Forget a conference call with Cupid, or a deadline with Destiny – we’ve brought together five of our favourite tips to help work woo you once more…
Valentine’s Day is upon us, the perfect excuse for falling back in love with your freelancer life.
Read on to discover why you should be flirting with freelancing beyond the honeymoon period…
Make the most of your flexibility
Freelancers are the envy of regular nine-to-fivers everywhere for their freedom to take annual leave when they wish and to avoid the morning commute. Book that last-minute holiday, use the commuting hour for exercise, grab any flexibility benefit available to you with both hands and embrace it. Just don’t brag about your workplace sea views while emailing your office-bound peers.
Remember why you went freelance
Flexible hours, creative freedom, escaping a busy rush hour journey. Remind yourself why you went freelance in the first place and you could change your work practices and your mindset. Perhaps you started out excited by the idea of choosing your own workload, but over time you’ve taken on tasks you don’t particularly enjoy? Saying no to bland briefs could renew your enthusiasm for other tasks.
Find the perfect working environment
Workspaces can stifle or stimulate productivity, so it’s important to find somewhere comfortable, convenient and, in creatives’ case, inspiring. If you work from the same spot where you binge on Netflix, it may be difficult to get in a work frame of mind. A coworking space designed with deadlines in mind and filled with like-minded freelancers could be just the motivation you need.
Celebrate your successes
Setting time aside to remember your accomplishments offers the perfect opportunity to pat yourself on the back. If you won’t, who will! If nothing stands out right now, why not set yourself some goals? Measuring your performance will not only contribute to a sense of achievement, it could lead to a more efficient and happier working life.
Learn a new skill
Did you constantly learn new things at the start of your freelancer life, but haven’t tried anything new in a while? Maybe it was the lure of freeing up time and dedicating extra hours to your craft that convinced you to go it alone? With no training programmes or development plans laid out for freelancers, it’s important to dedicate some of your time to adding more strings to your bow. The enjoyment of adding to your skillset could also see you offer more services to your clients and boost your earnings.
Posted by Adam Kirby
Images courtesy of Press Association