10x Your Performance As a Freelancer
3 Agile Principles to Help You Achieve Nirvana
When we start as a freelancer, we think that knowing our craft is enough to succeed. Later on, many realize that having systems and methodology is what keeps the needle moving forward.
I have found that implementing these 3 principles of Agile methodology will help any freelancer set up their systems to be repeatable, sustainable, and scalable.
I have been using Agile as a software engineer for years now. The core idea is to build features and get feedback from the users early in the process.
The 3 principles you can steal from the agile manifesto are:
1. Deliver Frequently
The way most freelancing projects work is that you get a brief from the client and start working on it.
Following the brief, you work on the project and then deliver the final product days or weeks later and wait for approval.
Now, you are expecting that the project will be approved because you followed the brief and did everything right. Right?
Sure, but what happens when the client finds 10 things to redo in it and you have to get back to work?
The number one point of Agile management is to deliver as frequently as possible so nothing is ever lost in translation.
To avoid this problem, you should constantly communicate with the client.
Update them about your progress by sharing your general progress and if relevant then your project outlines and drafts. Ask about their ideas and whether you are both on the same page.
Here is it direct from Agile Manifesto:
Deliver working software frequently, from a
couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a
preference to the shorter timescale.
Asking for feedback, and delivering early prevents you from making mistakes or going in the wrong direction.
2. Simplicity— The art of doing more with less
Complexity is easy, simple is difficult.
You need to remember that simplicity is better than complexity. What can be done in 5 steps should not be done in 15.
Here’s how the agile manifesto describes it:
Simplicity — the art of maximizing the amount
of work not done — is essential.
It is easy to go down the road of adding everything to whatever you are working on.
Perfectionism kills valuable time and stops you from delivering what you needed to deliver yesterday.
Whenever you start a new project, focus on what you need to do. Don’t get distracted by what should, could, and need to be done.
That is why a detailed brief and getting it approved is important before you begin working on any project.
When we start topping things with extras it takes more time and more energy. Most importantly, it adds unnecessary complexity to the system.
Now, I’m not saying that you should not be putting in the extra effort. Go all out by all means, but remember to prioritize what’s important at the moment.
Remember to put needs before wants.
3. Improve as you grow — Positive feedback loop
In the freelance world, you rarely get a chance to make the same mistake twice. You also don’t get much time to learn on the job so you have to do that in your spare time.
Here’s a way you can create a system around that taken directly from Agile Manifesto:
At regular intervals, the team reflects on how
to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts
its behavior accordingly.
You can do this in 2 ways:
Ask and implement feedback from clients
When you go freelance, you are the only person responsible for your personal and professional growth.
There is no one looking out for you and if you want to continue your growth as a professional you need to be investing time and money into courses, systems, and mentoring.
But even before that, you should be asking your clients for feedback regarding what you could have done better and use that feedback to improve.
Analyze behaviors and systems for 360 feedback
Asking for feedback is good, but don’t wait for others to tell you what is and isn’t working.
Constantly analyze your own systems and processes to understand what is working and what can be improved.
To conclude
The 3 ideas that help you grow 10x as a freelancer include:
- Keep the communication loop open: Get feedback, make changes, and repeat.
- Create minimum viable product: Don’t lose sight of the core idea
- Build personal productivity systems: Analyse your behavior and adjust for optimization
