Self Help

19 Steps to Freelancer Heaven

Start now and you’ll be ready to write to your heart’s content in ten years, maybe sooner.

Ten years is a long time. You want it now. I know because I was you ten years ago. Start planning now and you could make it a lot sooner than I did. I changed the way I lived. I chose a minimalist lifestyle. Clearing physical clutter aids mental clarity.

It’s difficult to imagine tucking away 10% of what you earn every month. A freelancer or minimum wage earner might find it impossible. I admit, for many years I saved nothing. The feeling of having no back-up plan is terrifying.

However, you can create a state where you can save money and get what you want. The following is how I did it.

1. All credit cards paid off.
2. All unessential household and personal items sold on eBay. Bought one almost new laptop. Bought second-hand clothes when required.
3. Took a long, hard look at my life and decided on my next steps.
4. Booked a Teach English as a Foreign Language course which included accommodation. Booked my flights.
5. Moved to Prague with two wheelie suitcases. Did the course. Employed by a language school before completing the qualification.
6. Learnt private students paid more than the school. Reduced school lessons. Increased private students. Private students signed a contract with me.
7. Taught English as a Foreign Language at summer school in England. It paid well.
8. Started a creative writing degree course. Wrote a lot. Learnt a lot about writing fiction, poetry, and screenplays.
9. Sold my flat in UK. Spent three months in Buenos Aires, Argentina teaching English.
10. Returned to UK. Found my dream job, teaching English to French business people, online. Saved 10% of pay each month to cover low season Jan to Mar.
11. Stopped creating writing course.
12. Learnt grammar because could no longer get away with telling students whatever I didn’t know was an exception to the rule.
13. Joined Medium as a writer.
14. Spent 2020 doing minimum wage jobs and writing and posting like a demon!
15. Total income required to live frugally, £925 per month. Monthly earnings £1200. Saved 23%.
16. Applied for and accepted as a creator on New Break, December 2020.
17. Left minimum wage job.
18. February 2021 freelance career started.
19. June, early retirement pension kicks in. Free to pursue writing, travel, building a writing business.

Your path will be different

Consider what you love doing. Coding, graphic art, writing stories or music? Selling what you or others create on Etsy or eBay. Whatever you decide.

What level of security do you need? Writing as a side-hustle will give you peace of mind. When you have people who keep coming back for more and you earn enough to pay your minimalist bills, you might decide to go full time.

If you only have rent and utilities to pay every month plus food and basics, you can choose when and how many hours you work.

The secret to reaching freelancer heaven is ensuring you have a secure income. Then, you can write with no worries. Unless your grammar stinks! In which case, teach yourself or use any of the tools available.