7 Easy Changes to Make to Help You Stay Productive as a Freelancer

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I don’t know about you, but I’m the kind of writer who always has a billion tabs open on my internet browser at all times. I try to convince myself that this chaos is simply my version of multitasking. These millions of tabs are a perfect representation of my mind. “Million tab brain” is how my brain feels when I let my productive habits start to slip, and I’m sure you can relate on some level. 800 things started, but nothing accomplished.

In my time as a freelance writer, I’ve found that staying productive can be a lot harder than it sounds at times. My productivity levels definitely ebb and flow each day for one reason or another. It’s harder than you may think it is to be your own boss. As your own boss, you’re accountable to yourself to get the work done.

I’ll go to bed with the perfect, most productive day planned out in my head for the following morning. But then wake up to find that all of that motivation drained out of every last molecule in my body.Mind you, this doesn’t occur every night…THANK GOODNESS. I don’t want to imagine where I would be in life right now if I woke up every day on empty.

BUT, this does happen sometimes because I am human after all. I’ve found ways to counter this drained of all motivation state that tends to happen on occasion.Whether it’s a morning thing and you find yourself wanting to just sit on the couch scrolling through social media like a zombie until noon. Or just an afternoon where you find yourself hitting a wall and feeling just unable to continue on with your To-Do list and feel productive.

These tips I’m about to tell you will help you get over and sometimes even avoid this wall we freelancers sometimes hit.

Slacking off definitely feels great while you’re doing it. But not hours later when you start to regret not getting your butt in gear and the anxiety kicks in. Or the next day when you find yourself grinding out the previous day’s To-Do list. On top of what you need to accomplish that day.

This is what I aim to help you eliminate so that you can be more productive. I want you to be able to get up every morning feeling like you can conquer the world. Followed by you going to bed each night feeling like you did in fact conquer the world, and then some.

Stay Productive by Tackling One Small Goal at a Time

Your To-Do list may come off as intimidating, but if you can break it down into smaller milestone goals you might find it easier to tackle throughout your day.

I do this a lot and it really helps me to get my momentum going and keep it up.

If you’re constantly thinking about the whole list and alllll of the things you need to do, you’re going to get nowhere. If you’re anything like me, this just causes anxiety and a near paralysis state

This might just be me, but once I reach a small milestone on a goal I’m compelled to keep going and surpass the next milestone.

It’s a tactic I use in more than just running my freelance business. Breaking my goal down into a few smaller goals has helped me with weight loss and fitness goals too.

For instance, the other morning I gave myself the goal of deleting at least 500 emails by 10 am. My inbox has gotten a little out of control lately and needs some attention. I managed to reach my goal of deleting 500 emails rather quickly and it felt good to see the number of emails in my inbox drop so much so I kept going. I did another 500 and felt even better.

Start with the Task You Least Enjoy

We all have that one task that we dread taking care of and usually put off as long as humanly possible. Could be anything from shredding junk mail to hanging up laundry.

There are so many other tasks I would rather be doing than folding or hanging up laundry. I would rather stand in line at the DMV for an hour than put away my laundry…is that awful?? But really though. If you’re anything like me, get that laundry done first. Get the most dreaded task out of the way first, and just get it off your list. you’ll thank yourself later.

“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” – Mark Twain

So if your freelancing Do-To list includes tasks like writing out some emails, creating some social network posts, whatever your least favorite tasks may be, put them first on your list.

If it Takes Less than 10 Minutes To Do, Just Do it

This mindset has literally changed my life and productivity levels over the past year.

In retrospect, I can’t believe how incredibly lazy I was, putting off small tasks that take 10 minutes or less of my time. My productivity levels increased tenfold with this mindset. This is something you can also keep in mind when getting your least favorite task out of the way first.

Tasks like reading and replying to emails, updating a blog post, or maybe just something menial like emptying the dishwasher before diving into my next writing project.

Block Out Your Time to Increase Productivity

The goal of becoming a freelancer or entrepreneur is to become your own boss and work from home. This means you are giving up the 9-5 structure or any sort of work time frame that is set for you.

