Freelancing is one of the best career choices you can do. When you freelance you are your own boss, you get to choose your own hours and keep the money you bring in. When you freelance, you will no longer need to ask for a holiday from your boss or a pay rise!
That said, when you freelance, it’s down to you to motivate yourself and continuously put yourself out there to bring in more clients. If you aren’t constantly hustling and trying to bring in new business, your income could dry up which could become an issue.
So how do you be more productive when you are freelancing? There are so many ways. For one, having a co-working space can be very beneficial, instead of working out of your home. Two, using a CRM system can help you plan your week and three, allowing yourself to have a break to stop the chance of you burning out.
If you are a freelancer and are looking to be more productive, keep reading our guide for a few tips to be more productive and run your business more effectively.
Use a co-working space
Working from your home can be beneficial on certain days (such as when the weather isn’t nice, or you are expecting a delivery) however when you are working from it every day, it can reduce productivity. When you sleep in your home, relax in your home and work from your home this can get too much. To be more productive, try using a co-working space that is based near you. By working in a co-working space, it can feel like you are going to the office and allows you to meet other like-minded people who are also freelancing, like you.
Use a CRM system
You may have used a CRM system in the past as a lot of major companies use them. A CRM system is very beneficial as it helps you plan your week out. You can plan your tasks throughout the month, set deadlines for them and collaborate with others. By using a CRM it reduces the chances of you missing tasks as well as missing deadlines set by your clients. When looking into CRM systems you will find there are many to choose from. Because there are so many, it can be worth trying a few out, before settling with one, this way you know you are using the one that’s best for your requirements.
Allow yourself to have breaks
It’s important to have breaks, no matter the type of worker you are – freelancer, business owner or an employee. If you don’t allow yourself to have breaks you run the risk of burning yourself out, which will lead to you having to take time off, which will affect your productivity. Having breaks gives you a chance to refresh your brain which can help spark new ideas that you can work on when you come back to work.
Set a routine
Routine helps in many ways. A good routine can help with your fitness, a good routine can help your mental health, a good routine can help your family life and a good routine can help you be more productive when you are freelancing. By having a routine, you will find yourself being more consistent with what you do. When being more consistent, clients will value the work you are producing as well as know you are reliable. By being reliable, they will hopefully refer you to their other clients which will help you grow your business and bring in more clients.
If you want to help yourself have a constant routine, you should ensure you are doing the same things regularly. For example, ensure you are getting up at the same time each day and starting work at the same time. Having a to-do list will help your routine as well as setting small goals that you can be proud of when you achieve them.
We hope our guide has given you some inspiration on ways to be more productive as a freelancer. What works for one person, may not work for another, therefore, it’s important you try a few tactics to see what works best for you.
Are there any tips that you would like to share that can help people be more productive when they are freelancing? Which of the above tips do you think is most effective? Is there anything missing in our guide that you think we should be adding? Let us know in the comment box below, we look forward to hearing from you.
