As the global economy remains turbulent an increasing number of people are turning to self-employment to allow them to continue to bring in an income, whilst working on their own terms doing something that they love. As a freelancer, however, there is the real risk that work/life boundaries become blurred and any benefits from being self-employed are lost.
Time is money
This is one of the most important things to remember as a freelancer. This means that your priority must be your clients and to ensure that you meet all the necessary deadlines. Managing time effectively can be difficult, and there are admin tasks that whilst necessary can be time consuming for a novice. This means that many freelancers would benefit from outsourcing these tasks to an expert; it may seem counter-intuitive to spend out on admin assistance, but if the person you are outsourcing the task to can do your admin quicker than you, for less than your hourly rate, then it actually makes perfect financial sense.
Efficiency is key
When running a small business, which is what you are doing as a freelancer, the best thing you can do is to make all of your business processes as efficient as possible. Look for a small business software that is fully integrated to allow you to offer the best customer service possible, whilst saving you time.
Set goals that you want to achieve on a daily, weekly and monthly basis and never underestimate the importance of planning in order to reach these goals; it might take time to plan your day’s or week’s activities but, especially when you have numerous clients, planning what you are doing and when is vital. This will make you more productive, ensure important deadlines aren’t missed and ultimately make your working hours more effective.
Time out
It’s very easy to get caught in a cycle of working during every free moment, particularly if you are working from home, but this can lead to burnout and make for a very inefficient freelancer. Be sure to set aside time each day when work is strictly out of bounds – no matter what the reason for just sneaking an hour’s work in! Taking time out, and feeling refreshed, will ultimately increase your productivity during your working day.
Being a freelancer will offer you freedoms and possibilities that are not possible whilst being employed; and managing your time, and working processes, effectively can mean that you will experience all of the benefits of freelancing, with none of the downsides!
