Freelancing Takes Control of Your Work Life Balance and Family Budget

Freelancer work refers to the practice of working independently and providing services to clients on a project-by-project basis, rather than being employed by a single company or organization on a full-time basis.

Freelancers can work in a variety of fields, such as writing, graphic design, web development, and consulting, and can be hired by businesses, entrepreneurs, or individuals for short-term or long-term projects. Freelancing has become increasingly popular in recent years due to advances in technology that make it easier for freelancers to connect with clients and work remotely. The report by FinanceOnLine.com “405 Freelance Statistics for 2023: Market Size, Profile Data & Salary Rates” showed that 38% of the global workforce are now freelancers and self-employed contractors. You can read the report here.

Freelancing is a global trend that is unstoppable because technology is driving the New Economy and the Future of Work. You can watch the previous International Monetary Fund’s Managing Director, Christine Lagarde’s video presentation on that subject here.

Technology is empowering everyday citizens to change their future by participating in this global trend. However, this is not without challenges for all of us as Stephane Kasriel, the Chief Executive Officer of the leading online work platform Upwork, said at a World Economic Forum.

The title of his speech was 4 Predictions for the Future of Work. Stephane predicted that by 2027 the majority of workers in the United States will be freelance. He made other startling predictions. The article is a must-read and it is here.

If you are a millennial family (the latest definition of a millennial is: those that are between 22-37 years old, see here) this is more important because Stephane is part of that generation facing the changes. He said, “As a father of four children from 4 to 14 years old, and as a citizen of the world, I care about our future.”

This is why the Future of Work is changing so quickly:

Technology is allowing people to develop new skills and work remotely for themselves.
Online training has empowered workers to educate themselves to develop new skills for which they can get paid.
Employers realize that there are a lot of benefits to them in outsourcing their workforce because it reduces their costs and increases productivity.
The millennial generation can see that the future of work is changing so quickly that their jobs are no longer secure and prefer to be in control.
Wages are stagnating while living costs are rising and millennial families have to increase their family income.
Pre-retirees can see that they do not have enough money to fully fund their retirement and are retiring part time to make their money last.
Millennials want a better work-life balance for their families and one or both parents can work from home.
Millennials want to lift their income to be able to afford to buy a house or repay their housing mortgage earlier.
Co-working spaces are evolving where freelancers can work together.
Tertiary and other students want to pay for tuition or reduce their tertiary fees debts earlier.

Work for Yourself from Anywhere

You might be a retiree grey nomad ticking off items on your bucket list while touring Australia; a millennial mum working on her commute to work in the city from the country; a retiree who wants to retiree part-time while touring the world and all are doable because technology is empowering ordinary citizens willing to make the effort to learn to change their future.

Online Training Courses for Freelancers Available 24/7 from Anywhere

Short inexpensive online courses focused on skills training for freelancers are readily available. These courses remain always available and are constantly updated. The organizations that have responded to this online demand are huge.

Udemy, for example, has 213,000 courses and 57 million students. You can check their training by clicking on the links below:

They are not the only giant training organizations that have responded to the changes in the future of work. Here are some more LinkedIn Learning and MOOC.

The Longevity of Future Generations is changing along with The Future of Work

Not only is the Future of Work changing quickly but the future funding of retirement needs to change with it because people are living longer than in the past. This is going to have a great global impact on the millennial generation and their children.

It is because the current funding of pensions is not designed to cope with this change to the actuarial tables indicating how long people are expected to live. This is especially true of developed countries.

World leaders are conducting open forums on this subject as they can see that this is happening from their global view of world developments and finances.

Smart Students, Millennial Families and Retirees Need to Heed the Economic Signs and Warnings of World Leaders

There has been a major shift towards having a Life Plan that sets out the life goals that you hope to achieve. It is more than a financial plan because that is what follows after a Life Plan.

It is about thinking about the future and what you want for yourself and your family and positioning yourself correctly to achieve those goals.

Below we have provided the links to two books:

The first book is The AARP Roadmap for The Rest of Your Life by Bart Astor with a foreword by Gail Sheehy and is endorsed by the AARP. The AARP Books Division team supported the publication.

AARP (formerly called the American Retired Persons Association) is the largest association of its type in the world. It is politically nonaligned and has over 38 million members.

It actively encourages retirees to retire part-time. The book provides invaluable resources that are universal.

Related Contents:

The second book is Life Planning for you by George Kinder with Mary Rowland. George Kinder, Certified Financial Planner and Registered Life Planner who established The Kinder Institute of Life Planning provides training and certification to life planning specialists.

This is in addition to the certification of financial planning. The aim of a Registered Life Planner is to help you focus on achieving your life goals. The book outlines a process that will help you think through the priorities in your life planning.

How We Help You With Freelancing

This website aims to help you not only when you are starting out with self-employment by outlining a process where you can make an assessment of your skills. It also provides you with access to the resources that will allow you undertake the training that will help you achieve your goals.

