It’s a curious life that some of us live. Those of you that share this life with me, you know what I mean. Early mornings, late nights, no weekends, postponed showers, quick meals – the bliss and challenge of being a freelancer.

Though, most of us choose to say that we own our own businesses, which we do. But it sounds better. But I also think that there’s a distinction for those of us that work offsite, rather than onsite. Onsite is freelance, offsite is a business. Just because the business involves one person doesn’t mean you’re a (dread music) “freelancer,” right?

Wrong. You’re a freelancer, too. I’d be willing to say that if you don’t work for someone else, you are a freelancer. There are pros and cons. For those of you thinking of going off on your own, in any field, and becoming a freelancer, here are the top 5 pros and cons, surveyed from a group of 543,645 freelancers. (Note: there is a +/- error of 543,644 on this survey.) And the desert island, top five… are:

Pros
1. You make your own hours.
2. You are your own boss.
3. Your work days are based on your schedule.
4. Your level of success is based on your level of commitment.
5. You can spend more time at home with your family.

Cons
1. You’ll need to “make” hours, because there are not enough in your life.
2. You are just as shitty of a boss as your old one.
3. It’s amazing how much you really can’t fit into your schedule.
4. Health insurance is not free, no matter how committed you are.
5. The last thing you want to do at night after being in the house all day is be in the house all night.

And the kicker? Work long enough, and household diversions start talking to you, like the one on the left. It knows my name, where I live, and how much I really want to not pick out typefaces.

What’s worse is, sometimes you, as boss, have to kick yourself, as employees, in the ass. And that sucks, because you just don’t want to do anything – sometimes. There are days when you just want to sit around in your drawers watching reruns of M*A*S*H (I have seasons 1-5 on DVD, so that doesn’t help) all frickin’ day, eating slices of fresh mozzarella right off the ball.

But I digress. The trouble is, you are everyone. And as much as you piss off you sometimes, you’re all the employees you’ve got. I need these guys, even when they fuck off. I can’t fire them. I hired these guys for three days a week and they just started showing up every day. That was four years ago.

I think I need to make a mix tape.