Procrastination in anything can be unhelpful at best. But when you are running a freelance business, and certain tasks need to be done urgently, procrastination in any form can play havoc with client relationships and your long-term goals.
Here are 7 ways to overcome freelance procrastination and beat admin overwhelm.
1. Discover your why
The first step is to consider why you might be procrastinating on a task.
Is it because the task is too big or complex, or is it something you don’t enjoy doing, or perhaps there are too many distractions in your day, so you keep on putting the task off, or could you be a perfectionist or even suffering from a debilitating bout of freelancer Impostor Syndrome?
Also, don’t discount that you may be attracting clients who aren’t the right fit for you or have unrealistic project deadlines – which can contribute to procrastination.
Getting to the root of why you are procrastinating could provide the key to overcoming it.
2. Eliminate distractions
You’ll often find that eliminating time-consuming (or time-wasting) distractions gives you more impetus to get things done.
Whether that means avoiding certain social media platforms that can suck up hours of your time or putting your smartphone into a digital prison via a lock box, or clearing your mind (and de-cluttering your desk) so you can get on with the task at hand – all can be great procrastination slayers.
If you are working from home and likely to be distracted by others in your household, consider working from a co-working space. If not full-time, at least one day a week so you can focus on the tasks you’ve been putting off. You might even consider working from a local coffee shop or library.
Alternatively, a ‘Shhh Do Not Disturb’ sign around your workspace might do the trick!
3. Reevaluate your vision and goals
As well as getting to the bottom of why you might be procrastinating, the other important ‘why’ to consider is why you started your business in the first place.
Look at the bigger picture to get clarity on your business objectives and the motivation to continue. It might be that your vision needs to be reevaluated, goals tweaked, or even a business pivot.
If you are no longer enjoying what you do, there could be many reasons, so refreshing your vision and setting desirable business goals could be just the incentive you need to park procrastination and create the freelance business of your dreams.
4. Get started
You’ll be surprised how simply starting a task can build momentum and create a snowball effect. As the famous quote by Goethe goes, “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”
Or alternatively, and frankly, more simply, get inspired by the Nike slogan; ‘Just do it’.
If you really want to motivate yourself to get started and like to listen to music while you work, put on your most motivational power ballad (or binaural beats deep focus music) and get started!
Another powerful motivator is publicly stating your goals – nothing like accountability to spur you into action!
5. Get automated
By automating tedious but essential tasks such as invoicing, you can free up a lot of time, overcome procrastination, and get paid faster. After all, who doesn’t like getting paid?
Invoice Ninja is a leading free invoicing software for small business invoicing, online payments, tracking expenses and billable tasks. It also includes attractive, professional invoice template designs you can customize with your logo and brand colors.
We’ve even got a nifty Google Chrome extension and super handy project management Kanban boards designed to make planning, managing and completing tasks easier.
With our recurring invoices and auto-billing option, you can automatically bill long-term regular clients – perfect for retainer and project clients – and less time-consuming paperwork to procrastinate over!
Try it for free here.
6. Break big tasks down into smaller ones
Often, when we have a large, complex task or project ahead, it can seem daunting, so we put it off. But by simply breaking down larger tasks into smaller, more manageable ones, we can better progress through a project that we thought would never get done.
A daily to-do list can also be helpful. Prioritize the tasks that you need to do each day. Ticking them off as they are completed can also be hugely satisfying. There are plenty of apps that cater for this online.
Of course, another way to beat procrastination is to delegate tasks that you find tedious or time-consuming to someone else or, alternatively, hire a VA to do them for you.
7. Reward yourself
Reward yourself at the end of a task.
It doesn’t have to be a big expensive treat; it can be a pastime you enjoy or even a healthy habit such as going for a daily stroll. Although it sounds counterintuitive, taking a short break away from your desk can help you break state, boost creativity, and gather momentum for the next task when you return to work.
Having something to look forward to at the end of a task, no matter how small, can be a real mood booster.
