By HR World Editors
A happy worker is a productive worker, and it's hard to find a happier lot than freelancers. Whether they're entrepreneurs, Web workers or something in between, freelancers enjoy a better lifestyle than their cube-dwelling brethren.
Time
Contrary to popular belief, freelancers and other people who work at home don't sit around watching talk shows all day. There are, however, a few perks that come along with having a flexible work schedule.
Time is on your side: If you charge an hourly rate, clients aren't likely to drag their feet on the details you need to get the job done. Compare that with office workers, who often have to wait for information to funnel through various bureaucratic channels.
There's a two-hour wait? That's OK, I'll bring my laptop: Errands that might require office workers to take an extensive lunch break or half day out of the office can be turned into productive work time for freelancers.
You can work through lunch and get done early: Eating lunch at your desk is slightly less depressing when you're at home, and it saves time.
Squirreling away "me time":You can load up on work now so that you can do some serious relaxing later.
Meetings about nothing: Corporate workers are often required to attend time-wasting meetings — like quarterly sales reviews or monthly team meetings — that are scheduled to happen whether the employee is needed or not. Freelancers may need to attend meetings with clients, but they're easier to control.
You can shop when the store is empty: By adjusting your schedule, you can go shopping without dealing with crowds.
Opting out of a daily commute saves time: The average commute is about 23 minutes each way, adding up to almost an hour each day that you could be doing something better.
"Sure, anytime between Wednesday and Friday is fine": Waiting around for the cable guy doesn't take time out of your life if your office is at home.
You can work when you're most productive: When you work at your peak hours, you can save time in efficiency.
