BEING A WORKING MOM, I made it a point to always call home to check on my kids. I even installed an IP camera which serves as a CCTV for me to see what’s happening at home. And I am a breastfeeding mom too, so I also need to pump 3 times in the office to keep my supply running for my baby.

I must do those things on top of my office work, which was also demanding as I work in the operations team. Handling high priority cases, attending meetings, creating reports. And I also need to travel 2-3 hours a day to/from office and home, and it still depends on the traffic.

That was my daily routine then.

Until I decided to try freelancing.

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Then my routine just became more demanding. Why? Because I have to do it on top of my office work and mommy duties. But everything is worth it because I can see my future unraveling.

You see, I cannot just jump straight to freelancing without any assurance yet that I will, in fact, earn from it. Not to mention the loans and bills that we still have to pay. Dropping my office work means a huge decrease in my family’s monthly income as well. And I cannot afford that and give all the burden to my husband.

Plus, there’s also the Yaya problems. It is really challenging to find some household help these days. My kids will have no adult supervision if we’ll have no house helper. But I and my husband needs to earn money too for all our family’s expenses.

Considering all these, I have to think of a plan and execute it fast before I lose any more Yayas and be forced to resign immediately and lose all my income.

And so I have viewed so many YouTube videos and joined Facebook groups about freelancing. Then in May 2018, I’ve enrolled in VA Bootcamp to equip myself in starting out in freelancing.

It was a lot of struggle for me, but everything was worth it when I finally got a client. Thankfully, my client was really kind and considerate. We’re still working together as of this writing.

After testing the waters for 3 months, I have finally jumped in full time in freelancing. It had been great for me and my family.

I can still earn and contribute to my family’s income.

I can take care of my kids, play with them, discipline them.

And I can avoid the terrible terrible traffic that I used to face EVERY DAY when I still work in the corporate world. What a life and time saver!

I know you can relate to me when it comes to traffic, especially when you are in a corporate job. So if you’re interested in starting out in freelancing, my Waze-like tips below might come in handy for you.

1)  Set your destination (Set a clear goal)

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This will be your guide as to where you are going. Just like using the Waze app, you first must set your destination to be able to get to where you want to be.

My goal then was to be able to fully transition to working from home so with or without any house helper, my kids won’t be left alone with themselves. I will be with my kids while still earning money and helping my husband with our financial obligations.

2)  Fuel up! (Have a strong determination) 

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This is like your car’s gasoline to keep it running and to help you get to your destination. If you don’t fuel your goal with your determination, you’ll not be able to get to your destination.

I could not bear the thought of my kids left alone at home. This had kept me going despite the challenging schedule of juggling between office work, freelance work, and mommy duties.

3)  Help from other Wazers (Get all the support you need)

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You can’t do it all by yourself. You’ll need all the help you can get.

Just like in Waze, other travelers are giving signs if traffic jam is unbearable on a certain road. They contribute to your overall travel to your destination.

Before starting with freelancing, I talked with my husband, my parents, my husband’s parents, even our then house helpers about my plan to start with freelancing. I have sought their help to assist me with the kids while I am learning how to do freelancing.

I have also enrolled myself in VA Bootcamp (a paid online course) to help me fast track my progress in my freelancing career. It’s like having Waze instructing me which road to take to get to my destination faster. Coaches, students, and freelancing communities give advice to newbies with regards to freelancing.

4)  Have an ETA (Build a feasible timeline)

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It’s like an ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) that Waze is giving you to get to your destination. There can be delays depending on-road situations, but there are also times when you arrive earlier than what is expected.

I enrolled in the paid course in May 2018. I have set myself a timeline to go full time freelancing before 2018 ends.

The course that I have enrolled in has an estimated success of getting a client in about 30 days’ time. Of course, it will still depend on the individual’s determination and dedication to apply what he/she has learned in the course. But having an estimate is a great help to build your own timeline.

I got a client 3 months after I have enrolled in the course. That’s around August 2018.

I did part-time VA (Virtual Assistant) work for 3 months, while still having office work. This is testing the waters before jumping in full time to freelancing.

I resigned from my office work in December 2018 and started full time freelancing a week after. Thus, fulfilling my goal within my timeline. Hooray!

5)  Know the directions (Have a schedule to follow)

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In Waze, there’s an outline of directions you need to follow to get to your destination in the fastest time possible. If you keep stopping somewhere, your travel time will be longer. Or worst, you’ll get distracted by some other venues like malls or amusement parks, that you’ll end up never arriving at your destination.

The same goes for transitioning from office work to freelance work.

If you’ll schedule everything, you’ll have a routine to follow. You may not follow it minute-per-minute, but at least you’ll be conscious as to where you need to be in a specific time. A delay may hurt a little, but you can always adjust from there.

Below is a glimpse of my weekday schedule during the time I was transitioning.

7:00 AM to 4:00 PM   – Office work

4:00 PM to 5:30 PM   – Travel from office to home. Also nap time.

5:30 PM to 6:30 PM   – Study time with my preschooler

6:30 PM to 7:30 PM   – Dinner time

7:30 PM to 8:00 PM   – Get my kids ready for bed

8:00 PM to 10:00 PM – Get my kids to sleep. Sometimes I get to nap too.

10:00 PM to 1:00 AM – My VA work

1:00 AM to 4:00 AM   – Sleep

4:00 AM to 5:30 AM   – Get ready to go to office work

5:30 AM to 7:00 AM   – Travel time from home to office. Also nap time.

                                 Then repeat again

Most of the time, I was behind my schedule. Heck, I was always late in my office work. But that didn’t stop me. That’s because:

✔️  I have a clear goal

✔️ I was determined to reach that goal

✔️  I was helped by my family and friends

✔️  I have a timeline to track my progress, and

✔️  I have a schedule to follow

And after all those sleepless nights and chasing up schedules, it was nice to sort of finally hear a Waze-like voice saying:

“You have arrived at your destination.”

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 Want a Waze-Like course that will guide you on your freelancing journey? Get started now by signing up for the VA BOOTCAMP COURSE here.