Lesson 6:Tricks to Think Like a Successful Freelancer

Tricks to Think Like a Successful Freelancer

What you will learn:

Self-discipline and effective time management, resilience and handling rejection positively, confidence and motivation, maintaining work-life balance to avoid burnout, thinking long-term and building a business mindset

Let us get real

Freelancing is freedom, is it not? You are able to work when you will, you may choose your customers or maybe even in a beach. At least that is how Instagram version looks like. Then, there is the contrasting truth of that image, with random time inspections, working in solitude, not being accepted, being painful, and an infinite need to be somebody.

And this is the reality: to be a successful freelancer the most best-looking portfolio or the most popular software does not matter. It turns out to be the issue of correct attitude. The freelancer lifestyle will be defined by your habits, your mentality, and your ability to cope with ups and downs of life.

So, in case you have been wondering how exactly this lifestyle would be made sustainable then this guide would be specifically meant to you.

1. Self-discipline: No one will push you to work

In the case of freelancing, there is no supervision over you. No clock ins and nobody minding about sleeping late and spending the afternoon on YouTube. Now that would be great, until the action plan becomes teeth.

What Helps

Make real working time to yourself. It is cool as long as you are consistent and you are able to work better at night. It is an organization that your mind lives in.

Always leave your memory alone. Get a task tracker- Notion, Trello, a whiteboard or notes in the form of stickers. Separate big things to small.

Get an environment you prefer. You can do it on the desk, in coffee shop or in a corner of the room but create an environment where you can focus.

2. Punch on: Roll With the Punches

It is not predictable what will happen in freelancing. You may have an entire month full of projects; the other month seems like there is nothing to say. Customers are sometimes demanding, and not every piece of feedback is soft. This capacity to remain undisturbed, recover and continue is needed.

Toughness of the mind:

Embrace the fact of rejection. You will not get a project with every proposal you make and that is quite normal. Stop taking it to heart, use it as valuable advice which can make you better next time.

Take failure as positive. It is not a mark of incompetence to make any errors. Errors are marks of learning. According to the study of Dr. Carol Dweck (2016) mentioned above, an optimistic opinion that ability can be enhanced by hard work is a defining characteristic in individuals with high levels of performance.

Stay with a win file. Keep screenshots of good feedback or good results. Reconsider them and have a look at these during the harder weeks. They will motivate you.

Examples: When three of the clients rejected his offer, Ajay decided to go back and review the sales pitch and improve it with similar items that helped him succeed in the past. By the end of a week, after doing such changes, he managed to attract two new customers.

3. Time: The Best Thing You Own

Time management does not mean filling your calendar. It is intentional energy focus on the right areas where it should be so that you are able to produce the results without burning out.

Cleverer time tricks:

Begin with priorities. To sort out what should be done as soon as possible and what can be postponed, you can use such frameworks as the Eisenhower Matrix.

Do say no in times of necessity. When your plate is full there is no gain to piling on the plate. Professionalism takes a form of boundaries.

Give time blocking a shot. As an example, make your mornings to perform deep activities such as writing, and afternoons to make calls or to send emails.

Apply Pomodoro technique. Work 25 minutes, take a break 5 minutes. Between four rounds, have a longer break. This maintains concentration levels and exhaustion at a minimal rate.

Example: Emma would only have her client meetings on a Tuesday and Thursday to allow Mondays, Wednesday and Friday to concentrate on the design.

4. Confidence: Charge What you are Worth (And Believe it)

Do you get anxious when you have to quote your rates? You are not alone at all. Be it Nairobi, New York or New Delhi, you find a global common sense of not wanting to ask the client to pay you what your work actually should cost. But the thing is: Underpricing does not only damage your earnings, but it makes clients know that you do not even believe your own expertise.

Confidence Is Cultivated Not Installed

Learn your market-internationally and domestically. To find out what others are pricing within your niche, visit such a site as Upwork, Freelancer.com, or Fiverr Pro. As an example, a UX designer located in Berlin is likely to charge €70/hour as opposed to a UX designer in Manila who underpays his services to the tune of $10/hour even though he might offer a service of the same quality as the one located in Berlin. It needs to be priced based on value other than geography.

Continue to learn and upgrade yourself.

When you add value, it is easier to be confident. It can be a Coursera certification, a local workshop, or design bootcamp in Lagos but growth is what builds the self-beliefs.

Network with your freelance team.

Even on Slack groups, LinkedIn or offline meet-ups, you will hear freelance professionals with impressive expertise and experience talk about how they struggle with impostor syndrome. It is not you who is alone and those discussions can help you be reminded that doubt does not imply that you are bad, it is only the fact that you are concerned.

“I was scared when I increased my hourly rates to ₹1,500, when it was ₹800. However, two months later I had less, or more quality clients and more time to pay attention to the quality.”

