Freelancers are known for their independence and some of the pros of being a freelancer are the flexibility and the freedom of clients.

A recent study about freelancers wanted to find out whether freelancers have been overworking in the last year, how happy they are with their jobs, and if they have noticed any health issues due to overworking. The results are quite interesting. Out of all freelancers who took part in the survey from around the globe, the large majority (84%) are full-time freelancers.

59% of them say they are extremely happy with freelancing

According to the results of the study, 59% of freelancers say they are extremely happy working as freelancers. On the other hand, only 1% stated that they are unhappy with this kind of job. Moreover, one in three feels moderately happy working as a freelancer.

On top of that, 55% also answered negatively to whether they would take a full-time job offer with the same pay and flexible hours. This leads to the conclusion that there is more to freelancing than being your own boss and having the flexibility to work whenever.

85% are stressed and 59% feel the effect of overworking on their mental health

While only 1% of freelancers feel unhappy with their jobs, 85% report that it is stressful working as a freelancer. For the majority of them (49%), freelancing is moderately stressful. On the other hand, 16% find it extremely stressful. Finally, 20% say that freelancing is slightly stressful.

Stress on the job is connected to many contributors, including overworking, resources, and capabilities of the worker. The bottom line is, it can affect health, both mental and physical. The survey found out that only 41% of freelancers do not feel the effect of overworking on their mental health. Out of the rest, 29% feel an extreme effect of overworking on their mental health.

Physical health can also be affected by overworking, as sometimes workers feel tired, have backache, headache, and other health problems. Only 39% of all 2690 freelancers around the globe who took part in the survey reported not feeling any effects of overworking on their physical health. On the other hand, one in four feels a slight effect, and 23% feel a moderate effect of overworking on their physical health.

To beat the stress both mentally and physically, physical activities such as running, walking, and exercising can help. However, 46% of all freelancers said they do not engage in any physical activity. On the other hand, 17% do so every day and 36% every other day.

Despite all problems, most freelancers have enough free time

Finally, 65% of freelancers agree with the statement that they are overworking. Moreover, 51% feel like work is taking over their life. Seventeen percent of them feel like work is taking over their life extremely.

As the results of the survey suggest, freelancers are overworking, feeling stressed, and have health problems. However, 78% of them still say that they have enough free time. Also, 50% of them claim that their productivity has not been reduced due to overworking. Also, most of them (57%) work on weekends sometimes while one-quarter always work on weekends.

Conclusion

Freelancing is a type of job with many benefits, but still has a lot of challenges that need to be faced along the way. After all, so many freelancers report that they are under stress and overworking, but almost all of them are satisfied and happy with their jobs. Another positive is that they can stay productive even with all the problems along the way.