Motivating yourself can be tricky – staying motivated is on a whole other level. Throw in a dash of undefined routines, lack of weekly/monthly/yearly reviews by the boss (a.k.a you), and the fact that your schedule is ultimately defined by your mood (or is that just me?) and things get REAL aimless REAL fast.
Giving In To Procrastination Is The Easiest Temptation – Especially When Your Job Revolves Around Social Media. You Find Yourself Going To Pin Your Newest Design To And Before You Know It, An Hour Or Two Has Passed And You’re 35 Recipes Deep Into Something You Weren’t There For (And Damn If You Aren’t Hungry).
Point being? Freelance work gives the ultimate freedom to choose what your day will look which, honestly, is why we do this, right? With a bit of forward-thinking and a touch of self-discipline, being your own boss is the best decision you’ll ever make. You just need to be smart about your time (and girl, step away from Pinterest!) Here are the techniques that I use to stay motivated as a freelancer while also stopping myself from falling into the mindset that we need to be hustling 24/7.
*Professional disclaimer: I still work on my phone in my bed late at night, but I catch myself and put that sucker in a drawer).
5 Tips for Staying Motivated and Keeping
your Sanity as a Entrepreneur
Create Structure
We are all victims of having far too many choices. I get overwhelmed having to choose an ice cream so, at this point, I’d rather go without than “the wrong one.” By creating structure to our days’ itinerary, we are eliminating the indecision and the overwhelm that leads to zero production.
Think about what your perfect workday looks like… do you enjoy waking up before the rest of the world, pouring your cup of Joe, and cracking that laptop open to start your day? Or do you prefer to start late, walk the dogs and get your endorphins flowing? Whatever avenue is your route to happiness is what should be added to your daily routine to create the structure the supports and nourishes the best version of you.
The best part of being your own boss is that you get to decide how and when you do things so be sure that you set yourself up for success by playing your key strengths.
Look Forward to your Goals
Your everyday tasks can get SO boring! Keep your bigger goal in mind. Write it on a post-it and stick it to your monitor or get creative and pin it on your wall – tall and proud. Be ruthless about where you direct your energy and go for your wildest dreams. No one ever got anywhere by being lazy and unfocused.
Embrace the SUCK
Does looking forward, say 5 years, maybe 10 feel hard to you? Try this… remember back to a time in your life when the struggle was so tremendous you felt held back by everything life threw at you. (If you didn’t have any of that, then wrap your arms around yourself and give yourself a big hug because you’re truly one of a kind and I likely don’t understand you). I’m talking pain points – you couldn’t pay the rent, ramen was a 3-meal a day situation, and going out with your other broke bestie meant pooling your dollars for the cheapest beer and free bar popcorn. (How’d we ever survive our twenties?) Let those moments fuel the fire. Get mad; get sad, and seriously, laugh. Do everything in your power to never end up back there again. Those moments got you where you are now and with the power of a positive goal to keep you moving forward, you won’t be going back.
Celebrate the Wins
It’s acceptable to recognize your own handwork and celebrate your personal victories. Why? You are a one-person show and there is no one else to pat you on the back. Learning to clap for your own achievements might not sound “normal” but neither is talking to yourself and firing yourself periodically — all things you start to do when you work for yourself.
Hold yourself Accountable
Just because you work alone just mean are alone. There is a whole world out there and it’s chock full of people who were crazy enough to jump on the freelance train. If you seek regular appraisals and maybe reprimand here and there, find yourself an accountability partner — someone you can speak with once or twice or week, whenever either of you need it to help keep each other in check. Share your plans, goals, deadlines and other concerns to keep one another on track.
Another option that works for many (and is great for networking) is to join a mastermind group. Depending on where you live, they can be easy to find worth every second.
So, how do you stay motivated as a small business owner?
