Freelancing can be surprisingly lucrative and will help drive people to work harder and achieve new things. Unfortunately, freelancing can also be relatively difficult, especially if you’re in a competitive industry and are struggling to find clients. Staying motivated as a freelancer is certainly one of the more difficult challenges, so how exactly do you maintain your drive and passion?
In this post, we’ll take a look at a couple of ways to help you stay motivated while freelancing. Regardless of what job role you have, these tips are universal and will make things a bit easier for you in the long run.
Inspire yourself to stay motivated and focused
A freelancer needs to find their own ways to stay motivated and focused. This is where it helps to seek out inspiration. You might find the best advice ever by looking at various blogs and articles that are designed to motivate you, and there are times where you can interact with others in order to find the drive that you’re looking for. Isolating yourself from the world makes it extremely challenging to discover your passion for something. While you don’t need to network and socialize every day, it really does help to have a source of inspiration that is special to you and helps drive you forward.
A great way to stay inspired is to seek out a new workplace every few days. The change in scenery can be a great way to keep things fresh, and you’ll also be given opportunities to socialize with people and network if you want to.
Dealing with procrastination
Procrastination is extremely common and it can often be a good way to release some stress and give your mind a bit of time to relax. It’s actually a key factor in how you approach your work. However, the way you work can say a lot about how often you’ll procrastinate and it can completely change the way you feel about your work as well. For example, if you’re constantly completing tasks at the last minute, then it could be because you’re procrastinating too much and need to start rearranging your schedule so that you’re given more time and flexibility to use your creative skills.
In short, try and avoid leaving things till the last minute. Try and work on your projects as soon as possible and give yourself time to procrastinate without the risk of missing a deadline.
Maintain a consistent routine but make certain things flexible
One of the best things about freelancing is the freedom that it comes with. You can work whenever you want and however you want as long as the client’s request is fulfilled. Unfortunately, a lot of people seem to forget that having a schedule or a routine is important regardless of what kind of job you have.
It’s extremely important to establish some kind of routine if you want to work as a freelancer. Whether it means waking up and starting work at the same time or ensuring that you stop your work in the evening, setting a clear work time can help ensure that you’re not working too few or too many hours. However, it’s still a good idea to make some things flexible so that you’re still able to take advantage of some of the best freelancing benefits. For instance, you could start work at the same time every day, but you could make it a habit to try a different working environment every day. One day you could try a coffee shop, the next day you could try your garden.
Remind yourself why you become a freelancer
Was it to eventually start your own business? Is it because you love the freedom it comes with? Is it because you wanted to be your own boss? There are many different reasons why people decide to become freelancers, but it’s important to remember those reasons so that you can occasionally remind yourself whenever you feel like you’re losing motivation.
However, there might be situations where you realize that freelancer is no longer for you. This could just be a temporary thing, but it might also be a deeply-rooted issue to do with freelancing itself. Some people eventually grow tired of freelancing because they’re unable to find clients, they don’t like the idea of networking and socializing all the time, and they might also find it hard to set themselves in the right direction without some assistance. Freelancing isn’t for everyone, so it’s perfectly fine to seek out a regular job if you find it’s too overwhelming. You can always come back to it at a later date.