Anika, Freelance content strategist, Mumbai

“One of my clients in Canada said I was too cheap- and they gave me higher than what I had quoted. It was at that point that I realized my new way of thinking.” Joseph, the freelance video editor, Nairobi

5. Inspiration: Never give up (even on the drab days)

Honestly speaking, there are days when being a freelancer is a dream. Other days, it is simply hard to even open your email. And over time zones, from Toronto to Cape Town, that is common experience for all of us. Motivation is not package-delivered with a smile on the mornings. It must be worked for through minor deeds and intelligent strategies.

How to Get in the Game:

Subdivide grand targets into small bite size targets.

Once increasing your freelancing business becomes a daunting task, take one step at a time. For instance, you can attempt to reconnect with two former clients in the present week or revise your portfolio by end of the week. Such small steps may not seem a huge success by themselves but they can cause the motivation that responds to a significant breakthrough.

Rearrange every now and again.

Burnout is in love with staleness in the air. In case you are working as a graphic designer in Seoul, visit a co-working space once a week. In case you are a free-lancing developer in Buenos Aires, change your morning schedule or choose a side-project that you enjoy.

Have real breaks.

Getting proper rest isn’t laziness. Whether it’s a 20 min walk around Accra or a coffee in the middle of the day in Rome makes you look away from the screen and provides adjusting your creative thinking. Don t fall in the trap of false breaks (infinite scrolling) but provide your brain with a genuine rest.

“When I know that I am off, I will just stick to a single activity on that particular day. That is what generally brings me into action.”

Leo, free-lance illustrator, S. Paulo

“I used to believe that I would need to endure all those low-energy days. I am attentive to my body now. When my rest of the afternoon is rescued by a nap or a little walk.”

Fatima virtual assistant, Cairo

6. Creating Your Space to Avoid Burnout

Whereas being a freelancer provides the whole world of freedom in working wherever and however you please, the same may turn out to be your downfall. Unless this is properly defined, work may begin to invade your personal life and mental capacity, and it becomes difficult to switch off and re-charge.

Mind Your Mind:

Define “off-hours.” That could be evenings, weekends or even a specified number of hours a day at which work is not allowed.

Create separation. Any superstitious gesture like shutting down your laptop and going out of the room will enable your mind to rest and detach out of the workplace.

Health is something we cannot ignore. Sleep, nutrition and exercise are among the premium when directly related to the feeling of sharpness and creativity.

Consider outsourcing. Outsource part of the tasks which take your time or energy (admin work, accounting, etc.) as your company grows.

Example: Marcus took the Sundays off when he worked all the days of the week throughout the three months. His vitality and his imagination shot to the stratosphere.

7. Looking Ahead: Be a Business Owner in Your Thinking

Freelancing is a viable career as long as you do not focus on the immediate tasks. Entrepreneurial thinking implies perceiving your work as one more step towards a greater adventure.

Long term planning:

Draw a plan. What position do you want to hold after one year? Five? As much as it is about diversifying into coaching or coming with products and creating a small agency, clarity leads to action.

Stay current. The needs of tech and clients change. Further training and qualification keeps your head ahead.

Create more sources of income. Learn about teaching, affiliate marketing, or productizing experience (e.g. templates, eBooks, etc.).

Example Ana began by being a copywriter, after some time, she began to offer brand strategy workshops and internet courses. Nowadays, she earns half of her salary passively.

Final Thoughts: What Makes the Difference Is the Mindset

Technical competencies may get you customers but the attitude will make you retain them or keep enjoying the job a year later. Freelancing is not a short run. Concentrate on consistency, confidence in yourself and flexibility, and you will be ready not only to get gigs, but to grow.

Freelance is a business of the mind. “Train it as best you can.” Freelance coach, Rebecca Allen

MORE LESSONS:

LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE WORK: https://www.blogger.com/u/3/blog/post/edit/5958831589506082119/1084732855443597742?hl=en

LESSON 2: ADVANTAGES OF WORKING ONLINE:

https://www.blogger.com/u/3/blog/post/edit/5958831589506082119/8736480292744140376?hl=en

LESSON 3: DISADVANTAGES OF WORKING ONLINE:

https://www.blogger.com/u/3/blog/post/edit/5958831589506082119/9215626175346417714?hl=en

LESSON 4: 5 BASIC TOOLS YOU NEED TO START ONLINE FREELANCING

https://www.blogger.com/u/3/blog/post/edit/5958831589506082119/8875564655463521100?hl=en

LESSON 5: OVERVIEW OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF ONLINE FREELANCE WORK

https://www.blogger.com/u/3/blog/post/edit/5958831589506082119/8204564717420579837?hl=en

LESSON 6: THE MINDSET OF A SUCCESSFUL FREELANCER