People who freelance for a living may have the perks of telecommuting to work, setting their own hours, and picking their jobs, but they are faced with a unique set of hurdles to overcome as well. For one, sometimes the job market only has slim-pickings for freelance projects, and then there’s also the issue of not really ever knowing your employer and what it is they like and don’t like. To top it all off, freelancing requires a lot of will power to motivate yourself to work without distraction and get the job done. If this is something you’re grappling with, here are 10 tips to circumvent the struggle and have exceptional will power:
1. Look at the big picture – Every time you have an assignment look at what is needed for the overall end product and create an outline of what is needed to reach that goal.
2. Break assignments into smaller, more manageable tasks – Once you’ve outlined what is needed for the assignment, break it into smaller tasks. Having smaller tasks will make accomplishing them more manageable then one large, looming project.
3. Set landmark goals – After you have identified each task that needs to be done, set goals for yourself. Give yourself a time frame for each task so that you have something solid to work toward.
4. Have a plan of attack – Give yourself a plan for accomplishing all of the small tasks and the project in its entirety. Having a to-do list that you can mark different tasks off of as you accomplish them will help you stay on track.
5. Actually move forward with the plan – Once the plan is in place start working. Don’t give yourself any time to stray from the task at hand, just dive in to the project and start working through it.
6. Keep yourself accountable – Set a reminder on your phone, ask a friend to check on you at a certain time, or even give the person you’re freelancing for a specific time that your project will be turned into them. This will help keep you accountable and on task.
7. Stay organized – If your work space is in a constant state of disarray it will be hard to stay focused. Keep your work space organized and free from clutter so that you can easily find everything you need and you’re free from distractions.
8. Create an environment that breeds success – Instead of working wherever seems convenient; create an office space that will allow you to focus solely on your work. Having a defined work environment will help you to stay focused on finishing your project.
9. Take regular breaks – Schedule breaks into your work schedule. If you don’t, you risk getting burned out, which can make it hard to stay on task and be motivated to finish what you’re working on.
10. Reward reaching goals – Each time you reach one of your goals give yourself a reward. It can be anything from taking a walk to reading a few chapters in a book, but whatever it is it should be something that you look forward to doing so that you are motivated to finish, but also something you can easily stop doing once it’s time to get back to work.
Having the will power to stay on task and finish projects is something that every freelancer will struggle with throughout their career. However when you approach each project with organization and direction you multiply your chances at successfully working through them quickly and efficiently.
Great Article, love to implement. Thanks giving.