Who doesn’t dream of the freelance lifestyle? No boss, and you work when and where you want.  But it’s not really like that, at least not if you want to succeed.

Being a freelancer – successfully – takes attention to detail, organizational skills, and a lot of discipline. The deadlines that you have to meet are sometimes weeks away and it’s easy to get complacent, but it can come back to bite you in an unpleasant place later on, when you’re pulling all-nighters and scrambling to complete something that you should have done weeks ago. Depending on the kind of freelance work you’re doing, those kinds of problems can crop up easily, and they should be headed off and avoided rather than dealt with as they appear.

Set a work schedule. Freelancers often work harder than people with ‘normal’ jobs, at least right at first. You have to get established, and you have to show clients that you can be professional, meet deadlines, and work through questions and problems that might arise.

If you need help to do those things, fine. Get a mentor, or take some classes on assertiveness or any other issues that you might be struggling with. Handling those kinds of things first and sticking to a set schedule will help you become more disciplined and better at what you do. There will be a much better chance that clients will like working with you, your business will grow, and you’ll enjoy your work.