Tag Archives: Freelance

How to Stay Motivated Working from Home

July 6, 2017 By in Lifestyle Tags: , , , , , , , , , , 35 Comments

I have shared, on several occasions, how freelancing has changed my life. I think this is one of the best professions on earth! If I were given a chance to start all over again, I’d still choose to be a freelancer. With all the opportunities and benefits freelancing offers, it is, by far, the most effective way for me to earn a living.

But freelancing is not for everyone, and I get that. Many people I know struggle to motivate themselves whilst working from home, so they stick to the 9-5, while others struggle to stay motivated but want to continue freelancing.

 

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The beauty of Freelancing, is that it gives you the chance to work from anywhere you want and have flexible working hours too. But more often than not, we forget so soon that being a freelancer means that you are the boss of your own business and you have to run, regardless of where you work from.

When you start taking freelancing lightly, you have no motivation to work, you don’t meet deadlines and you are losing the desire to carry on. Here is how you can stay focused on your business and stay motivated everyday as you continue your journey as a freelancer.

Have a goal

Having a goal always works. Goal setting is one of the most important things to do when you’re running a business. With a goal in mind, you are able to know where you are headed, and stay focused.

Set yearly goals then break them up into smaller goals for the month, week and day. Make sure that everything you do is aimed at taking one definite action towards achieving what you desire.

Have an accountability partner

When you’re your own boss, you don’t have anyone checking up on you, which means you could end up slacking sometimes. The best way to get yourself motivated to work from home is to have someone who, just like you, is running a similar business.

Share your goals with your accountability partner and check on each other to find out how you are fairing in your business. When you know someone is going to ask of your progress you are bound to be on your toes and work harder to ensure you smash all your targets.

 

 

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Affirmations

Reciting affirmations daily keeps you motivated and leaves you with a positive mindset. Sometimes, it gets lonely and overwhelming working from home. Recite positive affirmations daily helps to keep your state of mind and business.

I recommend that you recite at least 3 to 5 positive affirmations every morning before you start work. When I do this I feel refreshed and ready to face any challenge that may come my way.

 

Change your environment

Working from home is not like working in a cubicle. A regular 9 to 5 job keeps you in physical contact with people. While working from home could mean days go by without you speaking to anyone (except family and maybe the postman).

The beauty about being a freelancer is that you can work anywhere you want to. You can take your work to your favourite café, park or even on holiday with you, like I plan to do in a few days. Changing your work environment does help keep the work interesting.

Do you work from home? How do you motivate yourself to work?

The Best Time to Freelance is Now

July 1, 2017 By in Freelancing/Self-employed Tags: , , , , , , , , , 44 Comments

I always tell people how fortunate I am for being able to freelance. Ever since I decided to leave my 9-5, my life has changed for the better. I am able to do more with my life and be there for my family while making sure that all our needs are met.

 

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Many people have come to embrace the laptop lifestyle of freelance writers. And once they made the shift, they never looked back. If you are contemplating going freelance, I would advise you to go for it! It is the best thing that ever happened to me.

Here is a list of the reasons why I would continue to freelance until I am old and grey.

 

You’re able to work from anywhere

The first thing you’d notice about working as a freelancer is that you are no longer restricted to a cubicle. This gives you a sense for freedom. You can literally take your work anywhere you go. From your favourite café down town, to the beautiful sandy beach in a magnificent resort, you can turn anywhere into your office. This is something that you don’t get to do in your 9-5.

You are your own boss

Instead of being an employee in someone else’s business, you have a business of your own. You determine your starting and closing time, the salary you give yourself and how much work you want to do. Being your own boss gives you a sense of control. You do not work under anyone and you are not subject the dictates of anyone.

You make the major decisions in your business and you can run your business the way you want to. The type of projects that you take up is at your discretion. You can choose the type of projects that you would like to work on. You also have the freedom to choose the clients you want to work with.

 

 

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Flexible working hours

Since you are your own boss and that you can work anywhere you want to, you also have control over the time you spend working. You’re the one who calls the shots on your own working hours. You can work the whole day if you so with or work all through the night. You can choose to work weekends or weekdays.

