“It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?”
10-lifestyle-management-tips-for-freelancers-featured
Working as a freelancer can be one of the best experiences in the world but at the same time, freelancing can be an exhausting and sometimes overwhelming job. It can have its ups and downs, like any job and just like you’d do with any other job, you have to be able to balance out the pluses and the minuses in order to get the best results.
If something feels too difficult, that’s because there’s always a better way to do it. You just haven’t found it yet. Here are some lifestyle tips that you should consider if you are new to freelancing and want to make your life easier.
1. Don’t be afraid to outsource
A common misconception in the world of freelancing is that you have to do everything yourself. No matter how hard-working you are, you can’t possibly do everything well. By trying to cut down on costs and doing everything yourself you might end up spending more.
Remember: Your time is money!
Focus on the skills you have and do the tasks and jobs that require them and pay someone specialized in all the rest of it. A blog writer could spend four days to make a good banner for their blog, or they could hire someone to do it for them. Those days spent making the banner could have been used to write a good amount of articles. Is that banner really worth the same amount as those articles? Outsourcing is a good option to consider for every freelancer that specializes in a certain field. Do what you know best and let someone else do the rest.
http://www.mediastudieseurope.net/440/writing-is-one-medium-of-language.html
2. Use a contract when dealing with clients
Having the details of your arrangement in writing will help both you and your client. This will allow you to prevent a lot of possible conflicts. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a legally binding contract written by lawyers. You basically need to have something in writing that you can show to your client in case the lines become dull and unclear over time. You wouldn’t want them pinning extra work on you that you did not agree to, would you now?
3. Use all the tools at your disposal
Technology is a great advantage we have in this day and age that should not be neglected. Use all the learning tools at your disposal to stay up to date with any developments in your field. Follow representative figures on Twitter, follow blogs, read research and find out the latest trends. Use computer and mobile applications to facilitate your work. Usage of proper communication software can enhance your communication with your team and with your client. Making use of mobile apps such as those that allow you to better manage your time, track the hours you have worked on a task or a project is another thing you can do.
4. Work on a schedule
As a freelancer, you get to be your own boss. You are the main person responsible for your success or failure. Just because your schedule is flexible does not mean you don’t have one. Keep a calendar, a to-do list. Try to schedule your tasks in advance for the current or upcoming day. There may be variations because freelancing can be a rather unpredictable work field at times, but it’s important to have a schedule. It will assure that you stay motivated and it promotes self-discipline.
5. Keep yourself healthy
Skipping meals because you’ve had a busy day is something you’ll often be tempted to do. You tell yourself that you will eat after you finish this last task, but somehow you don’t get around to doing it in the end. Before you know it, it’s time to go to sleep, you are tired, you haven’t eaten much and you still want to finish that extra task. Take care of your health. Keep a good eating schedule and sleep the required daily amount of hours, preferably during the night. Just because you work from home doesn’t mean that you can act like you’re in college again. A big part of being a freelancer is being responsible, and staying healthy is a perfect example of how responsible you can be by taking care of yourself.
http://theyec.org/16-simple-tips-for-networking-smarter/
6. Network through social media
This is a long-term strategy that will, in the long run, yield results far greater than looking for an advertised job position. Find your targets: former clients and other freelancers in the field are perfect. Make sure all your online content is linked. Post a link to your Twitter/Facebook on your blog/website, allow your viewers to like/share/stumble the content you post. Share others’ content regularly in order to get them to share yours.
Engage in discussion with the people you network with. Join discussion forums. Networking is more than just sharing and re-sharing. A big part of it is actually interacting and exchanging opinions in order to build your online persona.
7. Take pride in your work
Be proud! You get to sit at the cool kids’ table. All jokes aside now, freelancing can sometimes be a harsh business and you will need to see the silver lining at times in order for your morale not to drop below sea level. Take pride in your work because people hire you on a project based scenario and choose to recommend you and work with you again. Freelancing is a business in which only the best survive, and you are one of them! Unlike the “normal” employee-employer relationship, your clients choose you, over and over again, for the quality of your services, not because you have a legal contract that says they have to keep you around for another 8 months unless you mess up big time.
8. Don’t let stress get the best of you
If you haven’t experienced it yet, I can tell you the stress of being “your own master” – making your own schedule, prioritizing tasks, finding new projects to work on and completing the ones you have going – is no easy thing to deal with.
Don’t schedule your deadlines too close together and try to keep some “extra” time on the project’s schedule in order to avoid being sandwiched in. Set realistic deadlines and don’t tell yourself that you “work better under pressure”. True as that might be, pressure eventually causes a lot of stress that can break your process.
http://klinikpengobatanalami.wordpress.com/2013/05/29/mengatasi-stress-secara-alami/
Continuously marketing your freelance business will take away some of the stress of having to find new clients once you finish working on a project.
Learn to deal with differences that arise between you and your clients, learn to mediate and stand your ground when necessary so that you don’t question yourself twenty times after the issue has been settled. Knowing how to deal with the various situations takes away a large part of the stress associated with them.
9. Keep morale up, stay motivated
You will have times when your morale is lower than you’d want it to be and you find it hard to gather the necessary motivation to keep working. When this happens, remind yourself why you chose to work in your field and why you chose freelancing. List all the advantages your work offers you, such as a flexible schedule, the ability to take or reject projects. Try taking up a project for the sheer pleasure of working on it, if you have the time. Engaging in work you are really interested in will boost your morale and remind you why you love your job so much.
Set goals and reward yourself for reaching them. If you feel the need to, take a vacation to replenish your energy and come back with new and improved superpowers, ready for all the challenges clients are willing to throw at you!
http://www.edsocialmedia.com/2013/04/social-media-during-tragedy/socialtalking/
10. Don’t isolate yourself
My friends always tell me I don’t get out as much as I used to when I worked in the same office with some of them. I remind myself of this and try to force myself at times and go out even if I don’t particularly feel like it. When you’re working as a freelancer, working at home, it’s really easy to get isolated from some social activities. One of the advantages an office job offers is the daily interaction with your colleagues. When your home is your office, it’s easy to forget to do small things like go out for coffee and gossip or discuss new developments in various fields of interest.
Telling yourself you will go out and “be social” tomorrow is a sure way to end up isolated from your friends. Isolation can cause depression and depression is bad for business. So don’t isolate yourself, don’t get depressed.
What guidelines do you use in your lifestyle as a freelancer? What rules do you follow to keep yourself sane and make sure that you are successful in business? Share and comment below; I am more than curious about this one!
Credit: http://www.dzyngiri.com/10-lifestyle-management-tips-for-freelancers/
Rohidas Vitthal Sanap: Web Developer/Designer 