Staying Motivated as a Freelancer

It’s kind of a given that one of the hardest parts of being a freelancer is that you have nobody looking over your shoulder, telling you when and how to work. It’s also one of the best parts. Most people become freelancers because they want that kind of freedom. It puts the “free” in freelance. Okay, that was cheesy. I’m sorry. 

So, how do you tackle this challenge? How do you structure your day and stay productive when there’s nobody to hold you accountable but yourself?

I’m not going to pretend that I’m always fabulous at this, but having worked as a freelancer for over a year, I’m slowly starting to pick up habits that help me to stay focussed. And today I thought I’d share them.

To-do lists

I am a firm believer that there are two types of people in the world: list people and bad people. I mean, obviously that’s an exaggeration, but you get the point. I think lists are important.

I start off almost every day by making a to-do list and usually, while I’m writing it, I’ll get some sense of how I need to structure my day. I’ll decide what’s high priority and which things I can leave till the end of the day – the stuff I’ll only squeeze in if I have the time. It’s how I keep on top of deadlines.

I always write my list down on paper, because there’s nothing more satisfying than checking items off a physical to-do list. There just isn’t.

Timers

I’m a big fan of timers. If I find that I’m struggling to concentrate and I keep making excuses to step away from my desk, I’ll stick on a timer for 25 minutes. By forcing myself to work solidly for just under half an hour, I can usually find my flow with whatever I’m doing. If not, then maybe I really do need to take a break.

This carries me over nicely to my next point.

Blending instead of balance

For a long time, I really liked the term “work/life balance” but I’ve recently gone off it a little. It’s a bit too absolute – either your life is in balance and it’s good or it’s not and it’s bad. I’m not sure I like that. It doesn’t take into account the fact that you go through periods when you have more energy and can be more productive and phases when you need more rest.

I now tend to think in terms of work/life blending. This is something you can really take full advantage of as a freelancer. Basically, it means that instead of having a really strict schedule, you let things ebb and flow based on what works for you on a particular day. You aren’t trying to compartmentalise your life into work and personal time, you’re actively trying to blend these two things together, and that blend isn’t going to look the same every day.

This probably wouldn’t work for every type of person in every profession, but I find it works really well for me as a freelance translator. In essence, if I’m feeling really productive, I’ll work late into the evening and if I’m feeling sluggish, I’ll take some time off. I’ve let go of my image of what a perfectly balanced life looks like and I do what works and what feels good. Ironically, it usually balances out in the long run. It takes the pressure off and that’s much better for my creativity.

This is also a good way to think of things if you have an unpredictable workload. Sometimes you have lots of projects and you need to work more and sometimes you have less going on. You can drive yourself crazy trying to make your working week resemble a regular 9 to 5, but that doesn’t necessarily have to be your goal as a freelancer. You’re finding a different way of working.

Goals

Having a variable routine is fine, but to stay on track, you’ll want to think about your long-term goals. How do you want to develop your business? What are you working towards? Even if you don’t have a strict business plan, you want to have some concept of where you’re heading.

Setting goals reminds me to take part in activities that aren’t necessarily essential for the day-to-day running of my business, but will lead to long-term growth. This includes marketing activities and writing blog posts such as this one ;-) 

Giving myself something concrete to work towards and thinking about the bigger picture always inspires me to go the extra mile and that tends to pay off in the long run.

Client Focus

There’s nothing quite as motivational as an impending deadline. Often the main thing driving me forward is my desire to do a fantastic job for my clients. When you genuinely care about your work; you want to do it well and on time. One of the things I love the most about being a freelance translator is that I have much more control over what I translate. This means that I can pick projects that I’m genuinely passionate about and content that I’m excited to translate. There’s no better motivation than that.

So, there you have it. Those are my tips for staying motivated as a freelancer. I’m sure that there’s still more to learn, but I’m excited to forge my own path. I wish you the best of luck on yours.