Some freelancers are completely absorbed in their work. They are full-blooded freelancers and as such always on duty for their clients. Others keep their eyes open for alternatives. They fill their time with activities beyond their core business, e.g. to gain new experiences or to build up a second leg. What possibilities are there? We’ll give you a few suggestions.
What you can do:
Start your own blog
A blog can be tremendously important for your self-marketing. It allows you to publish news about your services quickly and easily. It helps build customer loyalty when you fill your blog with valuable tips that your customers can work with. And if you blog regularly, it helps you get found online more easily. Some freelancers are found so well through their blog that you can completely avoid cold calling.
One easy way to start your own blog is with WordPress: sign up, secure a free WordPress domain, and start blogging!
Write short stories or a novel
It’s not that difficult to publish your own book these days. You don’t even need a publisher anymore, you can do it completely self-published. The whole thing is called “self-publishing”. Numerous providers are now on the market, which publish texts from unknown authors either as an eBook or in printed form.
Thanks to the “Print on Demand” process, this is also possible in small editions: the book is only printed when an order for it has been received. Well, do you like writing? Then maybe this is the right project for you to tackle this summer.
Refurnish your apartment
A change of scenery is good for you – and not just in the proverbial sense. Give your apartment a new coat of paint, buy new furniture or replace your old dishes with new ones. This will bring fresh impetus into your everyday life. Use your free time in the summer to get quotes and go bargain hunting. New decor doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.
It is important that you feel really comfortable where you live. Then you can start the next project with new energy.
Redesign your garden
A beautiful garden is wonderful and can have an extremely positive effect on your mood. Get some new flowers, maybe a small fruit tree or plant some vegetables that you will harvest over time. If you’re handy, build yourself a nice bench or create a pond. There are so many possibilities! Walk through home improvement stores or around the neighborhood and get inspired by others’ ideas.
Turn old things into new
Have you ever heard of “upcycling”? It’s the process of turning waste products that would normally be thrown away into new products. Tetrapak beverage cartons can be turned into carrier bags, for example, or an old piece of escalator can be turned into a bench. There are almost no limits to the imagination.
Everything that is created through upcycling is very individual, creative and environmentally friendly, because the waste products do not have to be burned. Tip: Small upcycling products also make great gifts for friends and family.
Open an online shop
This is not as far-fetched as it might sound. Technically and financially, opening an online shop today is no longer a problem: there are enough providers who offer very affordable solutions, and they are not bad at all.
The real question is: what to sell? Not every freelancer makes products in their work that can and may be sold – either because the client owns all the rights to them, or because there is simply no market for them. On top of that: product manufacturing often makes extra work, which is additional to the freelance work.
Take a trip around the world
It is the dream of many people to travel once around the world. Only a few can fulfill this dream. Those who do dare to do so often return a little changed, because the many impressions and experiences at the various stops around the globe make you see life through different eyes: “Actually, I’m doing very well.
Why do I complain so much?” or “When I get back, I rid myself of everything that causes unnecessary stress” are some of the insights globetrotters have on their travels. There’s always a reason not to take a big trip. But there’s also always a reason to do it anyway. Consider.
It is your turn!
We are very interested in what projects you invest your time in. Why don’t you briefly introduce them to us?
