挣钱与渴望：自由职业者的特质

                
                你有了笔记本，舒服的拖鞋，你开心地不必刮脸（或者化妆）了。可是，等等，你适合在家工作么？
本应该两星期之前开始写这篇文章，而事实上我现在才开始。我没法放开另一个项目来给这篇文章腾出资源。我得雇个好的经理人来随时监视我的工作。不过，我的老板——呃，她是个不错的女人，不过她也过分纵容自己，效率不高，而且与世隔绝。她当老板的好处是：我能在这样的公众场合羞辱她而不必担心丢掉我的工作。我是个自由作家——你该明白了，我的老板——就是我。
各种各样的自由职业者——设计师，顾问，程序员，治疗师——都面对一个合理利用时间的问题。我们当中许多人辞掉工作，正是因为我们无法忍受别人强加给我们的日程安排。当我们远离干扰，不牵扯进公司政治，也毋需依赖同事的时候工作得最好。我们具有独奏家一般的精神。
不过，这并不意味着这种人不需要培养适合与自由职业的性格特质，或者不需要避免在截止日期来临之前忙于家务。有些人并没有选择自由职业；而另一些人，则在自己做买卖之前，需要仔细考虑考虑他们的脾气和习惯将带给他们的挑战。
Fisher Rock人才管理咨询公司的合伙人之一，心理学家Daniel Fisher说： “一个在结构化的环境中无法工作，又喜欢自己做主的人会是个好的自由职业者。”不过，自由职业者必须能忍受孤独。
据Fisher说，自由职业者需要有，或者想要有的最重要的特质是信心。“当你是一个团体的一员时，你可以隐匿其中。可当你是个自由职业者的时候，你就是独自奋战了，你得自己把它搞定。”
自信也是自由职业者必须要碰到的一项工作——自我推销当中很关键的一点。顾问Pamela Slim（《逃离小格子》一书的作者）说：“你得能说服别人，让他们觉得你值得雇，否则你就没有足够的生意来让你坚持下去。”当你被拒绝的时候，这种对自己能力的自信会给帮你渡过难关。“如果你跟一个客户的关系不好，或者投机失败，你也不用怪在自己头上。”
抗干扰是个几乎同等重要的能力。当我在打这篇文章的时候，有几件事情试图吸引我的注意力：水槽里的脏盘子；老妈打电话来问我，既然“没工作”，干吗不多上她那里去几趟；以及当我送三岁的孩子去幼儿园的时候，他留在我头脑中那挥之不去的印象——他皱着眉头，浑身颤抖，跟我说：“妈妈，我只要跟你呆着。 ”
打工的时候要坚持干活很容易——因为你可以指望其他人。Fisher说：“在办公室里，你周围有很多工作等着你做。”而在家的时候，有很多工作之外的事情等着你：看闲书，洗衣服，刮腿毛，吃零食，上网，打盹等等……
我让自己休息一下来刺激自律性。不过我也好奇：那些最成功的自由职业者是否都具有军人一般的意志力？“如果把意志力比作肌肉的话，那么有些人天生就跟施瓦辛格一样，有些人则不然。”，卡尔顿大学心理学教授Tim Pychyl说。不过，他也说，就好像负重训练可以锻炼肌肉一样，即使是意志力薄弱的人也能增强之。生活中某些方面的一些小动作就可以帮你在其他方面提高：连续两周保持良好的心态可以帮助你拒绝停下工作，吃块甜饼休息一下的诱惑。
在家上班的话，一贯坚持拖拉的人会发现不再有每周例会来催他们，以免项目给无限期拖后。然而，Pychyl不认为这些人不适合自由职业。他辩称：“事实上，自由职业可能是治愈拖拉的一剂良方：当你完全自主，并做对你来说有意义的事情的时候，你更有可能把工作做完。”
《拖拉：你为什么这么做，以及现在能对它做些什么》一书的作者之一Jane Burka（另一位是Lenora Yuen）说，要避免拖拉，一贯这么干的自由职业者必须认清自己的恐惧——你也许是害怕项目太难，又不愿求人帮忙；或是为了给自己做不好找到借口，你总是给自己最少的时间来完成项目。——要是再有一两天时间，我会做得十分出色；又或者——你可能不相信——你自己激烈反对强权——即使你自己是做主的人也如此。如果你很容易就觉得被控制了的话，那么赶进度的压力会让你觉得和失去自主权没什么两样。 Burka说：“表现你独立的一种办法就是拖拉，即使你是反抗自我也是如此。”时刻提醒自己，实际上完成工作才能给你自由——彻底摆脱闹钟，人力资源讨论会，甚至穿鞋的自由。——Amy Rosenberg
 
