Freelance work takes time and practice to succeed, and efficiency is essential. In order to be as productive as you can be as a freelancer, I have put together some tips and tricks to help you do a great job and grow your reputation amongst your client base. Read on to learn how to become a productive freelance writer.
Keep All Information Organized
As a freelancer, you’ll have a wide variety of tasks and assignments that require different research areas and knowledge. The clients you’ll need to juggle will have their own ways of working and work history that you’ll need to keep track of to ensure you produce good work that they’ll accept and appreciate.
Keep all of this information organized to prevent loss of productivity searching for your notes. Sorting through the many snippets of information will take precious time out of your workflow, and since you’ll have multiple deadlines, the time spent searching may cost you greatly. Store information in files that have specific content.
File information for clients in folders where you’ll keep past work done, helpful additions they enjoy seeing in your work, and any research you’ve come across while working with them. Make as many files as you need to make your search for information easier and keep your workday productive.
I’ve been an Evernote user for years but many are moving toward Notion, also a great option for filing and storing your research. Here is a good independent overview of the difference between the two apps.
An organized system leads to the best productivity, and a put-together file system is a great start.
Schedule your jobs
Whether you work in an office or you are a freelancer managing your time is just as important otherwise you can find yourself working stupid hours because you haven’t organised yourself properly. Use your calendar to schedule time for your individual clients taking into account deadlines and your own energy levels. use your calendar to plan your time and understand your capacity at all times. This also helps to see if you can take on more work.
Test Your Efficiency Often
It’s easy to become bogged down when you gain more clients and receive more work. Your level of productivity can be a balancing act that will take some adjustments and training to master, and testing your efficiency will ensure you continue to be a productive freelancer.
Use time-tracking tools to determine how quickly you finish certain tasks or how much work you complete in an hour. If you notice any areas of work where you are longer that you thought you would be, try new ways of working to improve your productivity. Try the pomodoro technique to hone your focus. As you test yourself and learn where you stand in your level of productivity, you’ll begin to improve, and the challenging tasks you faced before will feel easier to complete hopefully with time to spare.
create a Space for Work
Your environment greatly impacts your productivity, so ideally you should have a space where focusing is easier and you feel invigorated to work. To become a productive freelancer create a private space if you can, and exclusively use it for your work. It’s best to have a special area for specific objectives to ensure your mind swiftly transitions into work mode.
For some working in a public space helps them to focus so getting to know your local coffee shop or co working space is another option. Freelancing is one of the best jobs for van lifers, and many camper van owners find they work well close to nature as they work in productive tranquility. Create a private space away from distractions and focus use some of these tips to get your work done in the best timeframe so that you can enjoy a better balance.
