I left the world of freelance about 15 months ago in pursuit of financial stability and a stronger portfolio. I have been doing work on the side since, but before that I freelanced full-time for about a year. Many people have decades of freelance experience and many things have already been said on the topic. I'm simply going to add a couple bits regarding a few temptations I dealt with.

There's nothing quite like the freedom and flexibility of a freelancer's schedule. I used to tell the bad joke that,

"My boss won't let me take Christmas off. He's a really big jerk!"

"But I thought you... oh... that's really funny" (said with a straight face).

• Temptation #1: Not the Mama! – Whether you live alone, have roommates, or you're married with kids, don't be domestic during business hours. I often thought, "Well, I'm home and my roommates are at work. Maybe I should do the dishes again." Somehow with us both working full time, my wife and I still get all the housework done. Therefore, do nothing more than bathe and eat. Everything else should be put off for the evening or weekend. Most of all, don't become a slave to imaginary expectations that the one at home should do more cleaning than others.


• Temptation #2: Being Too Nice – I often felt bad for the clients I was helping and gave discounts out of the goodness of my heart that ended up being unfair to me. A freelancer must not dream up sob stories about their clients. If they're serious about getting design work done, and your price is fair, charge it. Don't throw free hours at the client because they complain about costs or seem to be in a tight spot. If they're to the point where they can spend money on design, they can't be too bad off. Provide great service, enforce contracts, and charge money. That's how capitalism works.


• Temptation #3: Don't Be Chicken – Oftentimes freelancers get nervous that they won't get a contract, so they slash their price six times before they even give it to the client. Make it a point to research what the market is charging for things, and go for a good, fair price. The big number at the bottom of the proposal may seem high, but remember all the hours you'll be putting in. It's important to feel like the job is worth it since history has shown that an average of 75,491 headaches will appear out of nowhere in any given project. You should be paid for those headaches.

As with everything in life, balance is required with these things, and a bell curve could be drawn to illustrate how. But more often than not, I think freelancers err on the side of self-denial of that which is due. Give yourself a little credit. You're self-employed not unemployed.