Getting Things Done When You're Freelancing Ain't Easy

We’ve all heard about the freelance lifestyle. It’s about freedom, flexibility and never having to face morning rush hour traffic again. What we don’t hear about is how when you’re working from home, it can be difficult to stay focused and get things done.

I’ve been there, trust me! But I’m here to tell you that even if you are surrounded by distractions at home (and who isn’t), there are strategies and systems that can help you stay focused on your work so that your freelance career doesn’t fail before it even gets off the ground.

This is How Pro Freelancers Work! – YouTube

Takeaways
1. Freelancing comes with its challenges, but it’s possible to overcome them and get things done efficiently.
2. Establishing a routine and setting clear goals can help improve productivity as a freelancer.
3. Time management and prioritization are key skills to master in order to stay on track and meet deadlines.
4. Finding motivation and staying focused can be difficult, but incorporating strategies like breaking tasks into smaller steps and rewarding yourself can help.
5. Building a supportive network and seeking mentorship can provide valuable guidance and encouragement in the freelancing journey.

Table of Contents

You’re Stuck In A Cycle Of Guilt And Distraction

You feel guilty because you’re not working. You get distracted by social media; emails; Internet rabbit holes; other people colleagues, friends, and family. It’s like your brain is a bucket of water and every time you think about your work it gets splashed out with a big splash!

That’s why it’s important to put up boundaries so that when you do get back into the zone and start feeling productive again, nothing can stop you from getting things done!

If you’re interested in pursuing a career as a user experience researcher, our comprehensive guide on becoming a user experience researcher provides valuable insights and tips to help you navigate the freelancing landscape in this field.

You Don’t Have Enough Self-Discipline

It’s okay, we can all learn what it means to be self-disciplined. It’s simply a combination of motivation and ability. If you’re motivated enough, you can learn to be self-disciplined.

Self-discipline is a muscle, just like any other muscle in our bodies if you want strength in your legs for running or weightlifting, then you need to exercise those muscles regularly.

You need to do the same thing with your willpower if you want it built up enough to help get things done when freelancing ain’t easy!

You’re Not Clear On Your Goals And Priorities

Are you unsure of what your goals and priorities are? If so, you might be surprised how much this can affect your productivity.

To get things done, you need to know what the goal is. You also need to know how that goal fits into the big picture of what’s important for your business or career.

It’s easy to get caught up in activity for activity’s sake and it may feel like something is getting done, but it’ll only lead to more stress and burnout if there isn’t a clear endpoint in sight.

If there are no clear-cut goals and priorities set out at the beginning of each day or week.

Then it’s easy for things like small tasks like responding to emails or scheduling meetings (which should be done immediately) to take precedence over larger projects that require longer periods of focus and concentration (like drafting new content).

Your Workspace Is Too Distracting

One of the most important things you can do to stay productive is to make sure that your workspace is a space that’s free from distractions. You want to be able to focus on getting stuff done, so it’s best if no one can interrupt or distract you while working.

If you’re in an open office, try putting up some curtains or a door so that other people aren’t looking over your shoulder at what’s on your computer screen.

You might also consider wearing headphones or even better, noise-canceling ones so that anyone who does try to talk with you won’t know what they’re missing out on by being too close by.

If there are still some distractions in the area where you work (like people chatting nearby), there are some options for dealing with those too!

One thing I like doing is turning off my phone and listening to music while I’m working; this helps me focus because I don’t hear anything else going on around me except for whatever song I’m listening to.

Another idea would be using white noise machines or apps like rain sounds since these have been shown time and time again as effective ways of blocking out other noises nearby so that we can get back into our thoughts without interruption

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You’re Afraid Of Commitment

You’re worried that if you take on a project, it won’t be done right, or someone will criticize your work and make you feel bad about yourself, or even worse: that the whole thing will fall apart before it’s finished because the client can’t pay you on time (or at all).

Or maybe they’ll just stop playing altogether! And then what happens? Do they get angry at you? Embarrassed by their failure? Unhappy with the work itself? You don’t want them to have any reason to be unhappy with your work!

Maybe they might blame themselves for picking the wrong partner/designer/programmer/writer in the first place and then next time around choose someone else instead. That would mean… no more jobs!

So why risk it when there are plenty of other people out there who want what little freelance projects exist anyway?

If this sounds like something familiar and maybe even depressing you might need some help getting over those feelings so that they don’t hold back your career as a freelancer.

