Do you ever find yourself in a rut? Are you sometimes unable to work as productively as you’d like or as well as you know you can? Well, fear not. We will look into some tips to help yourself become more productive.
In this current day and age, many workers are ditching full-time employment and are becoming freelancers or starting their own businesses. Among the reasons for this are dissatisfaction with their work and the desire to take (almost) all control of their work. However, some people find that without a strict working environment and the motivation of working alongside people, they become more unproductive, negating the positive effects gained from becoming self-employed.
Here are tips on how to become a more productive worker as a freelancer.
Plan your day in advance
This is really a tip for any person working. Planning your day ahead means you can start off on the right foot and not find yourself waiting around or wasting time because you don’t know what to do next. As a freelancer, most likely you will be given a project and a deadline. What happens in between is up to you and it is unlikely your client will be pleased if you are unable to produce the work due to your own inefficiencies.
It shouldn’t take much time to plan your day in advance, and it will almost certainly save you time and effort in the long run.
Create, and stick to, a routine
Try to do something related to your work, even during periods off in order to keep the momentum going. If your job requires a lot of creativity, such as writing and drawing, practicing regularly can help prevent a creative block.
Maybe you work more productively away from home, so take advantage of resources available to you. For example, co-working spaces can be great places to work and meet new people. And what is more motivating than making the most of the money you have paid for to work there? Don’t go into such places and waste time. As previously mentioned, plan ahead. If you require a room to work in, see if the space uses room booking software and book your rooms ahead online. That way, you won’t find yourself running around and wasting time searching for a free room.
Break down your tasks
By not breaking down and structuring the way you approach your tasks, you run the risk of procrastinating. Having smaller, more manageable tasks allows you to hit milestones, which will not only make you feel like you are getting more work done, but also improves the quality of work as you are better focusing on specific tasks.
As a freelancer, it is important to respect the freedom of choice of what projects you choose to undertake and when you can do them. Just remember that you must also ensure that you are as productive as you would be within a structured workplace in order to even get such choices. Follow these tips and you are sure to become a more productive worker.