Well, 2022 is just a few hours old at this point. The start of a New Year gives me a reason to do a quick review of my freelance web content stats to see how things went over the past 12 months. While I was quite certain that 2021 was a slower year for me, I was somewhat surprised to find that I was far busier than I thought I was. Not only did I end up writing a lot more than I imagined, but I also received jobs in the past year from some unlikely places. Here’s a quick breakdown of the actual numbers.

Far More Articles Than Jobs

My notes reveal that I accepted a total of 123 writing jobs throughout the year. That figures out to be roughly 10 jobs a month. Although that may not sound like a lot, it was the number of articles for the year that truly tells the tale. I wrote a total of exactly 500 different articles during 2021. To give you an idea of what that means, 500 articles break down to 9.5 per week. That is very close to an average week of writing for me. As for the word total, I have not figured that out but it will be pretty close to 750,000. A normal week for me is two 1,000-word articles per day, five or six days a week. There are days where I will only write one article and others where I will write three articles. The important thing to keep in mind here is that I just write for half a day. I’ll get started between 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM each morning and try to be finished between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM at the latest. The odd day runs to 3:00 PM and there are times I will break up the day to where I may finish an article in progress sometime in the evening. I try to keep my afternoons and evenings open.

Where The Jobs Come From

In 2021, as has been the case for the past three years, the majority of my work comes from the contract I have in place with a web content firm in the US. Out of the 123 jobs I accepted last year, 49 of them were from that working arrangement. Another 28 jobs came from a handful of regular clients of mine in Australia with another 21 jobs coming from my Fiverr profile. I paused my Fiverr account for part of the year as I was receiving jobs that I did not want to do. For me, Fiverr is just a place for “extra” jobs that fill in my normal schedule. Every so often I will pause my Fiverr activity and work on other sources. The rest of my writing jobs in 2021 were from the United Kingdom (9 jobs), and other US-based firms that I write for from time to time.

Then There Were Some Local Projects

The most unusual thing for me in 2021 was the fact that I was hired for six local writing projects. I don’t normally receive much in the way of local business as my web content freelance writing is more geared towards large corporate websites using the material as part of their backlinking strategy. I don’t know of many local sites that employ that tactic. Anyway, I did get hired twice to provide articles to a daily newspaper in the region (both ended up front-page stories), I also accepted two writing jobs for marketing material from the local economic development office. I was hired twice to provide content regarding my congestive heart failure recovery for a medical app program. My story was also the front cover feature of a US-based medical magazine. Then there were two very unusual requests. One was from a local church that needed me to write up their history for a handout that was distributed at the final service of that church, and a local performing arts group approached me. The job they had allowed me to rely on some of my knowledge of local history and well, it should be a lot of fun once the group finishes creating the project.

And…Eight Years Later…

January marks an anniversary for me. It was on January 4, 2014, when I officially started what has since become my third career - a freelance writer. My goal at the time was to just provide content for website owners in the form of blog posts and articles. I also get asked from time to time to write product reviews or product descriptions. While I much prefer to stick with blogs and articles, I’m okay with some review work, depending on the source. I got past the point where I was more interested in certain topics when I started doing contract work early in my career. I found out quickly that there are a lot of different things that website blogs cover and I guess that is one of the things I like most about what I do - there is a variety.

Speaking of Topics

As I’ve indicated that there are some subjects I prefer writing about over others, the past year has included a lot of different ones. I write a lot about online gambling, including casino reviews, and articles concerning the legalities of online gambling in specific parts of the world. I write a lot about dentistry, with a particular focus on false teeth. I write about automotive services ranging from basic car maintenance to specific repairs. I also write a lot about home humidity, sleep apnea and the products to aid with that, cats and cat care, SEO (search engine optimization), online business development, and random things that clients need for various in-house or other projects they outsource the writing to me to handle.

Where Will 2022 Take Me?

