A freelancing lifestyle promises time away from work, among other things.

Most people get five to ten days off from work during the year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This makes sense because they are unlikely to work during major holidays like New Labor Day and New Year's Day.

Even so, getting a day off every month or two doesn't seem enough.

Freelancing lifestyles evolve, and we think it’s a five-stage journey. We use star-based ratings focused on a freelancer's ability to take time off to simplify things. And yes, one star is the worst, and five stars is the best. Keep reading to find out how many your freelancing lifestyle ranks.

1-Star Lifestyle: clients control schedules

Freelancers who do not fully control their work schedules are experiencing a 1-star lifestyle.

Unfortunately, some clients feel they can tell freelancers when to work. This creates on-call schedules where the freelancer must respond to the client on-demand, potentially outside of local business hours for the freelancer.

Avoiding part-time and hourly agreements — and reminding clients that freelancers set their own working hours — will help you move to the next lifestyle stage.

2-Star Lifestyle: freelancers control schedules

Freelancers experiencing a 2-star lifestyle decide which hours of the day they work for clients.

While each freelancer will manage their schedule differently, a 2-star lifestyle allows them to adjust their schedule during the day if needed. This creates enough schedule flexibility for freelancers to deal with planned events like medical appointments and unplanned events like technology problems.

Getting to a 3-star lifestyle usually involves increasing schedule flexibility so freelancers can take an entire day off without creating problems for themselves or their clients.

3-Star Lifestyle: days off for breaks

Freelancers who can skip work for an entire day are experiencing a 3-star lifestyle.

We think many freelancers have this in mind when they think about what a flexible schedule means to them. Freelancers might be able to take two or more days off in a row, occasionally, but this will depend on project workloads and client expectations.

Still, freelancers shouldn’t settle for a 3-star lifestyle when they are so close to a 4-star one.

4-Star Lifestyle: weeks off for vacations

How great would it feel to spend entire weeks away from work when you want? That’s a 3-star lifestyle. 

Mini vacations, like long weekends, are excellent ways to set work aside for a few days, but they’re not long enough to fully relax and recharge. Besides, you’ll want a week or two away from work for a destination vacation, especially one that begins and ends with expensive travel.

These freelancers have extra time for fun but remain trapped by work. Freedom happens during a 5-star lifestyle.

5-Star Lifestyle: months off for sabbaticals

People experience the full promise of a freelancing lifestyle at the 5-star stage.

Five-star freelancers can pause freelancing for months and resume when ready, for whatever reason they choose. This is very different from not having work to do for multiple months because a freelancer can’t find new clients or more projects. Five-star freelancers control their lifestyle, especially when they work and when they do not.

Set a 5-star lifestyle as your goal if you want to experience all that freelancing promises.

Moving Towards a 5-Star Lifestyle

Freelancing promises a lifestyle that includes working when you want.

Many freelancers strive for years without getting close. Others spend a lot of money and waste a lot of time on their freelancing journey with mixed results. Our team created the Earn More & Work Less™ strategy to help.

Get started with one of our courses at www.freelancingstrategy.com.