We not only provide the articles, links and resources detailed on the left hand side of this website’s Navigation Bar but also provide access to 13 free listicles of critical information to being a successful freelancer. You can read about what they contain here.

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For Future Generations of Freelancers, Time Management is Critical

Time has become the new money for millennials, but also work-life balance can produce a lot of stress if not managed correctly. In past years the line between work and home life was quite clear, but not any longer.

Technology has changed that forever. Our research showed that, for the majority of people, simple time management sheets were favoured when they focused on work-life balance.

We have devised simple printable sheets available free with our Kindle eBook shown below. For those who prefer apps, this is the link to Amazon’s best sellers in apps for To-Do Lists and Reminders here.

Time Management When You’re Self Employed

One difference between self employment and working for an employer is the need for self-discipline. With no-one but you to manage your schedule, it is essential to develop your time management skills and find good time management tools to help you to provide the best service.

Any good self employment guide will give you some time management tips to get you started.

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We will Show you Where to Find Freelance Employment

A good place to start looking for freelance employment is on the freelance job boards. A quick search will show dozens of these.

Some job boards are specific to particular niches, while others have a much broader scope. You will soon discover which one best suits your expertise.

Sometimes it’s the most basic skills that can get you started in freelance work. You would be surprised how many people can be taught computer skills to provide computer work at home that you can do from the comfort of your living room.

Suddenly, trading that long commute for a more relaxed work at home existence doesn’t seem like such a bad deal.

There are hundreds of job websites where you can source legitimate work at home jobs. Many of these are free, though you may have to register in order to fill out a profile so that companies that outsource can find you.

Another option for online freelance work is to visit freelance writing jobs websites. You may not think of yourself as a writer, but if you can write reports or prepare informational presentations, then you already have some of the skills you need to begin working from home.

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Freelancing

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used to assist freelancers in a variety of ways like Content creation, Project management, Sales and Marketing, automate Social media tasks & Researching.

By using AI tools, freelancers can save time and increase their efficiency, allowing them to focus on the most important aspects of their work.

It’s worth noting that AI is still in early stages for freelancing, and the extent of its use varies based on the field of expertise. It’s important for freelancers to keep in mind that AI is a tool and not a replacement for human creativity and expertise.

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Highly Demand Services for Freelancing

There are many services that are in demand for freelancing, and the specific services that are in high demand can vary depending on the current market and the economy. However, some services that are commonly in high demand for freelancers include:

Content creation: Writing, editing, and creating visual content such as videos, graphics, and photographs.

Web development and design: Creating and maintaining websites, as well as designing user interfaces and user experiences.

Digital marketing: SEO, social media marketing, PPC advertising and email marketing

Virtual assistance: Administrative tasks such as scheduling, email management, and data entry.

Translation and localization: Translating written content or audio/video files to different languages.

Data analysis and visualization: Extracting insights and creating visual representations of data.

Graphic Design: Creating logos, brochures, posters, and other marketing materials

Programming and development: Writing code, building mobile apps and software, and maintaining existing systems.

Consulting: providing expert advice and guidance on specific industry-related topics.

Video and audio production: Creating videos and audio recordings.

It’s important to note that this list is not exhaustive, and new services are emerging as technology and market are constantly evolving. It’s always a good idea for freelancers to keep an eye out for new trends and opportunities in the market, and to continuously upskill themselves.

Freelancers Unions, Mastermind Groups and Co-working Groups Matter

We are strong advocates for membership of freelancers’ unions, mastermind groups and co-working groups because it helps with the sharing economy, ideas and innovation.

It does not matter whether members of your group are in another country for unions and mastermind groups as connection is only a few mouse clicks away with technology.

However, with co-working groups, it is different, especially if working parents can share responsibilities with the care of children and freelancing facilities.

If you are interested in these groups here are the links:

ABOUT JOHN COSSTICK

The Owner Of This Website

John Cosstick is a writer and website owner. Plans are underway to produce a Feedspot Freelancers Newsfeed on freelancers’ critical issues. This will appear on a webpage to monitor key news updates for freelancers. This will replace the newsletter.

When you do so you will receive free access to 13 exclusive Listicle articles that teach you vital information for becoming a successful work-from-home freelancer.

John has worked as a banker, accountant and certified financial planner before becoming a freelance journalist and website owner. He is interested in self-employment, the digital economy, innovation and cyber security. You can visit his other main websites listed

Identity-Theft-Scout.com
NegativeEquityToday.com
techlifefuture.com

He is a strong believer in the use of financial technology to better protect consumers. You can read his post about one of the main global issues of our time: What innovations are needed for better mortgage interest rate management which appeared in the Innovation Excellence Blog. The Innovation Excellence Blog has over 45,000 followers from 100 countries. John has contributed to the recent review of the United Kingdom’s Strategy For Financial Wellbeing.

John lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife Margaret, son Stephen and their Jack Russell terrier Zack. He enjoys walking, bike riding and annual holidays tripping around Australia’s beautiful countryside.

All the best,