You’re Bored Out Of Your Mind

Boredom is an enemy of productivity. As the saying goes, “if you want to get something done, give it to a busy person”. If there’s anything that will keep a freelancer from getting things done, it’s boredom and that can lead to a lot of wasted time and energy if left untamed.

It’s easy for freelancers to fall into this trap because sometimes when you’re bored at work, the only thing that can help is doing more work (you know what I’m talking about).

That’s why many freelancers try not to be bored in the first place by keeping themselves occupied with side projects or creative endeavors outside of their 9-5 job otherwise known as “their real job.”

But doing too much outside work can create problems: namely that it takes away time from your primary focus and unbalances your schedule. You’ll get more done if you stay focused on one thing at a time!

You’re Doing Too Much In The Wrong Order

Sure, you want to get your work done. But if you’re not careful, it’s easy to fall into the trap of doing things in a way that will only make your life more difficult. Skip the long email chains and focus on one specific task at a time.

If you’re getting overwhelmed by multiple projects, take some time to prioritize them so that each new task feels like progress toward something bigger.

If you’ve already taken care of all other items on your list (or would rather be spending time with friends), go ahead and mark things as “unfinished” so they don’t distract from other important tasks later on.

You Have No Motivation Or Sense Of Purpose

I was constantly frustrated and felt like I had no motivation or sense of purpose because my freelance business was doing so well. It was an interesting paradox: I had no reason to feel successful but was still feeling pretty rotten about myself.

So I started asking myself some questions:

What motivates me?

How can I find a sense of purpose in my work?

Is there an inherent purpose in what I’m doing now?

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You Hate What You Do

If you hate what you do, then it will be difficult to maintain focus. It’s important to always be learning new things and growing as a person, but if there are things that make your skin crawl, then it won’t be easy to find the motivation to learn those new things.

You’re Trying To Be Perfect Instead Of Good Enough

There’s a lot of pressure to be perfect, good enough, and the best when you’re freelancing. But you don’t have to be any of those things.

In fact, not being perfect enough is what makes you unique. It allows you to learn from your mistakes and grow as a person and that’s what will ultimately help make your work stand out from the crowd!

Here’s how it works: When we aim for perfection (or even just worry about it), our brains get stuck in overdrive trying to find all of the possible ways something can go wrong before we’ve even started working on it. We end up paralyzed by anxiety instead of taking action.

And when there’s no action taken toward completion… well… then there isn’t any progress made at all!

You’re Too Focused On The End Result

You’re so focused on the result, that you don’t pay attention to the process.

I’ve been around freelancers and entrepreneurs for enough years now to know that this is a pretty common mistake.

We want to get things done as quickly as possible, and we want them done in a way that makes us look good.

This desire for quick results is understandable after all, if you’re working on your schedule (and not paying anyone else), then your time frames become incredibly important.

But if you focus too much on “getting it done,” then you’ll probably miss out on some important details and quality checks that are necessary before sending work off into the world or delivering an end product.

You Think You Can Do It All Alone

Yes, you’re a freelancer who wants to prove their worth to the world. Yes, you have more experience than most people in your field.

And yes, of course, you can handle everything on your own! But unfortunately (or fortunately), this isn’t true and there’s no shame in asking for help or guidance along the way.

Asking for help comes with its own set of challenges: You might not want to bother someone with something that seems trivial, or maybe they already have too much on their plate and don’t have time to deal with yours too;

Or maybe asking feels uncomfortable because it feels like a failure like admitting defeat when all you need is some encouragement from someone who knows what they’re doing and will tell it straight up (at least until they get tired of hearing about this one thing).

And then there’s also the fear that asking for help will make them think less of you as an artist/designer/etc., which could cause problems down the road when it comes time for rehiring…

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You Don’t Know How To Juggle Multiple Projects And Meet Deadlines

So what do you do? How can you improve your time management skills and get things done when you’re freelancing?

Well, it’s simple. You have to prioritize and focus on the most important thing first. Then, move on to the next most important thing, then the next one after that. Before long, you’ll be able to say no to things that are not a priority so that they don’t ruin your schedule.

The key here is delegation. If there’s something else in the room that needs doing, delegate it!

Don’t worry if someone else will take longer than expected you can always adjust accordingly later on as long as everyone knows their role in getting everything finished on time (and with quality).

It may be hard at first but once you start delegating tasks regularly there’s no turning back!

In addition to being able to get organized enough so there’s always order within chaos(which we all know is impossible).

