Freelance Freedom

A couple of years ago at the ophthalmologist’s office, I got the “Do you need a doctor’s excuse for work?” question again.

I’m always shocked at this question. There are jobs where a GROWN ADULT has to provide a permission slip from Mommy? I mean the doctor?

Are you kidding me?

No, I don’t need a note. I’m self-employed and even if I were a staffer, I wouldn’t work for a control-freak organization that would require me to get a doctor’s note to prove that I was where I said I was going to be.

If you’re tired of being treated like crap by the people who pay you, maybe it’s time to think about becoming a freelancer and achieve freelance freedom.

Freelancing is the most flexible job I’ve ever had. I work from home (or sometimes the beach). I set my own hours and have the flexibility to take an afternoon off to spend time with a friend or go to a medical appointment.

Freelance editing allows me to structure my work in the way that suits my life. When my medically fragile daughter was younger and in the hospital a lot, I was able to adjust the kind of work I did so that it was long-term—writing and editing nonfiction books. The deadlines for this kind of work can be measured in weeks and months. So, if my daughter was in the hospital for a few days, I just worked around it. I didn’t have to ask anyone for time away from the office in order to be there for her.

As she grew older and became more stable, I was able to take on work that had shorter deadlines. A few years ago when we took a long summer trip to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, I was able to reduce my work load for three months to enjoy my time there. When the trip ended, I ramped my freelancing efforts back up again.

Freelancing allows you to do your work around your life instead of making your life fit in the nooks and crannies of your work.

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