It has been almost 6 months since I have moved to the small mediterranean island with my family. I remember the moment when we made our decision. We didn’t know what, when and how. We just made up our minds and now we are living on a really small island known as Gozo. For the past 4 years I have been earning my money as a freelancer and meanwhile trying to make a breakthrough with one of my projects.
In those years I have realized that freelancing is not such an easy job as many people think. You have to have self-control, focus, motivation and always keep yourself up to date with the latest technology, especially if you want to be on top. And keeping everything together and organised is quite hard. That’s why I have made this list of tips I have learned in the last few years, that are helping me keep on.
1.You’r not on vacation and you have to be aware of that. We didn’t live near the sea before and going to the sea was always a holiday for us. That’s why changing the mind-set from holiday mode to working mode is really important when you try to live in the paradise. And you have to do it by yourself — people on those places won’t help you because they have different kind of mentality which is something like — just slow down and enjoy your life.
2. Make yourself a constant daily routine which will help you get into the productive mode. I usually search for a place with good internet speed, air condition and most importantly — good coffee. And when I find that kind of place, I make it into my office :) I always pick the same table and have similar routine because I found out that if I don’t have to deal with the small decisions I have more will-power for bigger things that actually matter. At Gozo I found my place at Coffee Break — perfect place for freelancers like I am :)
3. Find people with the same mindset or try not to be “the smartest guy in the room”. You can always find people with similar interests — and when you live on a small island, that’s even more important. Otherwise your motivation will slowly fade away and you will fall into an empty space of doing nothing.
4. Keep up with your progress, no matter what you are doing. I found out that the best way to achieve that is by writing a diary. I have two diaries, one is for business and the other one is for my personal life. I try to keep regular daily updates for both of them. This is also helping me keep myself motivated because I can see a daily progress that is leading me towards accomplishing my goals.
5. Enjoy life. Even though that is the most important thing, you do have to earn it, otherwise it loses its meaning. Set your goals and award yourself after you achieve them. And when you get your reward, make sure you enjoy it!
Those are some of the things that help me keeping my work going in this mediterranean paradise. Without them I wouldn’t be able to make a progress with my work and enjoy the life on the island, as I can now. If you like what you read, please press the green heart at the bottom of the page ;) If you want to get notifications when I will publish my next article regarding freelancing & how to optimize your work flow, then don’t forget to follow me.