Setting deadlines is essential for success when working remotely or independently from others since we don’t have anyone holding us accountable except ourselves!Setting deadlines for yourself and others will help keep everyone accountable:

Make sure these deadlines are realistic based on experience; otherwise no one wins when something gets pushed back because “it wasn’t ready yet.”

Your Business Model Is Unsustainable Because You Don’t Charge Enough For Your Work!

Now that you’re working for yourself, it’s important to understand and accept the fact that your business model is unsustainable. To make more money, you need to charge more.

It’s tempting when you’re just starting not to charge enough for your work and this may be how you’ve been making ends meet up until now!

However, if your goal is to build a sustainable freelance business (and let’s be honest: if you want any semblance of stability in this industry), then pricing needs to reflect fair value from both perspectives: yours and the clients.

You may feel uncomfortable setting prices that are higher than what people are used to paying; but if there’s no way for them to pay more upfront or over time (in installments), then why should they?

Remember: The right price is one where both parties get exactly what they need from each other so everyone can leave happy at the end of their interaction.

It’s Not Easy To Focus As A Freelancer, But Here Are Some Things You Can Try If You Just Really Really Want To Focus Today

Set aside time. When it comes to your work, it’s important to set aside dedicated time during which you will be working on your project. Don’t allow yourself to get distracted by other tasks or activities that aren’t related to your project.

Make a plan and stick with it! You must create an outline or plan for what needs to get done, even if it changes later (like deadlines). This way you can see exactly where you’re going and how much time each step will take before getting started on them.

Set yourself some achievable goals! Don’t go into this thinking “I’m going spend all day writing code” because chances are good that isn’t going happen; instead try setting yourself smaller goals like “I’m going write 500 words of my novel today.”

That way all those little accomplishments add up over time instead of feeling like nothing gets done at all when looking back at what was accomplished during the week/month/year 🙂

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Conclusion

Hopefully, the list above will help you identify the underlying problems that are keeping you from getting things done. We understand that this is not easy, but it’s a crucial part of any career.

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions about freelancing:

How can I find clients as a freelancer?

Finding clients as a freelancer can be challenging but not impossible. Here are some strategies you can try:

Networking: Build connections within your industry and attend relevant events to meet potential clients.
Online platforms: Utilize freelancing platforms like Upwork, Freelancer, or Fiverr to showcase your skills and attract clients.
Referrals: Ask your existing clients or professional contacts for referrals to expand your client base.

How do I determine my freelance rates?

Setting the right freelance rates requires consideration of various factors. Here’s a general approach to determine your rates:

Calculate your desired annual income: Determine how much you need to earn to cover your expenses and financial goals.
Assess the market: Research industry standards and competitors’ rates to understand the pricing landscape.
Consider your expertise and experience: If you have specialized skills or extensive experience, you can justify charging higher rates.
Evaluate the project scope: Factor in the complexity, time commitment, and value you provide to clients when determining rates.

How should I manage my finances as a freelancer?

Managing finances as a freelancer is crucial for your financial stability and success. Here are some tips:

Set up a separate business bank account to keep personal and business finances separate.
Track your income and expenses diligently using accounting software or spreadsheets.
Save a portion of your income for taxes and consider consulting with an accountant for proper tax planning.
Create a budget to manage your personal and business expenses effectively.
Consider setting aside an emergency fund to provide a financial safety net.

How can I deal with freelance project delays?

Dealing with project delays is a common challenge in freelancing. Here are some steps to handle them:

Communicate proactively: Keep your client informed about potential delays and provide realistic timelines.
Prioritize tasks: Assess the urgency and importance of tasks and focus on completing critical aspects of the project first.
Negotiate new deadlines: If necessary, discuss revised timelines with your client and come to a mutually acceptable agreement.
Learn from the experience: Analyze the causes of the delay and implement strategies to prevent similar situations in the future.

How can I maintain a healthy work-life balance as a freelancer?

Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is essential for your well-being as a freelancer. Consider these tips:

Set boundaries: Establish clear work hours and communicate them to clients. Avoid overworking and make time for personal activities and relaxation.
Prioritize self-care: Take breaks, exercise, and engage in activities that help you recharge and reduce stress.
Delegate and outsource: If possible, delegate non-essential tasks or consider outsourcing certain aspects of your work to lighten your workload.
Plan your schedule: Create a schedule that allows for dedicated time to work on projects as well as personal commitments and hobbies.
Learn to say no: Don’t be afraid to decline projects or requests that overload your schedule and compromise your work-life balance.

Costantine Edward

Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.

Getting Things Done When You’re Freelancing Ain’t Easy