5 Unglamorous Parts Of Freelancing That You Don't See On Instagram
I’ve officially decided to start blogging, which means that people will be coming to my website to read all of the things that I have to say about my life. That’s a lot of pressure, and I knew that I wanted my first blog post to be great. Not just great — profound. Something that would make you sit back and say, “Huh. She’s got a point.” But when I was scrolling through the editorial calendar I made for myself and stared at the blank space for today, December 1, it finally hit me. I realized that I hadn’t showered in three days, and I had only left my apartment twice in that amount of time (to go grocery shopping and on a late-night Taco Bell run at a moment of weakness). Thus, my first blog post was born: The unglamorous parts of freelancing that you will never see me post about on social media.
Let me be perfectly clear: I am a clean person. I would 100% describe myself as hygienic, and going three days without showering is a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence. But as someone who is self-employed and works from home, it’s easy to fall into a trap of seclusion, and because I’m a workaholic, I won’t get up from my computer for a good eight hours or so unless I have a dire bathroom emergency. When I post pictures of my travels on my Instagram feed or share unboxing videos on my Instagram stories, I realize that people who don’t know me must think that I live an unbelievably bougie life, when in fact, it’s quite the opposite.
Read on for five of the less-than-perfect things that I deal with as a freelancer.
Going a couple days without showering isn’t an abnormal occurrence.
Yes, I realize that I just said it’s a once-in-a-blue-moon thing. Going three days without showering is not normal for me, but the two-day mark is one that I know pretty well. When I have everything I need at home and have no meetings planned, it’s entirely possible for me to wake up, work, eat, sleep — then rinse and repeat (or I guess in this case, not rinse). And to be quite honest, it’s not just showering that falls by the wayside; other daily necessities, like staying hydrated and remembering to eat are things that I forget to do, too.
I still live paycheck to paycheck.
I don’t know who made up the rumor that editors and writers make a lot of money (I blame How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days and Andie Anderson’s 5th Avenue condo with a doorman), but that’s certainly not true. More than once in the past year, I’ve considered taking up a survival job just to have a little extra cash while I continue pursuing what I’m passionate about. But what I lack in funds, I totally make up for in amazing press trips and a closet full of beauty products.
Work-life balance is virtually non-existent.
I’m totally aware that this is something I need to work on because I’ve struggled with it for awhile. Because my home is my office and my office is my home, it’s really difficult to separate myself from my work. I find myself trying to answer emails while I eat my lunch, I bring my laptop into bed, or I’m swatching new makeup products while I watch a movie. While I might take a pic and describe these situations as “hustling,” “multitasking,” or “being productive,” what I don’t show on camera is the fact that I didn’t take that little moment for myself to just enjoy my food or movie.
Working alone can be very isolating.
Because I don’t have an office to go into and no real “coworkers” to keep track of during the day, it’s entirely possible for me to go an entire day without talking to anyone. I’m a social person and I like to think that I can make friends with a chair, but working from home and freelancing can really bring out my inner introvert. If I’m deep in the middle of a project and don’t plan on emerging from my cave for a couple days, I can become a serious homebody who only has conversations via email, Gchat, or Instagram DM.
I’ve gotten used to spending my days with no pants on.
I know, this part actually sounds kind of cool. It’s definitely one of my favorite perks of being a WFH gal. The only time when this really becomes a problem is when I have to answer the door for the mail and I forget that I’m not wearing pants. Oops.
I love freelancing and all of the ups and downs that come with it. I love the flexibility to do what feels right for me in the moment, and I love taking on new projects that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to if I worked in an office. And naturally, I love rolling out of bed, putting on a pot of tea, and starting work in my PJs. Though there are definitely some — err, many — not-so-savory parts of my work, I’m so grateful to do what I do. It’s pretty safe to say that the brief moments of glamour, however fleeting, are totally worth all of the ones that are not.
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Read The Difference Between Editorial Writing & Blogging, & Other Fun Facts About My Job
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