Many people believe that working freelance means more opportunity for distraction, less discipline and therefore lowered productivity. However, this mindset must be adopted in order to come true. In reality, freelancers have much more potential to be productive than people who work in an office from 9 to 5 every day. Their flexible schedules and workflows allow for increased productivity in a number of ways.
Flexible Schedule and Routine
Perhaps the best part of freelancing is making your own schedule. Freelancers use their time exactly how they want to. This means that if you are more productive in the morning, you can work then. If you’re more productive at 2am, there is no rule saying you have to work at 3 in the afternoon instead. You create your routine to fit your preferences and therefore waste less time.
Most freelancers work from home, so you cut out a lot of time commuting. When you aren’t commuting, you’re also saving money on gas and car maintenance. We waste so much of each day picking what to wear, getting ready for work, and sitting in traffic. Freelancers can decicate all that time to being more productive every day.
If you want to take the day off, you can. If you want to go on vacation, you can. If you want to go to a convention across the country, you can. You also avoid unnecessary meetings that are scheduled to benefit other workers. Many office environments waste a lot of time on pointless trainings, meetings, events, and discussions.
Playing To Your Strengths
It’s hard to be productive when you are being asked to do things you don’t like or are not good at. Many office environment leaders just need tasks performed and are not focused on maximizing their employees potential. Freelancers have the unique ability to do only the things they are good at. You can take jobs that are within your strengths and refuse others. Or you can build partnerships with people who have strengths you don’t have.
Dedicated Time to Education
Part of freelancing is consistent growth. Most of the focus of businesses in office environments is maintenance and maintaining preexisting levels, systems and goals. As a freelancer, it’s part of your job to research how your sector is working and growing. You should be educating yourself on the newest trends in your field, the newest programs and tools, and the trending topics. This education will not only help you refine the skills you have but will help make you an industry leader, especially if you reflect the things you learn in something like a blog or podcast that will also help drum up business.
Choose Your Best Tools
Just like children in school, individuals in the workplace all have their own preferences and ways of learning and working. In a regimented office environment, you may be forced to learn new systems or keep track of workflows in a way that doesn’t click with your way of thinking or personality. When you freelance, you can test and find systems and tools that work best for you and only you.Photo by Sebastiaan ter Burg