Well, I would be happy to see much the same activity this year as I experienced last year. I also took a bit of time off here and there, so I suspect I’ll be doing the same this year. Typically, I just take a weekend here and there, but I may halt writing projects for a couple of weeks during the year to accommodate a holiday or a couple of getaways. It depends on what I am up to and how much time I need to take off. Currently, I get at least a day off each week, but since I just write half days usually, it often feels as if I have more time off per week than I do. Regardless, I know I will need a bit of time off to deal with a couple of health issues if they end up getting resolved in 2022. Otherwise, I’ll keep the pace and see where it takes me!

Technology - and COVID-19 - has created the perfect combination that has changed the way we work and where we work. Thanks to computers and the internet, working from home was beginning to trend. The pandemic forced many to remote working situations and has led to an explosion in the world of the gig economy. The word “gig” comes from the musical entertainment field where a musician or performer would be hired for an event here or an event there in the format of odd jobs. The term “gig” dates back to the 1920s when working these types of gigs, where no long-term commitment existed, became the norm for entertainers who would often travel great distances for their gigs. In today’s world, gigs are common for freelancers like me, on-demand workers, self-employed workers, and sellers.

The Pros And Cons

There is most certainly a great deal of attraction for individuals to work from home without having to fight traffic to get to the office and deal with a boss or other co-workers who drive you crazy during the day. However, as appealing as that may sound, the reality for some who look to the gig economy for employment is that it doesn’t come with some of the extras you may expect. You truly have to weigh out the differences to determine if the gig economy is perfect for you.

The Cons

I'm going to cut to the chase by first taking a look at the disadvantages of gig work just to get it over with.

1 - No Perks

Well, there are some perks, but if you are accustomed to having something like a stellar health insurance plan with dental coverage in place through your employer, that won’t be the case when you become a freelancer. Sure, you can join one of many different coverage plans aimed at the gig economy, but it won’t be the same as it will be based entirely on what you can afford.

2 - Sick Days And Vacation Times Will Now Cost You

Now that is a real bummer. But I warned you, didn’t I?

3 - Work Is Going To Be Sporadic At Times

Even with contracts in place, your weekly work schedule will never be a nine-to-five format ever again. Although that is attractive for many freelancers, for others, it’s a scary concept that translates to instability and that will impact your monthly earnings.

4 - You Cover All Your Work Costs

Remember when your work computer needed upgrading or replacing? The company you worked for took care of that for you. Once you enter the gig economy, those things disappear and now become your costs. Everything from pen and paper to computer software and printer toner will be coming out of your pocket.

The Pros

1 - You Have Greater Control Over Your Work

One of the biggest advantages to the gig economy is how much say you get with your work. I love that. You get to choose who you will work with and you get to choose what kind of work you will provide, how much you will charge for it and how long you will work per day when you will take time off, and so on.

2 - Just About Anyone Can Do It

The gig economy is not just for freelancers who either lost jobs because of COVID shutdowns or have never been able to find the right job fit. Many business professionals have opted to use the gig economy for their careers and have been very successful at it.

3 - You Get To Work With Many Different People

There is no restriction in the gig economy related to who you will work for and where they are located. Freelancers like me have clients all over the world and would never have had the ability to work with such a diverse selection of people without the internet and gig economy.

4 - It Is Easy To Get Into

There are several different freelancing websites online that are designed specifically to address the gig economy. And they are not just tools for finding work for writers, digital marketers, or medical transcriptionists. The freelancing sites online feature categories that cover all kinds of skills for workers to offer their services.

The Bottom Line

The gig economy is what has changed my life since I switched from a full-time employee/employer to a full-time freelancer. For example, in March 2021 I completed a total of 10 jobs (1 from Fiverr, all others came to me directly) which including 45 articles (33 of which were under contract). I wrote a total of 64,775 words on topics that included casinos, data loggers, RV parks, dentures, sailing accessories, humidity control, and drone services. My work came from the United States (6 jobs), Australia (3), and the United Kingdom (1). I keep saying this: if I can do it, anyone can. Maybe it is time you considered the gig economy.