As annoying as the 9-5 life can be, there are benefits of working under set time frames. The great thing here is that as your own boss you can set your own office hours. New freelancers may think “that’s silly, I’m my own boss now! I do what I want!”

That’s just the thing… YOU set YOUR OWN office hours, according to a time frame that works best for you and your productivity levels.

Setting your own office hours are beneficial to both you and your clients. This could be choosing to work 8 am – 2 pm 4 days a week, or if you’re a night owl, 5 pm to 11 pm 3 days a week.Whatever it takes to get into your own work groove and be happy with your business.

Giving yourself structured work hours puts you in the mindset of “I need to complete these tasks by 4 pm.”. Instead of “Eh, maybe I’ll just finish this tomorrow. Not like I’ll fire myself.”

Having set “office hours” is also great for your relationship with clients. They won’t be bugging you on your “days off” or after office hours. Your time is your time when you create office hours. Rather than letting work overlap with your own personal time.

Working from Home Doesn’t Mean You Have to Work AT Home

I love to take my work with me to a coffee shop or other local cozy spot for a nice change of scenery. Preferably a place that serves coffee. I mean, how else am I supposed to stay in a productive mindset?? Being able to sit outside is also a plus.Some days I just pack up my “office” and head on out to Starbucks or Panera Bread. Once there, I make one of their tables into my office for a couple of hours. I just throw my noise-canceling headphones on, grab my coffee, and I’m off.

Some days I feel 100x more productive when I’m someplace else rather than at home at my desk. Probably due to the lack of distractions in a coffee shop. No cats, no house chores…just me and my work.

Find a Routine that Works for You

I love the routine that I’ve created over the past few years. I can honestly say it has me looking forward to getting up in the morning to start my day.

Having a routine that I forged on my own has really helped to keep my productivity levels super high every day. This is especially important as a freelancer who works from home. It is vital to staying productive. It’s basically like having a to-do list that’s on autopilot.

Taking away the need for any intense planning for your day ahead. You just go to bed and wake up refreshed and ready to go. I absolutely love my morning routines. I have one for the days that I work at the hospital, and one for the days I am home writing.

My writing day routine looks a little something like this. Generally, I wake up sometime between 7 and 8 am. (I didn’t say your routine had to include you waking up at the crack of dawn.)

First, I say good morning to my cats, get some coffee going, and do some tidying up that I don’t want to think about once I’ve sat at my desk to work. Once my chores are done and coffee is in hand, I head “into work.” Other things I include in my days are a light jog in the morning or evening, as well as some tv/movie time on the couch to unwind, and some reading before bed most nights. It would be every night, but some days working at the hospital I just get totally wiped out and pass out on contact with my pillow.

Your routine is up to you. Make it as struct or lose as you want! Move tasks around if you need to, but the point is to have a good routine rhythm in place. This will help you to keep productivity levels at a maximum at all times without burning you out.

Make Time For Yourself Everyday

This is one of the most important things you should be doing for yourself each day. Making time for yourself is something that must be worked into your daily routine. I mean, isn’t that the whole point of becoming your own boss? Having more time for yourself, and not trading the hours of your life to do work that doesn’t bring you joy or give you the time to live your life?

Self-care or at least one self-indulgent activity should be a fixed task on your daily to-do list.Physical activity is also a non-negotiable activity in the majority of my daily routines as well. Preferably an outside activity if the weather allows it.

On a bigger scale – weekly or monthly basis – I make sure to work in some of my favorite self-care tasks. These things don’t need to happen every week or every month even. But, when it’s time for my nail appointment I make sure to make time for me.

A burnt-out nurse or writer is no good for those who work with. Productivity levels tank when you don’t put yourself first. The same can be said about being a nurse. This self-neglect can lead to a ripple effect that then affects patients or client’s negatively as well.

The moral of the story here is, you’re only as productive as you set yourself up to be. The older I get, the faster time seems to zoom by each day. This is why in order to stay productive I have learned what works for me and stayed consistent with it. While also keeping my mind open to trying new productivity tactics.