With the rise of freelancing, more professionals are balancing their schedules to include side-hustling and independent contracts. While most freelancers are used to juggling multiple projects, deadlines, and clients at once. The transition from a 9-to-5 job with one set boss to freelancing can be jarring at first, too. Of course, there’s also no need to panic! There are plenty of helpful tactics you can rely on when you’re trying to be an ultra-productive freelancer.
Here are 7 Smart Ways for Freelancers to Boost Productivity:
- Set your schedule
It is important for any freelancer to set a schedule for themselves. Otherwise you may find yourself working late into the night or skipping lunch breaks. This can become unhealthy and unproductive very quickly!
Create a To-Do list
To help with this, we recommend you take an hour or so every week and plan out your week ahead.
This will allow you to see what projects need attention, as well as leave time slots open if anything comes up unexpectedly (like clients calling with last-minute work).
If you find that sticking to this schedule is difficult, try making it more concrete by printing it out and putting it somewhere where you’ll notice it often (such as above your desk).
Set a reminder
You could even put a reminder on your phone/calendar so that reminders appear every day before starting work. Planning your daily tasks can help boost productivity. It will ensure that your energy is being spent on the task at hand and not the other way around.
- Communicate with clients
Communicate with clients and coworkers to avoid confusion or miscommunication.
You are not a mind reader. Do not expect clients and coworkers to know what you need from them unless you specifically tell them. Communication is the key to success. It’s how we avoid mistakes, get things done on time, earn more money, and get more work in the future.
Communicate about details
With a task on hand, you must be aware of all the requirements. It’s a good idea to communicate with the rest of the team to acquire the data you need. Also, when working on big projects, make sure you ask the client for a detailed project guideline or brief. It should specify how they visualize the end product.
Lay an outline right when you receive the guide. It’ll help you figure out if you need more details. You may as well begin working at a later time. That’s okay.
Communicate clearly
Similarly, when discussing projects with your coworkers or teammates: be clear about what’s expected of each person, who’s responsible for completing certain tasks, and when they need to be completed (and verify those deadlines).
Having a working device and a good Wi-Fi connection also helps to ensure interrupted and clear communication with clients.
You can make sure you have a strong Wi-Fi connection with WIFI security using VPNs like ZoogVPN. It is the most affordable VPN out there, which provides a safe and secure Wi-Fi connection to help and safeguard your communication flow with the clients.
- Outline projects
Outline projects thoroughly before starting. It is a great way to organize your thoughts and set realistic expectations for both yourself and the client or employer.
Outlining a project can be tedious, but it’s worth it in the end because it will make you more organized, help you stay on track with deadlines, and keep you from wasting time on unnecessary tasks.
- Train your brain
Train your brain to work efficiently. We all know that when it comes to productivity, our brains are the most important pieces of equipment. However, few of us take the time to train them properly. With a brain training app like Brain Evolution, you can retrain your brain and improve your focus level. This is especially useful if you struggle with staying focused on one task or keeping track of time.
Doing exercise
The best way to train your brain is by doing exercises that challenge it differently .
For example, an exercise might ask you to remember simple shapes while being timed and tested against others around the world with similar skill sets as yours based on their scores from previous tests (so long as they opted-in). This keeps things interesting while helping improve concentration levels over time through repetition and reinforcement—as well as having fun at times!
- Schedule breaks and time off
It’s essential to take time off. You need to take a break from work and juggle multiple projects because your brain will get tired, and you won’t be able to focus . If you’re working too much, it can also hurt your productivity in the long run.
It’s good to give yourself time off from work so that:
- You can relax after working hard on something or if you’ve been stressed out about things for a while.
- You can do the things you enjoy (like learning new skills or reading books) or need to do (like taking care of errands).
- You get some free time so that you can spend it however you want!
- Take care of yourself
Get enough sleep
Getting enough sleep is essential to being productive as a freelancer. When you sleep, your brain recharges, which helps with focus and attention span during the day.
Set an alarm
If you struggle with committing to a regular bedtime schedule, try setting an alarm on your phone that tells you to go to bed at a certain time every night (or morning). That way, if you wake up early in the morning feeling energized and ready to work but know that it’s still too early (and yes there will be times like this), then just put off starting until later in the day instead of trying so hard when all we want is another hour or two of sleep!
Get exercise regularly
Working from home doesn’t mean working from bed! You may think taking breaks by sitting down for lunch at home is fine, but research shows that getting up and moving around helps increase productivity levels immeasurably.
- Plan ahead
You can plan to help you be sure you’re getting all the details right. Planning is vital for all types of work, but it’s especially crucial for freelancers who have to do everything themselves. Planning helps you visualize the task at hand and keep the big picture in mind. This means you can avoid missing steps or forgetting things that are essential to completing your project (or making a profit!).
Takeaway
Overall, I hope you’ll be able to take away from this article that there are a lot of smart ways for freelancers to boost productivity and to make sure you’re working as efficiently as possible. By planning and taking small steps, you can help ensure that your work will be done properly, on time, and without unnecessary stress on yourself or others.