怎样当自己的老板：
你是个自雇人士；那现在就从你的明星雇员身上攫取更多利益吧：
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      找人帮忙：你可能是个金点子大王或是能工巧匠，不过如果记账或者推销不是你的强项，那就找个专家吧！如果资金不充裕，那就找个有抱负的学生：他会努力工作，而且收费合理。
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      认真一点：你不工作就不挣钱。因此，Tim Pychyl建议，当你碰到一个让人畏惧的工作的时候，别沾沾自喜。“不要马上就感到满足。当你觉得没有激情的时候，你就会更努力工作下去。”
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      算好时间：如果你很焦虑但效率低下，那就找一件可以15分钟之内完成工作开始做。为了管好你的进度，预期一下一个项目要多久完成，然后仔细记下到底用了多少时间，然后从两者的差别中学习。
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      把目标转换为行为指标：Jane Burka说：模糊不清的目标实现起来很困难。别跟自己说“活得井井有条”，改成要求自己清理干净桌子或是把文件都归档。别设定个“多争取点客户”的目标，改成要求自己花一个小时给生人打电话吧！
 
自由职业者有话说：
最让我分心的是：
因特网，它就跟黑洞一样。我一个又一个网站，一个又一个链接地浏览。等我发现的时候，四个多小时已经过去了。——插图画家Vela
我的家人和朋友，他们觉得既然我在家，我就没在工作。——程序员Mike
 
我用这样的办法保证我专心致志：
把自己当成个打理自己生意的老板，而别当成自由职业者。我养成了不在周一到周五参加社会活动的习惯。如果这周我不忙，那我就把时间用来找生意。——作家兼编辑Kathleen
晚上睡个好觉，远离咖啡因和糖。当用Photoshop的时候，放点摇滚乐当背景可以激励我。——网络制片人Cara Lynn
 
