A Daily Freelance Routine

It’s the end of your working day. You are watching the screen tired and lacking any motivation, wondering why you didn’t manage to finish your freelance project today. I’ll tell you why. It’s because you don’t have a daily freelance routine. Or you are just lazy.

This is the routine I’ve slowly developed for myself through the years. It helps me stay focused and productive but still remain fresh and motivated on the next day. I believe if you give it a try it can do the same for you.

Get Up Early

While sometimes it’s okay to have that long morning nap, waking up early is essential for having a good productive day. Try to turn this into a habit and you will find that not only you will have more time but it also drives away these lazy thoughts and sets your mind on doing work. Come on, it’s not that bad. You are already skipping the morning hurry and traffic jams that your non-freelancer friends have to deal with.

Coffee and snack

No better way to start the day than a cup of your favorite coffee. Or tea if you prefer that. But what most people forget is the snack. A fruit, some yogurt or biscuits, they all work. Food is fuel for your body. Trust me, you need it and you can do it while watching funny cat videos on your Facebook wall or reading the newspaper on the balcony.

Exercise

I know, I know, that sounds scary. But try doing it for a week and you will see the results yourself. You don’t even have to go to the gym or do some long hard workout, half an hour of any physical activity is okay. Just stretch yourself or go do some running. It will wake you up, keep you healthy, improve your mood but also it’s a perfect time to set your daily goals. Try thinking about the tasks and when it’s the best time to fit them.

Social Networks

As a freelancer it’s really important to keep working on your social media presence and stay tuned about the latest tendencies in your field of work. Read some new articles, share some thoughts and get some inspiration from the works of your colleagues. But don’t get carried away or this will eat a big chunk of you time. An hour is more than enough and you can spend some more time networking later on.

Daily Planning

Remember the plans you were making while exercising? Now it’s the perfect time to recall them. Get a pen and some paper (use an app if you prefer that) and put them down. If a task would take you very little time put it on the top of the list and try completing it as soon as you finish the list. Then proceed with the important ones and leave the rest on the bottom of the list. Try breaking the more complicated tasks into smaller ones.

Why you are doing this? This is your weapon against procrastination. The clearer your goals are the less likely you will find yourself reading articles like this instead of doing some actual work.

Working

The time has come to get some things done. Clean your desk, take away everything that distracts you and tune in your favorite music. Read your first task and start working on it. Your mind is still fresh and you are full with enthusiasm. In order to keep them this way, try making a short break every 40 minutes. Just stand up, stretch, find what your cat is doing or drink a glass of water. If you are working from home, try not opening the fridge every time you make a break.

When you finish a task jump on the next one, do not reward yourself with “five” or “ten” minutes browsing. They are always longer than that and you are already making some breaks.

End of the Working Day

Working until late is another problem of being a freelancer. Don’t drag work into the evening. When the clock hits 6 PM say to yourself “enough for today”, get up and go do something else. Even if you are not tired yet or you still have things to finish, leave them for tomorrow. Having a set time makes it easier for your mind to separate work and free time.

You can get even better results by defining you workspace in a separate room or home office. Try this and you will find yourself well rested in the morning, ready for another day of hard work.

I hope you’ve found this article useful. Next week I will talk about the apps I use for making my freelance life easier. See you soon!