Productivity Tips for Freelancers

As a freelancer, you’re an entrepreneur who is running a business entirely on your own. While you are providing a service to your clients, you also are your own finance, HR and IT department, meaning you have a lot on your plate daily. You don’t get a steady paycheque and need to stay continuously motivated to ensure that you succeed in your freelance career. With no set hours, managers, or bosses to encourage you, it’s crucial to find ways to work as productively as possible and remain focused.

Here are some tips to help you work more efficiently and effectively to achieve success while maintaining a work/life balance.

Choose a work zone

As a freelancer, you have the freedom to work from anywhere you want, but certain places should remain off-limits. Avoid the temptation to work from your bedroom, or sitting on the couch, since your brain associates those areas with lounge time. You will find it much harder to work effectively when you’ve got the television in front of you, or there is a temptation to take a nap. Additionally, couches and beds are not conducive to good posture, so it’s essential to sit on a chair with more support.

If you’re working from home, set up a home office, even if it’s just a desk and chair in the corner of a room. When you sit down, your brain will switch into work mode, allowing you to work more productively. Even better, renting office space Belfast, or working from a co-working space will feel more like going to work, and help you separate home time from work time.

Create a work schedule and stick to it

Try to structure your day as similar to regular work hours as possible. That doesn’t mean you have to work from 9am-5pm. In fact, the bonus of freelance work is that you can choose your hours based on when you work most effectively. If you work the best in the morning, you might want to start working at 6am, but finish up by 2pm. Alternatively, if you’re a night owl, you can sleep in and begin your workday at noon, finishing at 8pm. Regardless, set yourself a schedule and make sure you stick to it.

It’s easy to burnout as a freelancer and end up working late nights due to procrastination and unproductive days. Having a set schedule that you stick to every day will allow you to mentally start and finish your day at the same time, and help you relax when you finish your day.

Avoid distractions

Distractions are the bane of any freelancer’s existence. It’s so easy to get distracted, especially when working from home, and since you are your own boss, you can end up wasting hours doing unproductive tasks. At home, it can be tempting to turn on the tv, do household chores, interact with other members of your household, and just generally lounge around. The best way to eliminate those distractions is by working outside of your home, in a shared office space.

Even when working in an office space or coffee shop, you may still find yourself being unproductive by browsing the internet on both your computer and your phone. It’s essential to avoid distractions as much as possible, such as by setting your phone to “Do Not Disturb” during your work hours. It also helps to put your phone away somewhere, so you can’t even see it, since that in itself can be distracting.

On your computer, use apps like Momentum, which pop up every time you open a new tab in your browser, reminding you of all your daily tasks. It will help to prevent your from needless browsing when you’re supposed to be working. Another way to reduce distractions is to set yourself up for success as soon as you reach your desk. Have plenty of water handy, make yourself a coffee, stock up on snacks in case you get peckish and have an extra layer of clothing in case you get cold. Having everything you need at your desk will prevent you from having to get up to get anything.

Do your most challenging work first

Always prioritize your daily tasks and aim to get the most challenging stuff out of the way first. If there is something that you know will be challenging and time-consuming always put that at the top of the pile. If you tend to push these tasks to last, you will feel the weight of them on your shoulders all day long. Getting them done first will help release stress, and make the rest of your workday much more pleasant.

Additionally, you will have the most focus and energy when you first start working, meaning that you will be more motivated to get more demanding tasks done than at the end of the day. Make a list the night before of everything you need to tackle in the day so you can wake up and get straight to work.

Reward yourself

Using a rewards system is proven to be useful in a variety of applications. You tell your kids that they will get a chocolate bar once they clean their room, which will motivate them to get it done right away. An athlete gets a medal for winning a competition, which helps them push through when they are struggling. The same goes for working as a freelancer. You will be much more motivated to smash through your work if there is a reward waiting for you at the end. Give yourself small rewards for hitting milestones throughout your day, and larger rewards at the end of big projects.

Some examples of this could be a yummy snack once you complete 3 hours of work or an ice-cold beer at the end of your workday. If you’re working on a large project, you could reward yourself with a massage at the end of the month, or a day out golfing. Whatever it looks like for you, giving yourself small rewards will hugely boost your productivity, and you deserve it for all your hard work.