Working for yourself comes with a lot of temptations, especially if you work from home. There’s a tv, website after website, and even housework to put before your actual freelancing work. Plus, when you need to do all your own marketing, accounting, and the actual work, it’s easy for your work day to get derailed. You’re the boss of yourself, and you need to hold yourself accountable.
Here’s one way to organize your day as a freelancer.
Set Up to Five Goals
Instead of having a never-ending to-do list, try creating one that only has five items on it. Five is a manageable number of things to do, and as you cross each off you’ll gain a sense of accomplishment that will propel you to do the next item.
If you finish all five items on your list you can move on to more things. But start with five and hone your work habits to make sure you can get five done first.
Have a Start and End Time
When you have a regular job you have to be in the office at a particular time, and you usually get to leave at a particular time. One of the big perks of freelancing is that you now get to set your own hours.
Whether you start work at 6 am or at 11 am doesn’t matter. What matters is that you set and keep a regular work schedule. Know when you are going to work and when you are not and you’ll get more done.
Block out Distractions
Again, working for yourself comes with a lot of distractions. Do everything in your power to block yourself from them. If that means working in a coffee shop so you don’t end up in front of the TV at home, fine. If that means using a browser extension to block yourself from certain websites, fine.
Protect your time. As a freelancer time is a money, and you need to make sure you can pay your bills at the end of the month.
What you do each day matters. Day becomes months, and months become years. Don’t lose your time or your money by having a low-grade system of work for yourself. Organize your freelance day and you’ll be able to be happy and productive as a freelancer.
