Working alone, without a boss other than myself to tell me which tasks have priority, I find myself spending quite a lot of time writing to-do lists and searching for the right productivity apps. But that’s not really being productive, is it?

Working alone

As a freelancer, you’re now working alone, and no one is telling you when to work on which project. But, be honest: was it like that before you went freelance? I highly doubt it. If you’re anything like me, you wouldn’t have dreamed of going freelance at that stage of your career: when you had to be told which tasks had which priority. The past years of my previous career, I had already been deciding which tasks and projects to tackle when. Heck, I even had an assistant whom I told (nicely) when to do which tasks in order to keep a steady work-flow.
What does this tell us? You’re not really working differently than you were before. So why does managing your day-to-day suddenly seem so challenging? Like it’s something you have to plan carefully?

Responsibility

Well, you are now solely responsible for your success. I know, I know – you may be saying, “But I was just as responsible in my previous job, having to manage whole projects.” Yes. I agree. So was I. But the difference, I’ve come to realize, is not how responsible you were or are, but how responsible you feel.
Honestly, did you never feeling like you could have days when you went to work and maybe weren’t 100% productive, and no one would notice? I know I did. As long as you managed the deadline in the long run, you felt pretty confident. Almost like you had told your mom you’d done your homework but hadn’t, and then still got an A on the final test.
The difference is that now, there’s no mom to swindle. No boss to cheat. Except yourself. You are the boss. And you can’t fool yourself. You’ll know when you slacked off – and be quite unforgiving. This is a feeling you need to free yourself of. Now.

Mindfulness in your tasks

Pretty much all the productivity apps and books on managing your day-to-day that I’ve come across have one thing in common: mindfulness. In order to have a productive work day, you need to be aware. Aware of the tasks at hand, and of your own personal rhythms in tackling those tasks. Here’s a list of some of the things that I have become aware of:

• Writing a list helps.
  Write a to-do list. It helps to prioritize your day. But: limit yourself. Don’t have reminders in your phone, a to-do list app, a hand-written to-do list on your desk, and a pocket calendar. This will only make you feel unproductive and you will be unproductive, because all you will be doing is writing (or crossing off) to-do lists.
  

  best to do list ever. geekoftheday.com

  I personally like having an overview and a to-do list. I hang my big-picture overview of projects that need to be done on the wall of my office. I use a simple A3-sized piece of paper for this. I can throw it away when I’m done and my handwriting on the paper can only be seen when I’m actually standing right in front of the list, not from every angle of my office.
  And then I like having a to-do list reminding me of tasks that I would otherwise forget. My personal favorite for this flexible to-do list of things that need reminding is Clear app. You can type short (!) reminders in your phone, check them off the list when you’ve done them, set a reminder (this is a new function to the app, and oh-so-valuable), and easily move around tasks. The hands-on, no-brainer functionality makes the importance of the list decrease – you simply add a task, and when you’re done, cross it off the list. Then you delete the list, and write a new one. Quick, easy, and no big deal.

• Set time blocks in your day for certain tasks.
  You know better than anyone how productive you are at which time of day. Work with this knowledge. It’s a known fact of science that you can only concentrate for 90 minutes at a time intensely, and then you need a break.
  If you’re more creative in the afternoon (like I am), set a time frame to work on your creative stuff then.
  To feel like you’re staying on top of things, work on administrative tasks like e-mails and invoices every day. But don’t do this first thing in the morning – if you’re anything like me, you’re head is not functioning to 100% yet. And: you have more important things to do.
  I work on client’s work (that pays) for the first 90 minutes of the day. That way, I feel like I’ve already “done something”. I do not handle e-mails at this time. If I’m going through a very intense period of work with lots of communication, I might read them quickly. But I never reply. No good comes from talking to me in the morning before I’m fully functioning, so why should e-mail be any different?
  

  Coffee before talkie. thecooleststuffever.com

  After a coffee break, I check and reply to e-mails, do administrative work, etc. for no longer than 90 minutes. Come hell or high water, be it Monday, Friday, or the last day before a deadline.
  The beauty of this routine is that in times when you have fewer clients you can also shorten the length of time spent on any particular task and call it a day sooner, or then put in some extra creative time. You have every task (client, creative, administrative) covered, every day, and you feel like you’ve achieved something.

• Recognize your needs.
  All this said, be mindful to your needs. If you don’t feel like starting your work day with client work because you didn’t sleep well, don’t. But don’t fill this time with mindless internet surfing or writing e-mails. Check your favorite blogs, listen to a pod-cast, put on some music, and talk to your office colleagues (if you have them) or your cat (if she’ll listen). Go outside, start the work-day later.
  Listen to your body. When you’re hungry, eat. When you’re tired, sleep. Do yoga, pilates (or whatever sport), go dancing. Don’t drink endless amounts of coffee and push yourself constantly.

• Take at least a day a week off.
  Some people swear by daily routine. Alright, that might be good for your creative juices, if you, say, want to practice your lettering or writing. But don’t work on clients’ work or check e-mails every day. Just because you can now also work on the weekend doesn’t mean you should. (Or that anyone expects that of you!) Give yourself time to relax.

For me, the most important thing to being productive as a freelancer is working around your personal rhythm, listening to your body and mind, and being mindful with your resources. Unlike in corporate culture, you no longer have to sit at your desk and act like you’re working when in fact you don’t want to. You can get up and do something else, and come back to your tasks when your motivation returns.
Yes, you are now solely responsible for your success. But you are also solely responsible for how happy you are doing your job – after all, there’s no company, boss, or superior to blame if you work on something you don’t want to be working on. You are your company, boss, and supervisor. And you can be as free as you want to be! All you need to do is organize your freedom.