More and more people these days are changing careers, fed up with all the hassles of office life whilst simultaneously no longer gaining the benefits that used to be associated with such fixed term employment.
For many, the loss of the old 'job for life' system of twentieth century office life was enough to make the downsides no longer worth it.
On the other hand, freelancing too can have its downsides.
There can be long periods of time when the idea of job flexibility in fact means no work at all.
It might be a month where you have no clients or no contracts to bid on.
And when you do get contracts, if you are a freelancer you need to have the discipline to work on your own, to a deadline and with no support.
What happens if your family needs you, or your kids want to play, or your mother is sick or the dog needs to go to the vet? Such issues, particularly for freelancers who work for home can often highlight the downsides of the freelance or contracting lifestyle.
So, it is important to take certain steps to ensure freelance success.
Firstly, freelancers should always prepare for those aforementioned lean periods by putting aside savings when the going is good.
This is important.
No matter how good a freelancer you are there will inevitably be periods when work is a bit harder to find.
So save for a rainy day.
Secondly, of course, try to make those rainy days as few and far between as possible.
Be constantly pro-active in looking for clients and contracts and always try to line up the next job before the current contract has finished.
This leads to a massive part of freelance success - networking.
For the freelance worker, networking has to become second nature.
Unlike advertising networking is free (well, almost) but it is impossible to overestimate the importance of putting yourself out there and forming relationships with people and potential clients.
This can be done in any number of ways, from online networking via forums, work provider sites, industry sites, networking sites and purpose built sites such as LinkedIn to networking events in your area and in the real world at large.
Of particular importance are local groups and organizations, (details can be found in the FSB or Federation of Small Businesses) in your area and the lunches and get-togethers that they organize specifically for networking.
At a national level freelancers should also think about joining organizations such as the Institute of Directors and an absolute must is the PCG (the Professional Contractors Group) which has over 20,000 other contractors and freelancers on its books and supports freelancers on matters of law, tax and political influence, as well as promoting the freelance community to businesses.
Once you have put yourself out there and got the job, the next thing to remember is that you are only as successful as your feedback and word of mouth.
As a freelancer you need a good reputation and it is essential not to let clients down or hand in half-hearted or late work.
This leads to the most important detail of being a success at freelancing - discipline.
However you need to organize your work, from personal organizers to computer software, you need a system that takes account of your new working life and makes the most of your time.
If you work from home make sure you have your own space and certain hours when your family know you can't be disturbed.
Always do the jobs that need doing most urgently, not the jobs you want to do.
Use the carrot and not the stick - reward yourself for getting work completed successfully, perhaps with time off or time with the family.
Finally, make sure you've sorted your taxes properly.
There are a number of ways for writing off expenses open to freelancers - it is worth using all of them.
Equally, look into the various company options for contractors which save a small fortune in tax, from umbrella companies to Employee Benefit Trusts.
Many of these cut down your paperwork and leave you to enjoy the free time your new and successful freelance employment has brought you!