by Hey! Have you been thinking it’d be a good idea to add your freelance profile to the Giggity.co site, but you’re stuck? Sometimes I require a “Jedi mind trick” to spur creativity. Here are some crazy ways I pull myself out of a non-productive spell. Enjoy this freelancer’s productivity hack to help you blow past procrastination.
- Soak up inspiration. Choose someone you admire, who does a great job with their messaging.
- Hit the search engines. See what others in your field have produced, and note their best work.
- Be a super-sleuth. If someone out there is getting great results, take a magnifying glass to their methods.
- Use reverse psychology. Nothing like talking to a naysayer to help you keep the dream alive.
- Chat with a mentor or coach. Choose support to match your budget and personal style.
- Do or die mentality. “If I don’t finish X, Y will happen.”
- Set a timeline. Use the calendar to hold yourself accountable.
- Plan a reward. Make a promise to yourself that you’ll deliver upon completion.
Let’s Deep-Dive into Freelancer Productivity
Freelancers don’t have the leisure (trap?!) of relying on an authority figure to propel them forward in their work progress. Instead, you must supply this for yourself, and life can make that hard sometimes. Let’s go deeper into our listed methods, and seek to apply them in real-life, real-work scenarios.
Where to find inspiration
It can be tough to always hit optimum productivity when you’re kicking it solo, and there’s so much to get distracted by. Feeling like a sloth but want to snap out of it? Seek out the best in the biz, and draw your inspiration from that expert. Spend an hour or so, trailing your top five to see what they’re doing that you might want to spin ideas off in your own, unique way. Take good notes and set a solid plan to run with.
Search for successful brands to emulate
When was the last time you took a close look at what the competition is up to? If you’re a marketing maven or branding boss who’s not feeling up to rock-start status, hit the Googles and find bosses who play things out the way you want to. Explore the reasons for why they do what they do so well. Then roll with their methods, but customize it to your own industry, niche, and personal brand.
Sniff out the best-kept secrets
Get to the real meat of why some companies and experts have so much influence. What’s magnetic about them, and why? There will be a few different factors at work. Brand image, communication, presentation, systems, and functionality. How do they meet customer needs? Go deep with your discoveries, and write down what you learn.
Turn a psych-out into a seek-up
Freelancers may find that friends and family have a hard time understanding your “why,” and supporting you. If they drag you down with discouragement, reverse that. First, get mad. Then use your fury to fuel you. A GREAT way to do this is to find someone wildly successful, and catalog that as proof-positive that hard work and persistence yield results.
Get a mentor
A mentor can be a formal coach or teacher. It can be someone you follow from afar. It can be a friend who’s hit her business goals. It can be several people from a networking group you’ve joined, who have arrive at where you want to be. Coaches, teachers and consultants also may cater to different budgets. Can you afford the self-guided mini course, but not the hourly coaching? Seek and find guidance in whatever ways work for you.
“Do or die” – for the extremists among us
Sometimes we have to imagine a worst-case scenario in order to jump the hurdle that blocks our progress. If that’s what you need to focus on temporarily, then shake yourself up for the “what-ifs,” and then formulate a disaster plan that busts you out of analysist paralysis. Having the plan in place will ground you in your forward movement.
Put it on the calendar
When we work for a company or a person or a client, we’re provided parameters. These little imaginary stepping-stones keep us on target with goals so we can continue moving forward. If you’re not producing to the level you’d like or are capable of, start holding yourself accountable. It’s as simple as those tried-and-true productivity methods like setting goals, making lists, penciling in due dates and charting your progress.
Treat yourself
Everyone needs to feel like they’re working for something. Sure, the long-term reward — financial freedom, security, comfort, and serving a purpose all matter. But for those smaller milestones, we must hand ourself a prize from time to time to sustain momentum. What will your reward to yourself look like? It could be something as simple as “If I finish posting all my blogs today, I’ll take myself out for a run and some ice cream.” Or it could be a bigger gain, like “If I reach 10K this month, I’ll plan a weekend getaway.” Make good on your promise to yourself.
Stuck on creating your freelance profile, but ready to blow past the blocks?
Use this quick and dirty formula to start producing copy now.