5 Productivity Tips for Freelancers
At some point in your journey of working for yourself — or working remotely — you’ll notice that you’re having a hard time staying focused and productive. And, more often than not, its caused by how you work.
As freelancers, we tend to follow the “all or nothing” rule, leading us to burnout and stress quicker than others. We also tend to tie our value in with our business and forget that we are, in fact, separate beings.
This list of productivity tips for freelancers will help you start separating yourself from your business and find more joy and peace in what you do.
My Top Productivity Tips for Freelancers
Approach this with a “take what you need” mindset! Not everything will ‘match’ your vibe or feel right to you, and that’s okay. These are some of the routines and practices that have helped me and my clients be more productive in our businesses — they all might help you, or only one!
#1. Take a Break
Before you think, “Obviously,” I want you to take me seriously. You have to take breaks from your business and work before you burn out — not after. Recovery takes so much longer than prevention!
And no, I don’t buy into the BS that small business owners can’t take a vacation. You can, even if it needs to be modified (like a weekend staycation).
#2. Add Self-Care Into Your Routine
We’re not lumping vacation into self-care today (mainly because vacation can be self-care, but it’s not the only self-care). Self-care for entrepreneurs and freelancers involves focusing on your mental and physical well-being inside and outside of your business.
Really dig deep and listen to what your body needs for you to get your work done and do it!
#3. Create Systems
If you don’t have systems, automation, and SOPs in your business, you’re doing too much work. You should not be manually booking your calls and sending reminders, you should not be manually accepting inquiries via email; you have to be setting up systems to support your business and allow you time away from it.
#4. Find What Works Best for You
Remember how I said you might not enjoy every productivity tip on this list? It’s because you have to find what works for you. Knowing your tendencies and trying different things is the best way to determine what works (and what doesn’t). I also recommend learning more about your human design and embracing some techniques and practices.
#5. Practice Grounding Techniques
I know we would all love to go on vacation or even take a weekend off from our business and client work, but sometimes, it doesn’t work out like that. There’s work to get done and deadlines coming quickly. In situations like this, where you’re starting to feel overwhelmed and a little out of touch, I recommend practicing grounding techniques.
Taking a few moments to ground yourself can improve your productivity (but it’s not a replacement for true prevention or recovery unless practiced regularly).
What’s Next? Improving Your Productivity
Please, please, please, do not think everything is solved after doing something once. You may have temporary relief from burnout, feel super productive, and knock out your to-do list, but it won’t last!
You have to work your productivity ‘hacks’ into your routine to get the best results (and be more consistent in your work).
Did you try any of our tips? How did it work for you? Let me know in the comments down below!
