3 Skills That Have Made Me a Successful Freelancer

If you're thinking of quitting a salaried position and going freelance instead, you'll be in good company. More than 70 million Americans worked in a freelance capacity in 2022, according to Zippia, and it's estimated that 36% of the U.S. workforce participates in freelance work.

Being a freelancer certainly has its benefits and drawbacks. On the plus side, you commonly get to set your own hours, and you can say no to work that doesn't interest you or you feel isn't worth the pay being offered.

On the flipside, there's no steady paycheck to be had when you're a freelancer. You might see $2,000 hit your bank account one week, only to earn absolutely nothing the week after that.

And forget about things like health benefits and paid time off. When you work for yourself, you have to build time off into your schedule, and it's on you to come up with -- and pay for -- health insurance coverage.

Despite these drawbacks, being a freelancer suits my needs really well. I have young kids who rely on me to not only parent, but get them places after school, so working a job that requires me to be at a desk from 9:00 in the morning to 5:00 in the evening every day without flexibility just doesn't make sense.

But I will say that not everyone is well-suited for a freelance lifestyle, and you really do need to have certain skills to pull it off. Here are some of the skills that have made it so I'm able to earn a steady income freelancing.

1. Time management

When you're a salaried worker and you goof off or take too long to get things done, your performance review might suffer, but your paycheck generally won't take a hit. That's not the case when you're a freelancer.

When you work for yourself, time management is key, because if you're not working, you're not getting paid. I've learned to be really good at managing my time by mapping out schedules in advance and taking advantage of small snippets of time to work when I need to.

For example, if I have a 30-minute wait while my daughter does her piano lessons after school, I won't just fool around on my phone. Instead, I'll bring my laptop along and hammer away.

2. The ability to stay focused

I do a lot of my work during the day while my kids are at school. During my core working hours, as I call them, I'm not checking social media or logging on to review my credit card balances. Rather, I'm working. I can do those non-work tasks at other times, so I make a point to not let myself get distracted.

I will say that having a home office helps in that regard. I don't know if I'd fare as well sitting in bed with a laptop. The point, either way, is that doing well in a freelance capacity often hinges on being able to really work hard during those times when you're on, so that you can not work during those times when your hours are earmarked for other things.

3. Being organized

As a writer who juggles different deadlines, being organized is key. If you go freelance, you might end up having to balance multiple clients and projects, so you'll need to come up with a system that works well for you. The more organized you are, the better you can use your time.

One specific thing I do is spend a few minutes every weekend reviewing my upcoming deadlines and figuring out how many hours I have to tackle the work I need to get done. From there, I order my assignments by priority so I know which ones to hammer out first.

Although being a freelancer isn't always easy, I wouldn't have it any other way. But I will say that freelancing isn't right for everyone. And if you feel that you're sorely lacking in the above skills, you may want to reconsider diving into a freelance lifestyle. A better bet could be to freelance on the side and see if you can improve these skills before giving up your primary source of income.