You are not a doormat, sweetheart. You are a brilliant, bright, thriving, human soul. You don't exist to please people or companies. Your only true obligation in life is to accomplish what your soul is telling you to. In the words of the great William Shakespeare, "This above all, to thine own self be true."

  If you are new to the world of literacy and publishing, or any career, I encourage you to sit down and consider what your boundaries are. How many hours are you willing to work a week? Do you have monthly appointments that require you to have specific days off? How will you tend to your 5 health aspects? When is family time? When is friend time? When is spiritual time? When is my time?

  Some people use Sundays as their sacred days. They dedicate the entire day to church, god, friends, and family. For me, who's left the church but still believes in the Creator, Yahweh, my sacred days fluctuate between Thursdays and Fridays. Also, from 7:00-midnight I do nothing but reading and watch television shows that help me let go of the world.

  If you're a person who needs to see daily reminders to remember anything, like I am, I highly recommend looking into getting a blank planner. One that you can fill out all the days, holidays, and such. My planner is my lifeline. Once a month I schedule, in my planner, a day specifically to pamper myself. Usually, this involves coffee and shopping.

  There are a lot of steps to take if you are looking at freelancing, but one step you need to make is boundary setting. Don't be afraid to say "no". No, is a complete sentence. It requires no explanation and no guilt.