In our economy many workers are taking their profession into their own hands. Becoming a freelance or self-employed designer may have been your dream from the beginning. However, unlike working in an office or a cubicle, freelance working can be quite difficult to keep on track. With so many distractions, lack of inspiration, or just all around procrastination, you may find yourself lacking the results you are expected to provide. Therefore, here are some tips on how to increase productivity.
Set Your Goals:
Without a boss breathing down your neck, you might find it hard to keep yourself on pace. Setting goals is an important part of any project. As a designer, your clients expect your designs to be completed in the time-frame you quoted. Therefore, setting step by step goals will help you achieve this. Don’t just write a deadline on the calendar; try setting small goals that will lead up to the final outcome.
Avoid Interruptions:
One of the dangers of working outside of an office is the possibility of constant interruptions. Between people coming to the door, the phone ringing, and the distractions of things around the house, you may find it hard to work uninterrupted. The best solution is to use discipline and treat your project as a job.
Stay Inspired:
When you work from home and look at the same 4 walls everyday it is sometimes hard to stay inspired. With many projects seeming monotonous, you will need to find ways to keep your creative juices flowing. Visit your favorite sites to pull inspiration from, take a break and take a drive, or walk around the neighborhood. Do whatever makes you feel inspired to create.
Exercise:
Many work at home jobs, including freelance design, requires hours of sitting and constant use of your computer. This can take its toll on your energy levels. Be sure to plan a workout during the day in order to keep your energy up and stay productive, the sluggish feeling will only deter you from completing your projects on time.
Get Dressed:
One of the advantages of working at home is wearing what you want. This includes working in pajamas. However, your comfortable clothing may be stopping your productivity. If you find you are too comfortable and don’t feel like working, get up in the morning, take a shower, get dressed and take your short commute to your home office. This will give you more of a professional feel to your at home office and you will find you are more productive.
Don’t Stress:
If you have deadlines quickly approaching and you are falling behind, don’t stress. Thinking clearly will help you complete your project much easier than making mistakes as your stress and rush. Take a deep breath and collect your thoughts. Organize what is left and give yourself a tight but possible timeline. If you have to skip watching your favorite TV show, then so be it, that extra hour of calm productivity is better than the rushed haste of stressing out while working.
There are a lot of benefits of being a freelance web designer and working at home. No commuting, flexible scheduling and no bosses can prove to be appealing. However, if you are not treating it like a job, find it stressful, or are lacking motivation, make the small changes to be more productive and meet your deadlines.