Freelancers and Productivity – never ending story?
Smashing Magazine, one of the best-known online magazines for Design today published an article on “6 Simple Ways For Freelancers To Increase Their Productivity“.I personally have from time to time a lack in productivity that lasts for several days. My usual approach is to keep my work strictly regulated and structured. This helps me get back to the line and draw attention to the important things of business. It’s so easy to concentrate on minor things when you’re doing creative work. Creating details, working with stunning photos and digging deep into favorite designs might cost one hours of work you won’t get payed as an freelancer.
I don’t see myself as a freelancer. Long Run International Limited is a business that i pursue, not alone and not from a perspective as a single person. For me, it’s always a company and never just myself – beside that i’m the boss and i have to make all the decisions and keep the work going without anyone hustling me (expect any customers, what should really be avoided). Nevertheless, most of the following points are for me as important as for any freelancer.
First point for Smashing Magazine is time: One shouldn’t waste it – of course – and take any necessary steps to avoid wasting time. A schedule, a precise and complete calendar and a time tracking software are my favorite choice to provide strict working borders. Smashing Magazine adds breaks to this. They say:
“Studies show that people who take short breaks during the work day tend to get more done .”
I agree to this, but it’s also important to keep this breaks strict. And that’s a problem when you’re a creative worker. Once you’re really in that work, e.g. an design, you want to keep care of it and want to get it down. Of course, it might be that you waste time when you don’t reflect what you’re doing and focus on that tiny details. On the other hand, if you have your break too early, you’ll loose some of the ideas you had and might need more time to get back into your work. Overall, it’s a trade-off between getting in an creative mode and getting in the tiny details.
Second point is making plans: My whole table is full of cheat sheets. There are plenty lists of tasks and i also use my PIM software to track all the tasks, events and calls that have to get done. Without any plan, one is lost within a second and will loose track. I urge everyone to support his oder her planning system with a software. Smashing Magazine names one or two of those. I personally recommend you any real PIM software for single persons and a low-cost Web 2.0 application for small teams. Anyone else should think about an Exchange Server.
Get focused is what Smashing Magazine lists at place three. Their main points are: one task at a time, no web surfing while working, no distractions. I totally agree with that, but want to add that, if you couldn’t get one point done (e.g. you don’t have an idea for an design), you should put it back on the batch and proceed to next one. Once this is done, you might have another idea for your first task. This helps you spending your time carefully and reflects that it’s all human work – and not an machine as your most important tool.
Get Organized is also very important, but it’s your personal way. If you’re comfortable with how your emails are organized and YOU find everything within a second, it’s okay. You don’t have to relay on anyone else’s way of storing information. But you should take your time every weeks and think about what you could improve. Is there anything that disturbed you meanwhile? There are also some “new” software inventions that might make your life easier: Think about organizing your bookmarks, emails, documents and images for special projects or customers. I take the same structure for any customer and any project. At any time, i know where the data i’m searching for is located and will find it with up to four clicks.
Smashing Magazine also summarizes your social media accounts under that point. From my point of view, i thing this are the main time killers. One should have a clear concept (a) how and (b) when and (c) with that target they should be used. Without that, you’re wasting time, i guess.
Setting up your office properly is point five. I think that one is for developers. Everyone should take his or her time to do so. Everyone should also have a system on how to do it. And everyone should also reflect every weeks if this system is still productive. I’ve seen dozens of leaflets, post-its and batches of paper on tables. Tables will get full on one point at time. Do you already use your walls? What about additional movable walls? What about white-boards? As a designer, you should always care about your flexibility and creative freedom if you start painting your walls and windows with all the important papers.
Last point is interesting, but i think one of the weakest of all. It’s about getting help from 0utside. At first, you’ve to think about for what you need help. Is it that you have to remove all that pizza and cola stuff from your office (developer) and need a cleaner? Or are you an designer without ideas on a special topic? Overall, do not take to much time to make your decision about help from outside. I take help from outside everytime i’m stuck.
Sources:
(1) http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/08/19/simple-ways-freelancers-can-increase-productivity/