Ten Ways To Keep Busy As A Freelancer

‘It’s just going to be one of those weeks’

Many freelancers have this feeling.

As I’m sure many of you know, freelancing definately wasn’t what I had planned when I left university. It was unexpected and just kind of happened. I had no idea what to expect, what to do, how to get business, how to stay busy or how to be productive. It was, and somewhat still is a guessing game.

Any freelancer will tell you that it’s the gaps in between the jobs that can be the most challenging. The biggest fear is things slowing down. This is why keeping busy and filling your time productively even when you aren’t busy working on project is extremely important. Every day can feel like a rollercoaster. It is thrilling, exciting and adventurous but has the potential to also make you feel quite sick. You are constantly torn and each day can either feel like a famine or a feast. Jobs come like buses. Sometimes you’ve got to wait a while, then… they all come at once! It’s important not to get deflated in these periods but to really take advantage of the ‘down time’.

Yes, the down time can feel horrible. You can second guess yourself as to why you chose to freelance but don’t get discouraged. Stick at it, work hard and build your way up. I’m going to share with you my ten tips to stay busy and sane as a freelancer.

1. Set goals – make achievable and realistic goals over either a long period of time (one year or more) or a short time period (usually 6 months or fewer). Make goals so you are accountable in sticking to them. Make your goals SMART: Specific Measurable Achievable Relavant and Time based
2. The occasional day off is ok — cut yourself some slack. If you feel like you need the afternoon or even day off, do it and recharge those batteries. You’re your own boss. Even if you aren’t working on a specific project perhaps fill your day with productive admin tasks that will make you feel like you’re achieving something. Go to the post office, listen to some inspiring podcasts, meet a friend for lunch, spend your time organising your week or tidying your working environment
3. Go to events/places — stay in the know with what is going on in the world. Go to events where you’ll meet likeminded people. These events represent opportunities… go and grab them!
4. Meet with people you know — stay in touch with your connections. It’s always nice to catch up with people that know you and your story. Plus, you never know where conversations may lead. They may know someone who knows someone else who needs someone with your skills
5. Stay inspired — it can be lonely as a freelancer and theres a risk of getting caught up in the downtime. Keep those creative juices flowing by surrounding yourself with inspiring sources
6. Update your skills/portfolio — put your skills to good use, flesh out your portfolio and increase your web presence. Don’t be lazy with this quiet time. Make yourself the best version of you that you can be. This all lends itself to #7…
7. Market yourself — for me, I think this is the hardest part. It’s a very difficult task to market yourself and talk about yourself in ways that would ordinarily seem egotistical. But it’s so important. You alone are responsible for shaping your destiny. Marketing is all about interest and awareness. There won’t be any interest if you don’t put the effort in to create the awareneess. Build your social profile, have confidence and go for it. It’s got to be done!
8. Spend time reminding yourself of why you started — if you’re feeling slightly drained, look back a few months or even a week and see how far you’ve come
9. Surround yourself with other freelancers — ensuring you have contact with those in the same boat as you is always helpful. If you’re having one of those days or weeks, reach out to them. They will know exactly how you’re feeling and will be able to give advice. It may even be that they are feeling the same too!
10. Keep going! — don’t stop when things get hard. Like with anything in life, there will always be ups and downs, maybe more so because of this particular path. Don’t give up. Nothing worth having comes easy…

Cut yourself some slack if you are a freelancer already — you’re doing great. If you’re thinking about it... give it a go… start with the basics with a little something on the side and role with it. What’s the worst that can happen?