6 Easy Productivity Tips For Freelancers

0

Freelancing arrives with both ample benefits and a few obstacles to overcome. Sure, you’ll gain the flexibility that you’ve always dreamed off, but you’ll also need to learn the fine art of self-motivation if you want to stay on top. Whether it’s distractions when working from home, problem-solving an unfamiliar assignment or chasing up clients to get paid, here come some productivity ideas to help you along in the wonderful world of freelancing. 

Create the perfect work space 

 If you work as a freelancer from home, creating the perfect workspace is crucial for your productivity. You want to mentally separate your work life and home life; so it’s a good idea to create an office space that is separate from your relaxation spaces. You’ll want a spacious desk and ergonomic furniture which prevents you from obtaining injuries. Ensure that the top of your laptop or desktop computer is at your eye level as you type. Spend some time decluttering your workspace because mess can often contribute to feelings of unproductivity or stress. Some find it useful to decorate their space with motivational quotes ( this kind of artwork can certainly encourage you to keep on going)! 

Invoice organization  

 When you’re handling projects across multiple different clients, it can sometimes be hard to stay on top of your invoices. You’ll need to get organized with a strategic approach. If you struggle to organize yourself, it can be a good idea to invest in a service that handles freelance invoice management. Such services can help you with your invoice organization by allowing you to create and customize invoices quickly. You can track your payments and send automated reminders to a client if they have failed to pay the invoice on time. When you’ve lots of work to do, you won’t want to waste time allowing these tasks to eat into your project hours. 

Productivity Apps & Tools 

 As a freelancer, you’ll want to make the best use of the wide range of productivity apps that are at your disposal. Tools like Grammarly, for example, are an excellent way to check over your emails, articles, or documents for grammatical mistakes. When it comes to proofreading, we could all use a second pair of eyes sometimes! If you’re someone who finds it difficult not to get distracted during the working day you could try tools like StayFocusd. With this app, you can restrict the time that you waste on websites which are not associated with your work. If you’re not already using Google Docs, this is also a great go-to for freelancers. Your documents will automatically save so that you’ll never lose anything that you are working on. With Google Docs, it’s also incredibly easy to allow edit access or share your projects with whoever you need to. This tool is particularly useful for freelance content writers 

Plan your schedule 

  If you plan your schedule in enough detail, it’s far easier to stay on top of all of your daily and weekly tasks. Make a detailed to-do list of your tasks for the day. Your schedule should include how much time you will allocate to each task and how many breaks you will have. Managing your time properly is crucial as a freelancer, you won’t want to wing it without any planning! It’s easier to plan your day the night before so that you can get going right away.  

Make the most of your breaks 

 When you work from home, it can be easy just to take a quick break on the sofa and continue. However, if you want to increase your productivity levels, the best thing is to get out of the house for a while. Go for a walk, hit a nearby coffee shop, or take a quick class at the gym. Getting a change of scenery can help you to relax, boost creativity, and motivate yourself when you get back to your desk! 

Minimise distractions 

 It’s so easy to get distracted when you are creating your own schedule. With this in mind, remove any distractions from your workspace, including your smartphone. You can keep it in another room and make a rule that you can only access it when you are taking a break. Ensure that your coffee breaks are factored into your schedule; so that you are not taking too many breaks and procrastinating! When you work from home, it’s great to make the most of having no commute and get an early start on your work. While it can be tempting to sleep in, you’ll only get finished later!