With more than 100,000 freelancers logging into our WorkStation platform every day, we’ve had the privilege of working with some of the most talented, hard-working professionals in the world. Together, they’ve completed over 130 million tasks, helping position OneSpace as an industry leader in the on-demand talent space.

Andrew, one of our most dedicated freelancers, has played a critical role in this achievement: he recently completed his 500,000th task on our platform. Reaching a milestone of this magnitude doesn’t happen overnight; it takes focus, commitment and discipline.

We reached out to Andrew to learn about his experience working with OneSpace, and he shared some tips for other freelancers about maintaining work-life balance and finding inspiration in the daily grind.

Why do you freelance?

Andrew: Freelancing provides the freedom to work on your own terms and your own time. Life is about a lot more than work. For many people, life doesn’t line up with a traditional 9-to-5 job. The flexibility of freelancing allows professionals to pursue their passions and still pay the bills.

Why do you freelance with OneSpace?

Andrew: OneSpace removes the frustration from the whole process so freelancers don’t have to spend countless hours searching for jobs. OneSpace’s interface is user-friendly, making it easy to see available projects. The amount of work that goes into setting up the tasks for freelancers is tremendous. Instructions and rules are well-documented, and there are detailed examples. If a question arises, emails and forum posts are responded to promptly. Knowing the expectations up front allows freelancers to act confidently and work efficiently and effectively.

What is your background, and how did you start freelancing?

Andrew: When I first got into freelancing, I was working as a musician. The consistency of work just wasn’t there, so I looked for other jobs that I could do on my own schedule. I forget where I read about it, but I learned that you could make money doing microtasks online. I was curious. I dipped my toes in and pretty much immediately pulled them right back out. I was overwhelmed. For a year, I would occasionally look at the sites that I was signed up on and it never really clicked. Eventually, I found a task tagging clothes for OneSpace, or CrowdSource at the time. The instructions were clear and fully fleshed out, and I took the time to learn everything there was about the job. A couple of years later and I’ve completed half a million tasks for OneSpace.

What do you do to stay inspired?

Andrew: It’s the little things that can help keep freelancers inspired. Aside from important goals like making sure rent and bills get paid, it’s fun to set smaller goals such as having enough to buy movie tickets or go out with friends. (And OneSpace is great about prompt payment!) On a more creative note, I’ve been known to set out a bowl of M&Ms and reward myself with one after a certain number of tasks.

How do you maintain work-life balance?

Maintaining work-life balance is often the biggest challenge with freelancing, because freelancing blurs the line between work and leisure. While at home, it’s too easy to wonder what kind of work could be done. Too often, “could” becomes “should,” and all of a sudden a freelancer is working more hours than he really wants to. It takes discipline to balance work and life.

Andrew’s tips for OneSpace freelancers:

• Take breaks before you need them. It’s too easy to work yourself too hard, especially when one of your favorite tasks is available.
• Take care of your posture, your hands and your wrists. Computer use isn’t necessarily kind to your body, but there’s a lot you can do to stay healthy.
• Learn everything about tasks. Read the instructions at least twice. Keep them open in another window or tab and consult them regularly. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.