The freelancing journey is a lonely, often rocky one. We like to think of ourselves as our own bosses with the freedom to choose projects and set our rates.
In reality, we have ‘clients’ who dictate what to do, how and when to do it. Even when we are the experts, they are always right.
24 hours a day doesn’t seem enough. Dedicate eight to sleep, two to Twitter (nobody calls it X, Elon), and the remaining 14 seem to be slipping off. We are constantly battling tight deadlines, balancing work and life, and a tiredness that never seems to disappear.
A craft we once joyed in can quickly exhaust and suck the life out of us. Frustrated with the grind, many burn out, others opt for the safety net of traditional employment, and only a few soldier on.
Those who do periodically search the internet for ways to stay productive as a freelancer. Like you.
Now, I am in no position to tell you what to do (who is?), but I can share with you what I do– since it seems to be working, for now.
1. Reboot
Look up ‘how to fix an overheating computer’, and your browser will recommend switching it off and giving it a few minutes before rebooting.
We are not computers, we are way more powerful than they are. Yet, we don’t care for our bodies nearly as well as we do the machines.
When I begin to ‘overheat’, I switch off. Overheating for me is when I can no longer concentrate, when I notice the quality of my output diminish or when my body starts to overheat, literally.
It is a signal to close my laptop’s lid and switch from work to home. I stroll around the neighborhood, buy groceries while at it, and try new recipes once I’m back.
How long should you reboot? Anywhere from a few minutes to a few weeks. There are no rules to it. Honestly, take as much time as you need to get back to your best. Nothing else matters.
2. Ask For More Money
Money is my biggest motivator, and I’m sure it is yours too. We freelance because we love our crafts, but it would also be nice to pay rent using it.
Back in the day, I’d juggle five to six clients. The supposition was that the more the clients, the higher the earnings. True, but it also meant working twice (if not thrice) as hard.
I am a lazy dude, yet the pursuit of money kept me going late into the nights. I’d overlook everything, including my health and relationship (dating a freelancer is hard), to finish one more article. If it wasn’t about work, it didn’t matter.
Like the overheating computer, I crashed, and miserably for that matter. It took months to work my way back up.
Nowadays, I do one or two premium clients maximum. Premium denoting good pay. My writing skills are decent, and I believe I deserve a certain rate for it. Clients who appreciate my work will pay. Good riddance to the rest.
Ironically, I make way more than I used to while working way less. I channel the extra time to personal projects, like this blog (since you are already here, why don’t you check out my other posts).
The rest is for sleep and wondering how weird Dwight Schrute was.
3. Break Bad Habits
In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear gives four laws on how to break a bad habit. He says;
- Make it unattractive.
- Make it difficult.
- Make it unsatisfying.
Take yours truly, for instance. Like most freelancers, I’m addicted to social media; YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, you name it. 30 minutes into my work and I’ll wander off to other tabs to see what the creative world has to offer.
How do I deal with this problem? First, I make it invisible. Cold Turkey helps block my access to social media during work.
Next, I make it unattractive. As a mindset change, I occasionally remind myself how much more I can achieve if I shun social media.
Then, I make it difficult. Before work, I log out of all my social media accounts and at times, go a step further to delete social apps from my phone. In the likely event that I will disable Cold Turkey, I’d have to re-install the apps and log in to my accounts again. Seems like too much work to even fathom.
And finally, I make social media unsatisfying. Nearly impossible, but doable. I reward myself for staying off social media.
An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
4. Consistency
Consistency is the secret nobody tells you of. It’s what separates the contenders from the pretenders. Those little strides you take every day set you aside from everyone else.
There is power in showing up, in putting up the work and believing in yourself– even when nobody else does.
It’s difficult at first, but with time and consistency, everything becomes easier. You get used, addicted even, to sitting for hours, switching between tabs, and immersing yourself in work.
Hitting the publish button on my blog is normally my best moment. I rest at night knowing all my sacrifices have finally paid off.
Keep On
Freelancing isn’t easy because it was never meant to be. Otherwise, everyone would be doing it. The secret is to find joy in the journey, not the destination.
Productivity doesn’t mean giving 100% every day. Some days you change the world, other days you change the bedsheet. Both days are equally important.
