How to make yourself work if you are a freelancer
With freelancers, everything is clear: here the situation is conducive to slacking. You don’t have to go anywhere, your family is nearby, the kitchen smells delicious... What kind of work, what are you talking about?
But even a freelancer has deadlines! To avoid stress the night before the project is due, you should:
- Clearly allocate time for work . Set aside a free schedule! No: “If I have time left, I’ll work!” There should be a schedule, you just create it for yourself. On Tuesday you start at 10.00, on Wednesday at 7.00, and on Thursday at 12.00. But fixed time must be allocated for work. This is necessary so that the family gets used to it and does not disturb it. And it’s more convenient to set “estimates” (order deadlines).
- Change clothes . Change your clothes to get ready for work. Naturally, no office suits. But working in pajamas is also not the case. The outfit will be a beacon, a reminder: “It’s time to get to work!” What uniform should I choose? A knitted home suit will help you relax, and a funny kigurumi jacket will “switch on” your creativity. Let your imagination run wild. What does an artist look like at work in your mind? An old T-shirt and jean shorts splashed with paint? You can assemble such a kit for yourself. Are you a programmer and want to cosplay as Zuckerberg or Jobs? You can afford it: everyone has sweatshirts and black turtlenecks.
- Leave home. Did you manage to explain to your wife about working remotely, but your grandmother refuses to understand? Self-employed people often complain that their family or neighbors are always trying to meet a plumber, go to the store, or babysit because: “What’s wrong? You’re still sitting at home!” When you’re constantly being pulled, it’s difficult to work. We leave the location: we leave the house. You can work in a coworking space, with friends, in a park, in a rented office, in a library or in a cafe. A very effective way to get in the mood for work if you don’t want to do it at home or in the office.
What is procrastination
How to get ready for work if you don’t want to
In the USSR, this condition was simply classified as laziness! Now, instead of: “I’m screwed!”, they answer: “I’m procrastinating.”
Procrastination is the deliberate putting off of things until later. Everything is transferred: from little things (writing a note, doing the cleaning) to serious matters (visiting a doctor, submitting documents).
Chronic procrastinators do everything at the last minute: coursework overnight, urgent order - 24 hours in advance.
“Procrastinators” find a million reasons to justify doing nothing. They'll give the cat a bath, clean out the closet, clean the grout on the tiles, and sort through the photos on the computer. Anything to avoid writing a program or dissertation.
When there is a critical minimum left before the deadline, they pull themselves together and do everything quickly. Often they even do well. Then they honestly promise: “I will always do everything on time!” A new task arrives and everything starts all over again.
Let's understand the reasons
A person regularly went to work, worked, received a salary, but suddenly or gradually the desire to fulfill his daily duties disappeared somewhere. What happened, why did work become a burden? There may be several reasons:
- You are stuck in a routine. The usual getting up at 7 o'clock, burnt scrambled eggs for breakfast, a trip to work by subway, a stack of papers on the table and monotonous jokes from colleagues. In the evening, a quick dinner, a TV series and the usual missionary position. Your whole life follows a well-trodden rut, monotonous days run by in an endless series, leaving no room for color. You are so bored and sad that even buying a new sofa becomes a real event.
- Your life guidelines have changed. Once upon a time, we were all young students, full of strength and enthusiasm to prove our mental and physical abilities. Probably only in youth is a person ready to work for an idea and recognition. But as the years go by, someone else’s project becomes boring, and the desire to open something of your own appears. As for women, the vast majority start families and further develop themselves as mothers and wives, while the career race fades into the background.
- You are depressed. Problems in your personal life, tragedies in the family, illnesses of relatives and friends very often lead to a depressed state. A person who is depressed cannot enjoy the work he does; all he cares about is his personal drama.
- You have outgrown your responsibilities. Human nature is such that its development does not stand still. It is impossible to perform the same duties with pleasure and interest for many years in a row.
- Vacation is just around the corner. Accumulated fatigue and anticipation of a long-awaited rest make it difficult to concentrate. Mentally, you are already lying under the palm trees and sipping a cooling cocktail. The same condition haunts you in the first weeks after rest. But how to force yourself to work?
Returning from vacation: mission accomplished
I don't particularly want to work after vacation. In my memories, the sea is still agitated, the resort discos are noisy... It seems impossible to sit down and write reports.
To make work easier after vacation, you can:
- Reduce adaptation time . Don’t delay your return to the rhythm; it’s better to extend your sea holidays. You can iron your office suit, wash your hair and get a manicure done within 24 hours. Leave this 24 hours to prepare for workdays.
- Remember what it's all for . Did you enjoy your vacation? Remember: you need to earn money for your next vacation. Help motivate you to survive the dull routine. For the laptop screensaver - a photo from a vacation, a landscape of a country you visited, or a photo of a renovation that was done instead of traveling. Decorate your workplace with souvenirs: postcards, tickets from trains and planes, pieces of maps. Don't have a permanent job? Leave reminders of your vacation in the car on your smartphone screensaver.
- Think about everyday life from vacation . Do you know that returning to the office will be difficult? While on vacation, take care of your future. Where you are relaxing, buy local tea, coffee, spices, and cigarettes. It is not necessary to buy elite samples for thousands of money. Even a bag of cereal brought “from there” will seem tastier at home. Therefore, stock up on everything that does not spoil and is available for export from the country: snacks, chewing gum, cookies.
- Bring a new outfit or accessory for work from your trip. It could be anything: a business suit, a phonendoscope, an unusual mouse, a set of manicure tools, sportswear. There are two conditions: it must be strictly for work and it must make your eyes light up. Ready to go home right now just to try out a new guitar processor or diary? You are on the right track: this purchase will definitely brighten up your first working day and help you get ready for work if you really don’t want to.
