CMI Interactive

Supporting independent professionals in the medical industry

Staying Productive as a Freelancer

November 16th, 2009 by CMI Interactive Leave a reply »

All of my friends work in a traditional office setting. They have a manager and quarterly reviews. Basically they have someone to answer to about their daily work activity. As a freelancer, it’s easy to let the lack of oversight draw you into a system of relaxed standards which results in poor work productivity.

As we’ve said before, the success of your business is not based on the quality of your product. The key that makes a business successful is the administration and marketing of products! Today we’re going to focus on the administration aspect of your business. Basically, how you can stay productive without a manager. It’s great to be your own boss, but don’t let favoritism sink your freelancing ship.

Keep regular hours
Establishing a standard operating procedure is essential to staying productive. As a freelancer you’ve got lots of flexibility on hours, but you must respect other business’s work hours. Answering a client’s email promptly isn’t going to happen if you work from 9pm to 4am.
Holidays
The good news is that you’ve got unlimited holidays, but the bad news is that when you are out of the office your business is shut down. You’re not making money! Therefore, all holidays must be planned in advance.
There’s always more to do
Here’s an idea, limit your work week so that you only have 5 days to complete your work. Weekends are off limits. There’s always more work to be done and working more hours (or extra days) doesn’t always mean you will actually get more of it complete, you’ll just find yourself with more tasks on your to-do list.
Avoid the pitfalls of productivity killers:
– Instant messaging: Turn off the auto-login feature and stick to email. It’s less of a distraction.
– User accounts: Create a “work” user account that does not have access to your personal email or your favorite blogs and websites. You’ll miss it at first, but you’ll have more time to check all that stuff when you finish your work hours ahead of schedule!
– Breaks: Taking regular breaks are a heathy part of staying productive. Check out these reminder programs that can help you take regular breaks and keep you from desk fatigue: RSI Warrior, Stretch Break, Stretchware,Workrave, MacBreakZ, Time Out, and AntiRSI.