How to live as a freelancer

 I get paid twice a month. When you say this, people will say, "Hey, I'm envious!" “Are you two?” Shows one of two reactions. But both are a bit far from me. There is something vague about my job in one word. To put it bluntly, you can say 'content writer' or 'editor'. And the type of work is freelance. I am in charge of a couple of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), but it is not easy to pick just one occupation because I work in a complex way. Moreover, when a short-term project comes in, more work is carried out. People who are not familiar with my career are asked what kind of content they are when they say 'content writer', but the explanation becomes vague because each person has a different understanding of the content. Also, when I say ‘author’, I reflexively ask, “Have you published a book?” “Aren’t you a writer when you publish a book?” “Where can I see the article?” questions such as that were cumbersome, so there were times when I was called a ‘handyman’ for a while. It's not wrong. I'm a handyman because I tend to do almost everything as soon as an order comes in within the job I know how to do. But when I said that he was a handyman, the rumor spread strangely.

Rumors that I am working as a daily worker and that I am living a part-time job (?) reached the ears of my acquaintances and came back to me. It was a bittersweet prejudice. A handyman is a person who does various chores. But people seem to think that they are doing daily or part-time jobs. There is a clear difference between doing chores and being classified as a daily worker or a part-time job depending on the affiliation. Even if you are not a full-time employee, you can do important and valuable work.

Anyway, since I am in charge of a couple of small and medium-sized businesses, the money comes in on the payment date set for each company. It's not a lot, but I tremble twice a month. Before becoming a freelancer, when I was working full-time, I only trembled once a month. The amount is not much different from that time, but now I feel like I have made a profit because I trembled twice.

Although he is a freelancer, he tries to fix his lifestyle so as not to be lazy. Wake up with his husband at 7 in the morning and have breakfast. When my husband goes to work, he simply organizes the house and starts work. On busy days, I work 6-8 hours a day.

Have lunch in the middle. I do not spend an entire hour of leisure time at work. After preparing a quick meal and brushing your teeth, sit down for 10 minutes, rest, and immediately resume work. When I was at work, I needed time to drink tea and do chores with my colleagues during work hours. Because of the frequent meetings, it was difficult to concentrate on work. However, working alone from home increased my concentration surprisingly. What used to be divided into two days can now be completed by focusing on only 8 hours a day. The great thing about freelancing is that you can listen to your favorite music and start work early and finish it quickly.

If you get a knack for work or have something you want to do in the afternoon, speed up your work in the morning and finish it. In the beginning, there were many days where I could work all day with ease, but now that I have the knack for it, I am very busy in the mornings. Being caught up in the self-interest of ‘I want to play in the afternoon!’, I type faster than usual, take notes faster, and plan faster.

If I'm lucky enough to finish work in the morning, I usually read books in the afternoon. He sang ‘I want to play’, but when he can play, he plays very casually. It's like reading a book at home or going to the library. The vegetable store gets crowded around sunset, so I go out to the vegetable market during the quiet daytime. Occasionally, I go to the bakery and snoop around for freshly baked bread. Even though they have nothing to buy, they wander around the interior shop in front of the house or walk endlessly on the shore of the lake near their house without a destination. It seems like I'm playing too out of shape for something I've worked so hard to play in the afternoon, but I can't do much because I like this kind of thing. Even then, if I have time, I go out to meet my husband near the train station. I don't have much time to do anything.

If you work hard in the morning, it would be nice to go sightseeing in the afternoon or go on a trip to a nearby place. On days when I am able to broaden my life, I go to the movies or go to an exhibition. Perhaps because I have been playing alone since I was a child, I am most comfortable enjoying the cultural life alone. On days like this, I put on comfortable shoes and put a light book in my bag. If you have a friend who works near your destination, there are days when you call ahead and have a cup of tea the day before.

So far, this is half the fun after turning to freelance. There is definitely a sad half as well. It's that people think of me as a 'part-timer'. It's partly because of the rumors that I barely made a living working part-time here and there while I was talking about being a handyman for a while.

But what I couldn't really refute is that freelancers are not full-time employees. Although it is a worker, it is a 'service'. People perceive all other types of work the same if they are not full-time employees. I am in a similar position to a part-time job because I am not a full-time employee who pays for the four major insurances. Therefore, dismissal is easy and the contract period is short. In fact, one of the two companies I'm currently working with may end its contract sooner or later. But the company is enough to find a new one. So when I say it's similar to a part-time job, people look at me with sad eyes. Although my income has not decreased and I am enjoying my work. I have to endure that uncomfortable look because I am not a full-time employee.

Until then, I can stand it. The most difficult thing was the view of me as a 'half-baked', working with my own convictions. Last holiday, a relative told me that he was working as a freelancer.

“You work from home? Then you're almost playing. Make sure you have breakfast for your husband.”

“If I don’t commute to work, I play. Be nice to your husband.”

“You live so comfortably, how many side dishes do you serve when you set the table?”

I was so angry that I never wanted to have a long conversation with him again. Moreover, even my mother, who gave birth to me and raised me, hardly acknowledges my freelance life.

“Because you work from home, you are no different from a housewife. No wonder you have to do the housework as much as a housewife!”

He insists on this and reproaches me for sharing the housework with my husband. No matter how much they explained that they were working the same way, although the type of work had changed, they only accepted that working from home was just a side job.

It's the hardest part since becoming a freelancer that people who don't even know my job description, work method, and career downgrade me to a half-baked number. When talking about other people's occupations, lifestyles, and work patterns, it is important to be cautious, regardless of age or relationship.

The reason why I rate myself as a half-baked person for working hard is probably that many people perceive that corporate life is a normal way of life or a large frame of work. I understand that. After graduating from college, I also took it for granted that I worked for a company, and there was nothing I could do other than work for an organization called a company. After graduating, he lived in an organization for nine years.