Freelancing and side hustling are great ways to make extra cash. They can help you achieve you goals, or even your life long dream of working for yourself.
Whatever your reason for doing the side hustle, you probably know as well as I do that it takes a ton of work, dedication and commitment.
Sometimes it’s harder to find the motivation to freelance, and sometimes it’s hard to be as productive as we can possibly be. I’ve been using my blog as my primary side hustle since August of 2012, and here are some of my tips for staying productive while freelancing.
Eliminate Distractions
Sometimes I have a hard time staying on task while doing my freelance work. The lure of Facebook, Twitter and checking blog comments can get pretty strong when I’m supposed to be doing productive things like writing articles. This affliction isn’t limited to freelancers and can be the same time sink for people pursuing an mba online, completing a project at work, or studying for the LSAT.
Schedule Your Time
If I have a lot of tasks to complete in one day, I’ll schedule my time into manageable hourly chunks, including breaks. This helps a night of freelancing work seem less like a huge task and more like a few, small, manageable tasks. This helps because it makes the work seem less daunting, so I’m less likely to procrastinate.
Keep a Log of Tasks Accomplished
I love having a to-do list. Even better, I love crossing things off my to do list. So, whenever I get something done related to my side hustle, I make sure to cross it off my list. This shows me how much I’ve actually gotten done over the past day, week, or month, so that I have real, measurable results that I can be proud of.
Time Is Money
Possibly the best way that I stay productive when I’m working on my side hustle is to figure out the value of my time. Although I get paid differently for different types of work, I’ve figured out how much an hour of my time is worth. So, if I screw around for 20 minutes on Facebook when I’m supposed to be doing something productive like getting a staff post done (that’s never happened before), I know that I’m basically tossing X number of dollars down the drain.
Reward Yourself for a Job Well Done
After an afternoon, morning, or evening of successful side hustling, I like to reward myself. It doesn’t have to be anything big, a cup of tea, or a cookie will do. Mostly it’s to put a definitive end to working, and to signify the beginning of relaxation time. Having a separation between work and play is important otherwise I find myself thinking about work when I should be relaxing.
Having a decent side hustle can have so many benefits. It can help you pay off debt faster, reach your savings goals, or supplement a lagging full-time job. I find being productive at side hustles to be tough sometimes, but by using my time as productively as possible, I can maximize my efficiency, and therefore, my income.
What are you tips and tricks to staying productive while freelancing?
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