Become a better freelancer

Nowadays, more and more people want to work on their own terms, especially with covid-19 making traditional employment too risky. That is why I want to present you with the best tips to improve your productivity as a Freelancer, based on my own experience.

It is true that working from home is extremely liberating. However, not everything is quite simple.

The main concern will be the different factors that can affect our productivity: leisure, distractions, and other surprises that can occur.

For example, working from your home office is wonderful, up until neighbors have a loud, distracting construction project going on.

And being on our own, we are our own worst enemy. Without direct supervision from a superior, we can lose track of our work. And losing track of our work means missing out on paychecks.

This is why the freelance life always is a battle of discipline and self-improvement.

Improve your productivity as a freelancer

Your work space:

A very common mistake when working from home, is that any place can become an efficient workplace. If you have the space to spare, it is better to assign a home office that’s isolated from the regular living areas. This is to avoid distraction, as well as keeping the mentality of “keeping work at the workplace” that is easily lost when working from home.

If you don’t have the space for a home office, then you need to find a place where you can work.

Get out, go to a restaurant, library or public (and safe) place where you can enjoy an Internet connection and work quietly.

In addition, there are many co-working places designed precisely for people in these situations, which can help you stay productive even if you're not in a real office. And who knows, you may even find new business partners in such spaces.

Don't settle, always look for more:

All projects generally last a little longer than we estimate due to different factors. However, that should not take away your passion to find more side gigs to accumulate more clients and dinero.

Make more demands on yourself every day, do more assignments, fix your portfolio, and even reserve time for personal projects. Improving upon yourself as a freelancer can also allow you to demand and higher rate from clients.

Always Plan Ahead:

If you plan ahead, time is always on your side. Keep a daily agenda of tasks to accomplish, and even though the freelance life can be random at times, do your best to stick to it religiously.

Change your schedule when necessary, but always respect your scheduled activities. Try not to leave anything from the day before, this will only slow down the rest of your week.

Technology is your best ally:

No matter what activity you are going to do, you will always need to be connected to other people and colleagues. Messaging apps, organizers, and other productivity tools will be your best ally in maintaining your workflows.

More than anything else, it is a good idea to sign up for a time tracking platform to keep track of your hours instead of just winging it.

Music is the perfect companion:

No matter what your taste, music will always help you find the balance you need, as well as give you energy and motivation.

From my own personal experience, I like to download vaporwave or ambient music compilations. This allows me to get in the zone to work without being too distracting or having wild swings in emotion. Metal, for example, would be way too overstimulating while focusing on work.

Take a break, you'll need it:

You're not a robot. Take time to cook, distract yourself and take advantage of small moments for yourself, clear your mind and recharge your energy.

Don't make the mistake of stopping work and starting up Netflix or your Xbox. Get away from the computer or desk. Get some fresh air, have a chat with someone, or even meditate to clear your head.

Decide when to clock out:

Just as it's important to start your day as if you were going to the office, with a routine and early in the morning, it's important to decide when to stop your routine. It isn’t normal to work random hours during the day, and stay up past midnight working on projects.

Trust me, I’ve been there. Being at home, we are responsible for our own schedule, so those who are untrained can close track of time.

Kick the social media habit:

One of the first and most constant thing we use every day is probably social media. It can be a great source of keeping up with what’s new and promoting your business, but ultimately it’s mainly about diversion and time wasting.

Unless your job depends on social media marketing, the best thing you can do is block access to social media sites during your work sessions. This will prevent them from appearing wildly on our screens to steal our concentration.