Tips to staying motivated working as a freelancer

Having to work on your own and doing so from home provides you the flexibility to work when and where you want.  While there is no supervisor watching over your back, it might also indicate that you will be plagued by distractions, which makes it alluring to put off working. Self-motivation is a crucial talent for both freelancers and remote workers.

The tips in this post will help you become and stay more self-motivated as a freelancer. It is intended for entrepreneurs of all experience levels who are having trouble motivating themselves for some reason, as well as for those who are new to working remotely or working at home.

Knowing your own motivation

Self-motivation is a crucial trait for independent contractors. Nothing else will be able to motivate you and keep you focused on your goals while you bounce back when you don't get the job done.

You need to be really disciplined. You are the sole employee. You have no employer. If you don't show up for work or start slacking off, nobody will yell at you or fire you.

Recognizing your ambition and using it effectively

You can agree with me that the main driving force for any freelancer is typically their desire to work independently or from home.

Any freelancer can get started here, especially on days when motivation is exceedingly elusive. This fact might even be able to completely motivate you to sit down at your desk and start working. It could be necessary to try different things, specifically if your lack of desire persists for over a week.

Recall the reasons you began working as a freelancer

Consider your initial motivation for entering the freelance industry. Did it happen because you desired the option of working from home? You can reignite your passion for freelancing by recalling what initially drew you to it, and you might be inspired to complete that assignment you were stuck on.

Throughout the course of my career as a writer, I frequently pause to consider how flexible my position is. I am allowed to work whenever and wherever I like. A fantastic technique for getting into a motivated frame of mind is to take a minute of thankfulness to appreciate what working remotely creates for us.

Important guidelines for home-based freelancers

1. Eliminate distractions, first

When you are not influenced by external factors like your smartphone or television, it is much simpler to stay motivated while working on a task. I admit that I don't always have a distraction-free area for my office, and I'm confident that if I followed this rule more completely, I would be much more productive.

Everyone experiences motivational problems occasionally, and independent contractors are no exception. A career as a freelancer will undoubtedly have its highs and lows, including maintaining motivation during the workday. Nobody is always "on," and that's all right! The opportunity to work on your own schedule and take the necessary actions to achieve your objectives is the main benefit of freelancing.

2. Make a daily plan

Determine what further time each job will take and make an effort to conform to it. Particularly for job roles that are significant but don't have a defined goal, like social media involvement. For example, schedule a half-hour for this at the onset and the conclusion of your workday.

3. Always see that you give to yourself

You can treat yourself by taking a stroll after a few working hours. This works for me, and it might as well work for you.

You can grab a 30-minute breather to mindlessly surf on your smartphone on each and every work hour you do, and if you get to achieve all my weekly targets, you get to arrange for yourself a wonderful supper at any of your favorite spots on Friday night.

4. Identify your preferred work habits and adapt to them

Finding a timetable that fits with how you naturally work best makes it much easier to stay creative and productive.

Choose the number of hours or days a week you need to do your work, then fit those into your schedule while taking into account the rest of your obligations.

Then, consider how much vacation time you require and how you would like to divide it. Perhaps you opt to work seven evenings a week because you're more productive in the evenings and utilize your afternoons for leisure.

5. Recognize your flow

We aren't machines, therefore it's fine to make a timetable that tries to take advantage of you when you're most motivated. Regardless of how hard you try, there will definitely be days when you lack inspiration.

6. Set email limits

The majority of us receive many emails per day from customers, coworkers, employers, neighbors, and relations in addition to emails sent for promotional reasons. Set aside time to check your email so you don't become distracted from the task at hand.

7. Go for a break

In-between-task breaks from the screen can be justified with a mug of tea. It also serves as a cue to keep moving on to the following job.

Likewise, schedule your lunchtime and make an effort to eat it at a table apart from your desk. Pay attention to the flavor because mindless feeding is more likely to result in subsequent snacking.

8. Set a deadline

The knowledge that you can relax once it reaches, say, 6 pm will subconsciously aid you in starting.

After that, it's up to you how you pass the rest of the evening.

9. Exercise & fresh air

Running, even just a ten-minute jogging around the neighborhood, or taking a quick stroll in the morning will make you wake up. A breath of fresh air stimulates all of your senses, while exercise releases endorphins that reenergize you & make you feel brighter.

10. Trying to work irregular hours

Set yourself only a few hours of work, knowing that you may go directly to bed or watch television afterward. Again, letting the evening spread out in front of you without a clear strategy will be intimidating. Choose your chore or tasks and complete them within one hour. It is useless to keep working when you are exhausted because your work won't be at its finest. Keep it concise and precise.

Now that you’re motivated, stay motivated

Develop the following positive behaviors to keep yourself motivated:

1. Establish a designated office place, and every day, "go over to the office"

Even if it's just a different room or workspace, having a formal division between "residence" & "business" is beneficial. Some folks would rather leave the house and visit a co-working facility or a nearby cafe.

Because of this division, you may "go to" work every day and "leave" it at the finish of the day, which prevents you from feeling like you are constantly working. The fact that your work schedule will never truly end is another reason why working in bed is a bad choice.

2. Schedule your time

When you work for yourself and from home, no one can see if you are working or not. Contrarily, this emphasizes how critical time management is to your success.

3. Be aware of what you must accomplish every week & day by day, and be sure you accomplish it

Maintain generally consistent operating time so that buyers or colleagues may anticipate when you will respond to emails and phone calls.

Make sure to schedule time to take care of yourself, such as socializing with friends, exercising, or spending time with family. The major benefit of working remotely is that you may do this whenever you choose, day or night; and

Set aside some time specifically for distractions, such as visiting social media. Turn off your smartphone for the remainder of the time and ignore Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.

4. Dressing properly, or at the very least, dressing

While it's not mandatory when working remotely, if you want to video contact clients, you may wish to dress professionally.

However, it seems sensible to at least dress. Like having a dedicated workspace, dressing for work enables you to maintain this separation and ensures that your career flexibility improves rather than degrades.