Freelancing has become one of the most preferred career choices as you get to work from home and on multiple projects. Not only that, but most freelancers choose this career path when they have specific skills and professional capabilities that they excel at and wish to apply them. For this reason, it makes more sense to work on a project-based basis, as it gives you the opportunity to select the jobs that are more of your liking.
Being self-employed has many benefits, such as managing your work and income, as you work for different clients and businesses. However, with this role comes a great responsibility to keep yourself motivated while working from home. Creating your own schedule that works well with your working style is necessary for fulfilling your projects and remain productive.
Organizing your time and tasks well will help with your self-motivation, allowing you to work effectively and efficiently and maintain your focus.
Work on a schedule
As a freelancer, you can plan your schedule according to how complex is the project you are working on and how much it takes to complete it. Your flexibility is conditioned by how tight your deadlines are and how well you organize your work.
So, when you are working from home and on multiple jobs, it is crucial you work on a precise schedule. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a 9-to-5 or other traditional timetable. But instead, set your schedule depending on what works best for you. For instance, if you are more productive in the early morning and need to start as early as 7, this will bring the most results.
The flexibility of the job allows you to adapt this schedule according to your workload. So, as long as you have good results, meet your deadlines, and your clients are satisfied with your work, you don’t have to adhere to an incredibly strict schedule. The important thing is to create a routine to keep you disciplined, as you would in any work environment.
Communicate with clients
Create a timeline of your work and set check-in meetings with your “employer” to discuss your work and receive feedback. It is imperative to keep communicating with your clients to avoid any misunderstandings. This is especially needed when you are not employed full-time at an organization and just work on specific projects. To make sure you are driving results, it is vital you keep your client involved in the entire process.
For instance, if you are a graphic designer creating a logo for a brand, you should have various meetings to show your progress and discuss any necessary design details from an early stage in the process. This can be done virtually by sending them PDF files before the meeting, so they have time to gather their ideas.
Similarly, if you are a data entry analyst and receive a file from your client with new information, it is necessary to communicate with them. When you are processing data to update databases, you are responsible for analyzing and interpreting everything. For this reason, it is vital you keep open communication with your client. File sharing tools can support virtual communication, so if you receive PDF documents with reports, you can convert PDF to Excel. This way, you can discuss the report with your client while also doing any urgent edits or writing relevant notes.
Your work, your time
When you work as a freelancer, you collaborate with various clients. However, you are self-employed. This means that you are in charge of your time. In addition, businesses are paying for your expertise but are not your employer. So, your priority is your work and giving your best performance-wise.
As your job is to work on specific projects, you have to organize and schedule your work as well as any necessary meetings. Your clients will mostly be the ones imposing a deadline, but it is up to you to manage your time well. Therefore, in order to stay organized, you should have a clear idea of what are your responsibilities and be loyal to your business as a freelancer.
It is important to value your time and not allow your clients to dictate how you work, but rather have a well-balanced relationship. For instance, you could choose to do any short-notice changes and fulfill a client’s requirements if they are reliable. Otherwise, if you try to accommodate everyone, you might lose focus and loyalty to your business. What’s more, this could lead to disorganization and low performance.
Personal time versus work
Freelancers have to keep work and personal life separate to avoid one getting in the way of the other. When you are working from home, you can quickly lose track of working hours. However, this is not a healthy choice as you can start experiencing burnout.
So, as you organize your projects in advance to have a clear schedule of your tasks and priorities, it is vital you allocate time for a vacation or plan a holiday. This way, you will be coming back with recharged batteries and ready to get back to work. By planning your work and personal time in advance, you won’t be forced to try to fit in a break or feel guilty you have unfinished tasks.
Organize your workspace
This is an aspect that should not be overlooked. Having a well-organized space is highly needed, and it can impact your productivity. So, invest in a desk and design an area entirely for work and free from other distractions. This way, you will be able to get in the state of mind necessary to stay productive and focused on your work.
So, together with keeping a clear timeline of your projects and adhering to a schedule every day, it is equally important to have a designated work area. A tidy space will keep your mind anxiety-free and concentrated on the job. It is recommended you allocate your workspace outside of your bedroom to avoid losing your productivity and taking too many breaks.
