Many people choose to be freelancers instead of working the classic 9-to-5 working hours. Freelancing has many advantages over the traditional way of working. It gives you the opportunity to work for global companies, expand your contacts, gain experience that will bring you a lot of knowledge and skills, and so on. But freelancers often have trouble organizing their working hours and it happens that they stay at home all day and sacrifice their social life.
Freelancers plan their time and schedule their responsibilities and can be said to be their own bosses. Also, they should not communicate with colleagues they do not like, there are no distractions, no small talks that irritate… In fact, all the time and attention is focused on work tasks. But sometimes this way of working can become monotonous and boring, especially if you are constantly at home and do not use coworking space solutions.
But even when you organize your working hours yourself, you may be subject to distractions, such as walking your pet, preparing lunch, checking notifications, and other defocusing activities. Can you overcome this challenge? Of course, if you manage your responsibilities and leisure time properly. How to do it? Follow our tips and we guarantee you will succeed:
1. Have working hours
Working hours mean that you have a routine that you do every day. Our advice is to determine the optimal time to start working and to stick to that schedule. Make a routine that reminds you that it is time to start your responsibilities. Feed your pets, make coffee and start working. Make a plan of which parts of the home are for work and which are for rest. Do not mix them with each other, so that the bed and the bedroom do not become your office.
2. Optimize the whole process
Keep track of all activities, efficiently count working hours and keep track of money earned. If you check here, you can find a functional tool with which you can keep a track of all your work responsibilities. This way you get a clear report on all your completed tasks. Find the right method to integrate workflows and manage productivity tools. You can also easily export a recovery report.
When the workflow is digitally optimized, you will be able to improve your productivity in every possible way.
3. Eliminate distractions
Notifications from social networks, messages, calls, TV, all these phenomena can be a defocus from work tasks. It is best to get rid of all of them, at least during the hours you work.
You have probably noticed that even with the slightest defocus, you already lose an hour reading tweets and other updates on social networks. Although it may seem like a naive and mundane activity, it is really detrimental to your productivity and you may have to work longer hours than necessary.
4. Create a to-do list, but don’t forget to take a break
Even in traditional workplaces, to-do lists and occasional breaks work perfectly, and it will be good to practice if you are a freelancer. If you can take breaks, use them to freshen up, eat, get some fresh air, but also check your to-do list once again to see if there is a change in priorities.
All these little things can affect your productivity, but also make you more efficient at work.
5. Always keep in mind why you do these things
Motivation is needed in the moments when you think you are working too hard. Sometimes it is difficult for everyone to continue with work responsibilities, but remember that you have a bigger goal than that. This will motivate you to make a better schedule of responsibilities, but also to be inspired. Be positive and never forget that you are doing much better than the people around you. The advantage of freelancing is that you are able to organize yourself, but we all know that it can be really hard and boring. That’s why it’s important to never forget that you are doing this for a higher purpose and that you are doing better than you think.
6. Learn how to recognize what is a priority and what is an urgent task
Many freelancers do not know how to prioritize tasks. The first thing you need to do is determine if something on the list is urgent to complete as soon as possible. If there is no such task, you need to move on to the priority tasks. If there is still no priority tasks, then start completing them like it’s listed on your to-do list. Then you can move on to simpler tasks. You will be amazed at how effective this method actually is, so you will sometimes have more free time.
7. Manage your time successfully
Follow the schedule you made and of course, remove the distractions. This will bring you peace and create excellent working conditions. Learn to love your job, even if you work for many different clients at the same time. Many freelancers like to be quiet while working. Create perfect working conditions and thus you will successfully manage all activities during the day.
Avoid multitasking, because that way you will no longer be organized and focused on tasks. Learn to turn down an offer, because no matter if you are a freelancer, you must know how to say “no” to responsibilities that do not suit you.
Conclusion
The future of work and professions already includes freelancing as an integral part of the organizational structure of companies. They are already opening freelance jobs and are open to working with freelancers around the world. This gives you a great opportunity to work with companies from different professional profiles. This will help you maintain professionalism, but also all work habits. Even if you decide one day to return to the classic way of working, the experience as a freelancer will be what will give you an advantage over other candidates. That’s why it’s worth the effort and resources in this concept. Find the optimal way to work and continue your success.
