How Many Hours Do Freelancers Work? [Survey results] (2024)

Freelancing is a form of self employment where individuals work according to their own schedules, as opposed to a traditional 9-5 job. With this freedom, freelancers have the option to work how ever many hours they want to in a week. In this article, we find out what the average number of freelancer working hours are per week and we also take a look at how this has changed over the past few years.

• How many hours do freelancers work per week?
  • Freelancer working hours evolution 2019 – 2024
• Factors influencing freelancers’ work hours
• Challenges and benefits of freelancers’ flexible work hours
• Unproductive freelancer working hours
• Conclusion

How many hours do freelancers work per week?

To get a better idea of how much work freelancers really put in, we asked our community to share details about their freelance working week with us in our freelancer survey 2024.

“How many hours do you work per week?”. Here are the results:

As seen above, the majority of freelancers (31%) stated that they work an average of 40 hours per week. 16% stated that they work 46-50 hours whereas 13% said they work 41-45 hours per week.

Only 4% of those surveyed said they worked less than 10 hours per week.

Freelance working hours evolution 2019 – 2024

In 2019, the average amount of hours a total of 1,645 survey participants spent working weekly was more than that of the average employee – approximately 43 hours/week.

The number of freelancers pushing themselves to work over 60 hours a week was 4% (compared with 7% in 2017).

Average freelance working hours (2019): 43 work hours a week

For a brief period, freelancers moved towards a working week under 45 hours in 2019.

Here’s a comparison graph for the data of 2017 vs 2019:

We ran the survey again in the years that followed and this is what we found:

In 2020, the average work week went up by 1 hour (44) whereas in 2021 and 2022, it went up even higher to 45 hours per week.

In 2023, however, something changed. The average work week for freelancers dropped drastically down to 40 – a 5 hour difference from the year before. This was seen again in this year’s survey where most freelancers said they worked for around 40 hours a week.

It’s obvious why work-life balance is such an important issue for freelancing communities.

Freelancing is about honing your skills and ideas, and turning them into a business – this can be very demanding.

But remember, it’s not just about working long hours. It’s about doing so in a smart way. As any freelancer knows, organizing your time and spending less time on secondary tasks is how you ensure your time is being used efficiently!

Factors influencing freelancers’ work hours

There are various factors that can affect a freelancer’s weekly working hours. These include:

#1 Client projects and deadlines

The most obvious factor that decides how many hours a freelancer works in a week is the amount of projects they have. High client demand can lead to more working hours whereas low demand can reduce them.

In addition, additional factors like tight deadlines and client demands can contribute to a longer working week.

Working hours can also depend on the freelancer in question. For example, more experienced freelancers might be able to complete tasks faster and meet deadlines well before the due date. It all comes down to how you can manage your workload.

#2 Personal work style and preferences

Differences in work habits among freelancers can significantly affect their work hours. Some of these habits include:

• Time management skills: Freelancers who manage their time efficiently can get more done versus those who tend to procrastinate.
• Work environment: Freelancers with access to a quiet, distraction-free environment can maintain focus and improve their productivity as opposed to those who might work in a busy and distracting environment.
• Regular breaks: Taking regular breaks is crucial when it comes to avoiding burnout. Freelancers who schedule regular breaks can maintain productivity and potentially reduce work hours.
• Tools and tech: Freelancers who make use of productivity tools and technology can streamline their tasks, thus reducing working hours.
• Work-life balance: Preferences for balancing work and personal time can play a significant impact on how many hours a freelancer works per week.

#3 Industry and niche differences

The industry and niche that a freelancer operates in can also play a significant part in their working hours.

For example, freelancers who work in high-demand industries, such as tech, may have more projects to work on, leading to more working hours during the week.

Freelancers working in more technical fields such as web development or engineering may also require more time to get their work done, especially considering how complex these fields can be. In contrast, those working in creative fields may tend to have more flexible hours based on project scope.

#4 Full-time vs. part-time freelancers

Last but not least, whether a freelancer works full-time or part-time determines what their working hours per week will be. Full-time freelancers typically have consistent work and higher working hours per week as compared to part-time freelancers.

What’s more, because this is their main source of income, full-time freelancers tend to take on more clients than part-time freelancers, thereby increasing their working hours.

Challenges and benefits of freelancers’ flexible work hours

As is the case with everything else, there are both benefits and challenges to freelancers setting their own work hours:

Benefits of freelancers’ flexible work hours:

• Ability to choose: The most obvious benefit to having flexible work hours is the ability to choose when and where you work. This can lead to improved job satisfaction and a sense of freedom.
• Increased productivity during peak hours: You can choose to work during your most productive hours – whether that’s early morning or late at night.
• Work-life integration: Flexibility in working hours allows you to integrate healthy habits, making for a better work-life balance.
• Improved downtime: With a flexible work schedule, you’re in charge of taking breaks whenever you want, which can help maintain mental health and improve downtime.

Challenges of freelancers’ flexible work hours:

• Potential for burnout: Setting your own work hours can make it difficult for you to separate working hours and personal time – which can potentially lead to overworking and burnout.
• Blurred boundaries with clients: Clients may expect you to be available at all times which can make it hard to maintain a healthy work schedule.
• Maintaining focus: Without a structure in place, it can be hard to maintain focus, especially if you haven’t optimized your working environment.
• Time tracking: Tracking how much time you’ve spent on tasks is crucial as a freelancer but can be a bit of a challenge without a fixed schedule.

Unproductive working hours

It’s not uncommon for freelancers to struggle with unproductive working hours. In fact, according to our survey, 47% of freelancers spend around 10-20% (approximately 6 hours per week) of their time on “unproductive tasks” such as client acquisition, accounting and customer care.

If you find yourself struggling with productivity, you can use your time to engage in activities that will help you grow as a freelancer. For example, in addition to the three options listed above, you can choose to network, improve your personal branding, work on passion projects, and more.

Check out some incredible tools that will help you manage your productivity as a freelancer

Conclusion

Being a freelancer means you get to take control of what you work on and when. And while the average freelancer works around 40 hours per week, it could be different for different people.

Factors such as deadlines, personal working habits and industry norms all affect how many hours you work per week. It is therefore a good idea to take note of your personal habits and how it may be contributing to your working hours.

What’s more, by implementing effective time management strategies and balancing your work time and leisure time, you can maintain productivity, enhance well-being and set yourself up for long-term success as a freelancer.

Get a copy of our Freelancer Study for more insights into the freelance world

How many hours do you put in every week? How do you handle the pressure? We’re here to listen if you want to share – leave your comment down below!