我最怀念上班的时候是：
当我回忆起那些不用干活，四处聊天还拿工资的时光的时候。——网络顾问Aaron
当没人送我生日蛋糕的时候。——喜剧演员Jessi
 
——摘自《今日心理学》杂志，2009年5-6月号
英文原文：
Earnings and Yearnings: The Freelance Personality
You've got your laptop, you've got your comfy slippers, you've got a gloriously unshaven (or un-made-up) face. But wait—are you home-office compatible?
I should have started this article two weeks before I actually did. I couldn't let go of another project long enough to start calling sources for this one. I needed a good manager to keep me on track, but my boss—well, she's a nice lady, but she can be overindulgent, inefficient, and reclusive. The upside is that I can insult her in public like this without having to worry about losing my job. I'm a freelance writer, you see. My boss is me.
Freelancers of all sorts—designers, consultants, computer programmers, therapists—face the challenge of managing their time wisely. Many of us struck out on our own precisely because we can't stand the idea of others imposing a schedule on us. We work best when we're free from interference, office politics, and dependence on colleagues. We have the solo artist's spirit.
But that doesn't mean such people don't have to cultivate freelance-friendly traits and fight a tendency to get pulled into family or household duties while on deadline. Some people are simply not cut out for the freelance life. And others should carefully consider the challenges they'll face—given their temperaments and habits—before setting up their own shops.
"A person who has trouble working in a structured environment and who likes to be in control would make a good freelancer," says Daniel Fisher, a psychologist and a partner in the talent management-consulting firm Fisher Rock. Consequently, however, freelancers must be able to tolerate isolation.
The most important trait a freelancer should have or be willing to hone, according to Fisher, is confidence. "When you're part of a team, you can hide within it," he says. "As a freelancer, you're the one on the hook. You have to be able to pull that off."
Self-assuredness is also crucial for one activity that freelancers absolutely must engage in: self-promotion. "Unless you can convince others that you're worth hiring, you won't get enough business to keep yourself going," says Pamela Slim, a consultant and the author of Escape from Cubicle Nation. And that same belief in your abilities will serve you well when you face rejection. "If a relationship with a client doesn't work out or a venture fails, you need to not take it personally."
Nearly as important is the ability to shut out distractions. Several competitors are fighting for my attention as I type this: There are dirty dishes in the sink. My mother just called to ask why I don't visit more often since I "don't have a job." And I can't shake the memory of my three-year-old's face when I dropped him off at preschool—he frowned tremblingly and said, "Mama, I just want to be with you."
Staying on task at a "real job" is easier because you're accountable to others. As Fisher puts it, "In an office, there are cues to work all around you." At home, there are many cues to do everything else but work: read, finish that laundry, shave your legs, snack, surf the web, take a nap…
I give myself breaks to reward spurts of self-discipline. But I wonder: Are the most successful freelancers blessed with military-grade resolve? "If willpower is like a muscle, then some people come into the world like Arnold Schwarzenegger and some don't," says Tim Pychyl, a professor of psychology at Carleton University. But, Pychyl says, as with weight training, even self-control weaklings can strengthen their willpower. Small steps in one area of life can help improve other areas: Practicing better posture for two weeks might make it easier for you to resist halting your invoice upkeep for a cookie break.
At home, die-hard procrastinators will find no weekly meetings to keep them from putting off projects indefinitely. But Pychyl doesn't think they should rule out freelancing . "In fact," he argues, "freelancing could be the absolute cure for procrastination. When you have autonomy and you do things that are meaningful to you, you're more likely to get the job done."
To avoid self-sabotage, procrastinating freelancers must identify their fears, says Jane Burka, co-author, with Lenora Yuen, of Procrastination: Why You Do It, What To Do About It NOW. You may be afraid a project is too difficult, but embarrassed to ask for help. Or you may leave minimal time to complete an assignment so that you can assure yourself that it would have been brilliant—if only you had had an extra day or two. Or, believe it or not, you may be lashing out against authority—even when you are technically in charge. If you are quick to feel controlled, the pressure to meet deadlines can be tantamount to losing your autonomy. Says Burka: "One way to assert your independence is by procrastinating, even if the person you are rebelling against is yourself." Keep reminding yourself that finishing your work on time will in fact keep you free—free from alarm clocks, HR workshops, and shoes .—Amy Rosenberg
 
How to Boss Yourself Around
You've hired yourself; now get the most out of your prize employee:
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      Get Help. You may be a brilliant idea-person or craftsman, but if bookkeeping or client outreach just isn't your forte, enlist experts. If money is tight, get an ambitious student to pitch in for a modest fee.
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      Suck it Up. The buck stops with you now, so Tim Pychyl recommends that you "refuse to give in to feeling good" when facing a dreaded task. "Avoid instant gratification; it can help you dive in when you're feeling stalled."
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      Time Yourself. If you're anxious yet unproductive, pick a task that can be accomplished in just 15 minutes. To better manage your deadlines, predict how long a project will take to finish, and then scrupulously record how long it actually takes. Learn from the discrepancy.
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      Translate Goals into Behaviors. Vague ends are hard to achieve, says Jane Burka. Don't aspire to "get organized"; plan on clearing off your desk or making file folders. Don't make "get more clients" your aim; resolve to spend one hour making cold calls instead.
 
The Self-Employed Sound Off
My biggest distraction is…
The Internet. It's a black hole. I go from site to site, and link to link, and before I know it four hours have passed. —Vela, Illustrator
My family and friends who think that because I'm home I must not be working. —Mike, Programmer
My trick for staying focused is…
Thinking of myself not as a freelancer but as running my own business. I make it a habit not to socialize on weekdays. If I don't have a busy week, I devote that time to "business development." —Kathleen, writer and editor
Getting a good night's sleep and staying away from caffeine and sugar. And a little rock music in the background can be motivating when working in Photoshop. —Cara Lynn, Web producer
I really miss the office when…
I think about all those idle hours spent socializing that I used to get paid for. —Aaron, Web consultant
I run out of birthday cake. —Jessi, Comedian
-- From Psychology Today Magazine, May/Jun 2009
PS：這次不是我翻譯的