How the Coronavirus Impacts Work-From-Home Freelancers

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Ever since COVID-19 threw everyone for a loop, all industries have been forced to make shifts in the way they function. From the entertainment industry to the food industry, no one has been free from the sting of the coronavirus. There’s one industry that doesn’t get much attention: freelancers. Those who are freelancers are already used to a semblance of instability or hustle mentality. However, this pandemic has brought forth a lot of things to the surface for work-from-home freelancers. Consider some of the ways they’ve been impacted.

Increased Competition

Aside from essential personnel, everyone is at home. Many people are able to work from home. However, thanks to the abysmal economic shift, more people have been laid off from their jobs. Therefore, they’re sitting at home with no foreseeable income. As a result, many of them are becoming incredibly creative in their approach to earning money. This includes becoming a freelancer. And as new freelancers enter the marketplace, the competition increases.

Diversification

As more people enter the freelancing industry, the competition rises. In order to stand out from the competition, freelancers can’t just rely on the number of years they’ve been freelancing. Instead, it’s best to diversify income strategies. For the freelancer who has a large social media platform, it might be great to start a blog that includes affiliate links to products you actually use. Some freelancers are excellent in front of the camera. This equates to a well-edited YouTube channel with ads and sponsorships as potential income streams.

Distractions

Everyone is at home. Gone are the days where children were at school for at least six hours of the workday. Now, many work-from-home freelancers have to double as distance-learning aficionados, lunchtime chefs and entertainers for their kids if they have any. This leads to a natural decrease in productivity. It’s all very draining for someone who’s used to working in peace and quiet for a set number of hours.

Skillset Upgrade

With the competitiveness in the marketplace, it’s important to find ways to upgrade the resume. This means checking your bank statements and budgets to see if an online certification can squeeze into the budget. It means paying for courses, learning a new craft, and promoting that new skill set. This is multi-faceted, and it involves a significant level of commitment.

If you’re a work-from-home freelancer, it’s important to include these tips in your pivoting plan. Give yourself grace throughout each day. Even though you might be used to working from home, it’s a different experience when you’re working from home during a pandemic and a collapsing economy. Thankfully, if you remain safe and persevere, you can experience new levels of professional success on the other side of COVID-19.

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Brooke Chaplan

Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most of her time hiking, biking, and gardening.

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