It is possible to have a daytime job and also do some freelancing. Freelancing is a way to become self-employed.
Through freelancing, you can build up your own customer base and create a financial reserve.
Time management is the biggest challenge for freelancers with a full-time job. It requires discipline and organisation because managing both can be time-consuming.
Here are 10 ways to juggle freelancing and a full-time job.
1. Plan In advance
Start planning ahead first. Try doing your day job on weekdays and use weekends for freelancing.
You could use the holidays or take some leave from work to focus on freelancing.
Prepare in advance what you need, decide on the date and how you want to execute each task.
2. Prioritise daily activities
Time is of the essence when handling two jobs. You cannot afford to waste time doing things that are not necessary.
List your daily activities, prioritising the important things followed by non-urgent ones. When you have this figured out, you can manage your time efficiently.
3. Keep both jobs separate
Keep both jobs away from each other, if you do freelance writing, for example, and you work full time at an advertising company.
You cannot work the whole time or you may end up overworked.
4. Take full advantage of breaks
Taking a break is necessary to rest and freshen up to work. You might have to give up some work for extra time, but it is necessary.
Use your break well and do not waste the time.
5. Start small
There is a temptation to start something on a large scale but the key to success is through progression.
Do not overwhelm yourself with too much work. Take it slowly, one thing at a time.
Create a progress board or a plan that tracks your growth pattern as a freelancer. Pressure can make or break a person, and you don’t want to put yourself in that position.
6. Avoid being distracted
Balancing the work scale of freelancing and a full-time job will be challenging and distractions can disrupt your work flow.
If they are important, take some time out from work for these activities.
7. Set realistic goals
Your goals should be achievable and realistic and must be time bound so you can evaluate the progress.
It is not about setting goals, but making sure you have the energy and capacity to achieve them on schedule.
This is how to avoid getting frustrated with managing more than one job.
8. Be flexible
You may have created the perfect schedule/plan and intend to stick to it. But sometimes you need to compromise and bend the rules.
You may need to reschedule some of your daily activities. But this does not mean giving up a task, you may need to change the schedule.
9. Maintain good quality
No matter how taxing balancing both jobs may be, do not compromise on the quality of your work.
Your clients and boss must be able to count on you to deliver quality work on time.
10. Appraise progress
Do not set goals and leave progress to chance. Re-evaluate your decisions, actions and the results.
Make sure you are making progress on both fronts by getting feedback from clients and from your bosses at work.
Conclusion
At some point, you will have to choose between the two because one may become more demanding than the other.
This is a decision you will have to make depending on which you value more.
This article first appeared in jobstore.com
Jobstore is an online job site that specialises in providing jobseekers with the latest job opportunities by matching talented individuals with reputable companies in Malaysia. Find your dream job with over 40,000 job vacancies in Malaysia.
