Working alone as a freelancer – even if you collaborate sometimes with others – is a great experience, and I won’t retrace my steps. Anyway, sometimes the loss of a precise deadline – that YOU should give to yourself – a boss, or the lack of colleagues could be an obstacle to find motivation in certain days.
Here I am, since I am just experiencing something like this in this moment: you can find here few tricks to use and good things that work for me. What does work for you? Write it in the comments below!
References
WHEN DOES IT WORK?
When you feel without ideas. When anything does not seem quite good. And so on.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Stop creating. Stop everything. Open a book, a newspaper, a designing blog, Pinterest, your past saved projects on the computer, or your archived researches… and STUDY. No matter if you will lose the whole afternoon, it worths it. It will relax you, give new ideas that you never expected.
Subdivide tasks
WHEN DOES IT WORK?
You see that deadline, that project, that thing to do as a GIANT thing. You don’t even know where to start.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Cut it, break it and divide it into different mini small tasks, easier to finish, and much satisfying to strike off from a list, little by little.
A (even remote) colleague
WHEN DOES IT WORK?
Always. It should be a basic instinct as drinking coffee or water.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Having someone on which you can count for a confrontation, for an opinion, is one of the greatest gifts you could ever have. I have known my virtual colleague for many years, long before I became a freelance. History wanted us both to become freelance. There is no day in which I need for a suggestion, he considerably improved many aspects of my work, not only becoming a real friend – but even those I would never imagine before… as the management of my emails!
Pomodoro Technique
WHEN DOES IT WORK?
When a task is incredibly annoying. You distract too much yourself, by checking new emails, new social messages and so on. You know what to do and how to do it – but it sucks or it should be done more fastly than you would want.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
You force yourself on concentration for a very small amount of time (20 minutes), but then you reward yourself with 5 minutes of what you want: socials, looking the ceiling, eating chocolate… Then again: 20 minutes of work – with no distraction at all – and 5 minutes of rewarding.
It saved my life from some projects. I correct myself: the colleague mentioned above, saved me!
(here the wiki page)
Listen to yourself
The problem or the concern you feel sometimes is none of the listed above. You feel forced to the chair, you need to move or you don’t feel lucid or you are not well.
Well… sometimes it is right also to take a break, even the whole day if necessary.
Only you can know it. But if you know it, don’t be too severe with yourself, pauses are restorative!