Stay motivated while freelancing

Posted by Antonea Nabors on February 16, 2009

Being freelance is tough ain’t it? Working in the comfort of your own home in your pj’s with the television on and taking a break whenever you want… sounds nice doesn’t it? Surprisingly, working from home is tough! If any of you are like me then you know that working in the comfort of your own home is nothing short of a horrible distraction!

I think freelancing is a beautiful thing. I love being my own boss and not having to be anyone’s boss. Freelancing is a test of self-motivation and it is not an easy thing. It is important to know how to freelance successfully and these are just a few things I do to keep myself motivated to stay on task when working from home.

Set an alarm. Monday-Friday I have an alarm set to wake me up roughly around 8:00am. I find that waking up early as if I am going to an office job helps me stay focused and allows me to start working on any projects I may have by a decent hour.
Morning routine. After I am up and awake I like to shower, enjoy a nice breakfast, get dressed, and make sure that I am sitting in front of my computer promptly by 9:00am.
You need a desk. Many freelancers have laptops, and working from the couch with their laptop on the coffee table is effective for them. I find it much easier to sit down at my desk with my computer and papers in front of me. Sitting at a desk opposed to the couch or the kitchen table makes me feel like I am actually at work and because of that it motivates me to work!
Contact your clients. By staying in touch with your clients day to day it lets them know that you are thinking of them and you are currently working on their project. This really helps me because I want to give my clients 100% satisfaction. Contacting my clients gives them hope that their project is in the works and that pushes me to work harder and finish up projects to keep them happy.
Allow yourself short breaks. Designing for long periods of time can damage your creative flow and strain your eyes, so allow yourself a short 15min break every couple of hours. I like to take a break from my work by doing little mindless hobbies such as reading some of the blogs I subscribe to, looking through inspirational and funny images on flickr, and checking my social networking profiles. By the time I am through with my break I feel reenergized.
Limit your phone and television intake. Those day time talk shows can really suck you in! I find it distracting to work with the TV on because that is not where my focus should be. I try to cut phone conversations short during my work hours. It really messes with my work flow to find myself yapping away for 10min and then when it is time to continue working I can’t remember where I left off.
Make a production sheet. Around 5 or 6 when it is quitting time for me, I like to type up a quick list of where my stopping point for the day was and where to begin when I wake up in the morning. This gives me a sense of accomplishment and helps me start my following day off quickly.

These are just some things that I do day-to-day to keep myself on task. Not all designers are all over the place like I am. I am definitely a designer who needs a set schedule in order to be and feel productive. What do you do to keep yourself motivated and on task when you are freelancing?

14 Comments

On February 16, 2009 at 5:40 pm Will Ayers wrote:

I found these tips very helpful when I take my computer home on a Thursday or Wednesday to work at home for the rest of the week and possibly on the weekend. If I just get up and not get ready for the day and plop down on my computer it is really hard to be productive. Getting your self ready as if you are going into an office to work really helps you stay ontop of things and not start thinking “Well it is 2:00pm, maybe I can go play xBox for an half an hour”. Next thing you know you are on the xBox all day

On February 16, 2009 at 9:51 pm Antonea Nabors wrote:

I know what you mean. All the temptations of being at home just taunt you. Haha. If I didn’t get myself ready for the day I’d feel really unproductive and lazy. It is good to feel like you are getting ready to actually do something. Luckily I don’t place xbox, but if I had a wii that might be a different story! Haha.

On February 17, 2009 at 2:14 am WilhelmR wrote:

Some great tips! I don’t freelance full-time, but i’ve got something that helps me break out of the routine. Move the furniture, move the desk you work on (far away from the tv of course ).

The change of scenery feels good sometimes, that spot on the wall can make you go crazy after a while, LOL.

On February 17, 2009 at 4:05 pm sufer ryan wrote:

damn homie, i need to freelance in florida. shit is sucked dry out here.

On February 18, 2009 at 6:37 pm Will Ayers wrote:

oh ps, that picture of the coffee cup def. needs some coffee in it

On February 18, 2009 at 6:38 pm Ty Dennis wrote:

Nice list of items for staying motivated. Although I’m only part-freelance and have to work a 8 to 5. Some of the items on the list I currently do. 8am, not right now. Let’s try 5am. One day, One day.

On February 21, 2009 at 10:57 am Mike Oliver wrote:

My top five things I learned after my first year working from home F/T is:

Get up early and take a shower just like you had a day job, it really makes you feel better about getting started with your work day.

Leave your house for lunch, even if I make a sandwich at home, I’ll go eat it down at the beach. Spending all that time in your place can make you go insane.

Exercise…there’s no excuse anymore when you are on your own schedule, and it gives you energy and gets your creative juices flowing.

Open your windows…I am an A/C junkie….but something about a fresh breeze coming in and hearing nature outside your window makes the work day better.

If I am on downtime waiting for ad revisions or files from a client, or simply not busy that day, don’t just sit at your computer for the sake of it toying on the internet. Use that time to get away from your computer and focus on other things in life.

On February 21, 2009 at 6:15 pm Antonea Nabors wrote:

Awesome tips Mike. I really like the tip about exercising. Since I have been working from home I actually go to the gym less. I had a routine at my office job. Work, gym, cook, relax, bed. Since I’m free to make my own schedule I haven’t been able to incorporate exercise into my schedule smoothly. Hopefully I will get into the swing of things soon.

On February 22, 2009 at 5:05 am Rob MacKay wrote:

it is hard work… especially with kids who come home at 3pm, normally just as im really layin down the design/code hard… lol

I need a sanctuary…

On February 27, 2009 at 9:12 pm ProjectCenter wrote:

This could not be more true, but I think nothing beats getting dressed. It helps from getting depressed as well.

On April 7, 2009 at 8:47 pm Andrew Houle wrote:

Really nice article Antonea! It’s so important to schedule yourself, otherwise productivity and creativity go way down.

On April 28, 2009 at 9:58 pm Adrianne Barba wrote:

Nice article. Although I’m not freelance, I do run solo so have the same issues. Tips that have worked for me:

1. I have a friend who runs his business solo; every morning we email each other our ‘to do’ list before 9am. Helps to be accountable to someone else as well as yourself, and stops you feeling so isolated.

2. As well as a daily ‘to do’ list, I have a two weekly calendar schedule print out that I schedule work and meetings into daily (broken up into 2 hour time frames) so I can see the big picture and not cram in too much stuff. Make sure to leave buffer space for the inevitable unexpected!

3. Schedule breaks outside of office (check PO box, get lunch in park, exercise etc). Stick to the schedule!

4. I spend between 8 – 9am making a juice or tea, scanning new emails, organising to do list/schedule and then browsing the net – I schedule in this time, otherwise I get too distracted during the work day.

5. I give myself fortnightly & monthly billable hours targets and keep these numbers in view.