Welcome to the Way We Work podcast. The show that explores alternative ways of working and the effects technology is having on the way we work. My name’s Steedan Crowe and in each episode, I’m going to explore a topic related to the changing workplaces around us, how to deal with new distractions like open office spaces, and how to navigate new working arrangements like freelance, contract, or work share. There's so much we can talk about, so let's get into our first episode.

The way we work continues to change rapidly. You're working with different technology today, than you would have 10 years ago. Team messaging systems like Slack have infiltrated even the most traditional of office spaces in the just the last few years, and email is a never-ending task on your todo list. Many of us have to be tethered to our phone, even when we’re not at the office. 

Cell phones are great, but being on call 24/7 takes a toll, and the sorts of things I see happening in many work places, are just promoting burn out, depression, and anxiety. 

With all of this new technology supposedly making our lives better, somehow, some of us still have to deal with fax machines and carbon copies, but it seems that sometimes our biggest challenge is just getting work done. There are all sorts of strategies to manage your work, like Inbox 0, the pomodoro technique, or 43 folders to name a few. But is that the solution, or is it just bandaid for an even bigger shift that’s happening?

The world around us is changing, faster in some ways than others, and we have to change with it. Even the way we work, the contracts we are bound by, are changing too. By the year 2020, it is estimated that 50% of US workers will be freelancers, and that number is expected to continue rising. Using new software in the office is one thing, but how do we adapt to a whole new definition of employment?

I’ve been freelancing for 17 years, I started before it was really even a thing, I didn’t even know what it was called. I was 14 or 15 years old, and it was the easiest way for me to start working, especially as a creative person. Over the years, I’ve also hired and managed other freelancers. I’m not an expert, but I’ve had to deal with a lot of issues as a freelancer over the years. I’ll probably end up covering a lot of different subjects in this podcast series, but the thing I keep coming back to, is Freelancing. I’ve seen so many new freelancers loose their shirt, because they don’t have a clue where to start. And if I can help even just a few people avoid the mistakes I’ve made, then I’d say this podcast is a success. 

So what’s one of the biggest issues I see in the freelance world today? Well there are a few, and it’s hard to pick out just one, but I think most of them come down to not charging enough. 

Platforms and networks like Freelancer, UpWork, and Fiverr can seem very appealing at first, but it's easy to get lost in the noise and get caught in a race to the bottom. These platforms commoditize your skills, by allowing clients to filter and find the lowest price, from anyone, anywhere in the world. Many companies looking for talent on these platforms are specifically looking for the least expensive option. 

If you want to make a living and even flourish as a freelancer, I would suggest staying off these platforms, or at the very least, keeping your engagement to a minimum. If you keep the type of work you do on platforms like Fiverr limited to templated or systematized work, then it’s possible to structure gigs to maximize profits without working yourself to death.

But, If you're prepared to do a bit more work up front and don't feel like sitting around waiting for work to find you, then there are far better opportunities out there, just waiting for the right person to come along. You do have to work at it, but being a freelancer is like running a business, and the best freelancers treat what they do as a business.

As we go through this podcast series, I want to talk more about how you can find freelance work, how you can maximize your efficiency when dealing with different clients that have different needs. How you can stay focussed, how much you should charge, along with many other helpful conversations. So stay tuned for future episodes, subscribe in your favourite podcast player, and visit thework.show for the show-notes from this episode.