Being a freelancer gives you the opportunity to set your schedule. The flexible working time gives you a chance to spend time with the family and be there for them any time you wish. The means that you never have to miss your child’s dance recital or any special moments.

You determine your level of income

Unlike a brick and mortar institution, where you have to wait or work extremely hard to get a raise or earn a bonus, as a freelancer you are in charge of how much you earn. If you want to earn more money then you can either raise your rates, boost the levels of your sales or offer more services in order to get the income that you desire.

 

Are you a freelancer? How are you finding it?

 

 

How to Become a Successful Freelancer

June 15, 2017 By in Freelancing/Self-employed Tags: , , , , , , , , 58 Comments

Transitioning into freelancing was one the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.  I exchanged my 9-5 for a life of freedom where I can earn and still be there for my family. I’m not limited to space and I work anywhere I want to, whenever I want to.

 

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With a 9-5 job, I was dependent on my boss for how much I take home every month. But freelancing empowered me to determine my income. Thanks to freelancing I am my own boss. Many freelancers get to this point and coast. However, there are greater opportunities freelancing can give you when you push the bar.

Even though I’ve been really successful as a freelancer, I know there’s so much more for me. There is so much more I can achieve and want to achieve. And that should be your mindset if you want to succeed as a freelancer.

 

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Here are 10 tips you can use to raise the bar and very a successful freelancer.

Treat freelancing like a real business

Just because you work from home doesn’t make freelancing less than a business. You need to plan, strategize and track your progress. Your freelance business is a business and you need to treat it as one. Wake up early. Do the work. Make the calls. Send the emails. Do your taxes. Invest and budget for the next month. Until you take your work seriously, no one will take you seriously.

Maintain good relationship work your clients

It’s so much easier to get your current clients to keep coming back than it is for you to get new clients. So whenever a client wants to hire your service, keep it at the back of your mind that it has be on the long term. Be polite and helpful at all times. Keeping in touch with your clients and asking of their welfare is a great way to go about it.

Put your work out there

Don’t slow down your efforts of showcasing your work. Use social media as a means of letting your audience know about your latest projects. That way you are increasing publicity. Word of mouth is a powerful means of marketing. So the more you put your work out there for people to appreciate your talent the more people will know and want to hire you.

Continuously improve your skills

There is a lot of competition and one of the best ways to stand out is to have outstanding skills. Invest in courses or programmes when you can learn about the latest techniques and develop yourself at your craft. You need to always stay on top of your game.

Pitch, pitch, pitch

I am the pitch QUEEN! I am forever sending a pitch. Waiting for clients doesn’t make the clients come knocking on your door. You have to go out there and take your business to them. Search for potential clients and pitch your services to them. Pitch from the angle of adding value or solving a problem and not with a desperate tone of “Please hire me”. Always maintain the upper hand.

 

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Network

You’re not an island of knowledge. Attend meet-ups, masterminds or conferences if you can. Join Facebook groups and Twitter chats. Socialize and meet with people in your industry. Learn from them. Rub minds together. Share your problems. This will give you a fresh perspective in your freelancing business.

Set up systems to simplify your work

Automation is the order of the day. With automation tools you get to do more in less time. Since time is your biggest investment you need to. Find a way to save as much time as you can. Schedule your social media posts, email sequences and batch up content where you have to.

Move towards generating passive income

Raise your income through programs, packages, ebooks and courses. Passive income allows you to make money even in your sleep. It is an avenue to diversify your income and move from only being a service-based entrepreneur to a product-based entrepreneur. Let’s be realistic, you can only handle a certain number of people at a time.

Hire extra hands

If you want to be successful as a freelancer then you need to have the mindset of expansion. As more people get to know you and want to hire you, you’ll have so much work on your plate. Hire people who can join your team. That way you can accept more jobs and still be able to deliver on time with good quality intact.

Give value in your community

There are so many people looking for solution to problems that you can solve. Although it’s great to be paid as a problem-solver, it’s also good to share your expertise with people who desire to learn. Don’t ever think that this will reduce your workload or patronage. This is one of the most effective ways of showing people in your community that you’re an expert and a go to person in your niche.

 

Do you have any freelance tips to share?

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