Freelancing is tough. When you don’t have a boss breathing down your neck, it can be difficult to motivate yourself to work at a fast pace and maintain the level of quality that your clients crave. Sure, your clients are your bosses, in a manner of speaking; but they do not manage your time, dictate the amount of effort you put in, or decide when you can take breaks and vacation.
Only you can decide these things, and if you find yourself too distracted or harried to get to everything you need to in a day’s time, you need to adopt these five methods for increasing freelance productivity today.
- Get up and get to work. One of the perks of freelancing is not having to be “at work” at a specific time every day. However, many of the most successful freelancers I know do just that – get to work at the same time every day. I like to be at work by 6 a.m., which means that by noon I’ve often tackled my major tasks for the day and can spend the afternoon replying to e-mails, pushing a marketing initiative or meeting with clients. That also means that the occasional 12- to 14-hour day doesn’t seem so bad, because I’m still off work in time to enjoy the finer things in life.
- Work on what you loathe first, what you love second. This is even difficult for me to do. When I’m working on something I don’t particularly enjoy my pace slows despite the obvious fact that the faster I work, the sooner I’ll be done. Some freelancers say that when they plow through what they dislike first, it drains all of their creativity and they can’t focus on what they love. I also tend to feel that way, so sometimes I find it helpful to take a break midday to recharge. You don’t need a nap; just a change of scenery for an hour or so.
- Track your earnings every day. At the end of the day, nothing is more satisfying for a solo freelancer than to see that he or she has met his or her compensation goal for the day. Conversely, nothing motivates more than to spend five hours at a computer and realize you’ve only made $50. If you want to make $500 a day, track your daily work/payment, and you’ll see what it will take to get there.
- Shut everyone out. Many freelancers work at home, which is a double-edge sword. It’s great to be able to go to work in your pajamas, but it’s not so great when your spouse or children constantly barge into your office with trivial “needs” that could wait until you get off work. Remind your family that you are living your dream and that you need your privacy while you’re at work. If you can’t get it, then you might have to re-enter the traditional workforce – and they won’t be able to visit you at your downtown office, either. Lock the door while you’re working, and only open it for emergencies (and maybe lunch).
- Outsource the mundane. If you hate bookkeeping, outsource it to a firm that can do it for less than you. Hire a virtual assistant to bid on jobs for you or to send invoices to current clients. If these services cost you $10 and hour and you charge your clients $50 an hour, it justifies having others do the work. You’ll make more money, and you’ll be more productive if you can concentrate on what you really love to do.
Big Ben image use Creative Commons License via WikiMedia.
