If you’re a freelancer, entrepreneur, or someone who’s in charge of regulating their own work output, it can be really hard to get in the groove of working when you need to.
That’s why I’m sharing my top 5 productivity tips especially for freelancers working from home. These strategies are gentle ways to get more work done without feeling like you’re forcing yourself against a wall.
1. Know when your energy is highest.
For me, my mental and creative energy is the strongest in the morning, which means I start on my daily work pretty much as soon as I wake up.
I’ve tried soooo many times to incorporate elaborate morning routines into my life, like I’ve seen online from influencers or successful entrepreneurs. The problem is, those routines don’t utilize my natural energy the best way.
For example, I go through phases where I try to exercise in the morning, and it’s great! But it throws off my whole work morning, because I used my reservoirs of mental energy on exercising (which I really didn’t need it for; I mostly need physical energy for that).
So, currently my morning routine is ultra simple. Here it is:
- Wake up.
- Lie in bed for a few minutes, letting my thoughts wander.
- Do a few yoga stretches.
- I sometimes take a 10-minute walk outside to get the sun on my skin and wake me up a bit more.
- Then I get started on my most mentally-demanding work tasks of the day.
You may be different. Your mental energy may not kick in until after you’ve had your coffee or breakfast.
Still, make sure you’re not putting off working just because it feels nice to have a slow morning.
(By the way, your mental-high-energy time will only last 3-4 hours. And that’s okay. You’d be surprised at how much you can accomplish with that amount of time.)
2. Protect your high-energy chunk of time like it’s gold.
If you can help it, don’t let other obligations sneak into your precious high-energy time. Avoid scheduling anything else during this time, and don’t let distractions creep in either!
Try putting your phone in another room, closing all tabs on your computer except one, and writing down your thoughts when your mind wanders, then return immediately to what your main task at hand is.
3. Plan what you’ll do the night before.
I don’t plan out my days extensively, but every evening, I always write down 3-5 things I want to get done the next day. That means when I wake up and start working, I don’t need to use any mental energy on wondering what I should be working on.
When you plan ahead of time, you can hit the ground running!
4. Realize the importance of environment.
In my freelance work and in my own business, I work from my laptop, usually either sitting at the desk in my office or at my kitchen table.
It’s impossible to make your environment completely distraction-free, but even simple things like putting your phone in a drawer out of sight can make a huge difference.
Experiment to figure out what environment works best for you. I quickly learned that I get antsy if I stay in a certain place for too long. Changing up my environment helps me to focus on work. Sometimes all I need to do to change my environment is to move from one side of my kitchen table to the other.
5. Allow yourself to do the work poorly.
If you’re having a hard time making yourself work, it could be that the idea of doing perfect or top-notch work just sounds too daunting. Perfectionism is the enemy that prevents us from getting started on a task and completing it efficiently.
Give yourself permission to do the first draft poorly.
Something done is better than nothing, and tidying up a rough draft is always easier than creating a perfect one from scratch.
Final Thoughts
Being productive as a freelancer working from home doesn’t have to be difficult. Try implementing just one of these tips this week to get into a groove of productivity that will work with you, not against you.
Best of luck!
