Many people have taken advantage of working from home, by starting an extra gig and working a second job. But it’s not always what it’s cracked out to be.
People in this day and age want everything now, which means that if you are freelancing or offering an extra service, you may have to drop everything and work on it straight away, otherwise you may lose the job. This is the life of an on-demand freelancer.
Being so on-demand faces its own challenges, if you work too hard you may face burnout and not know what to do. Here we will discuss ways to help you if you have lost your way as an on-demand freelancer.
Table of Contents
#1 Take a break from your workdesk
As on-demand freelancers, we are pressured in delivering work fast to a certain deadline. It’s super important to take a break and come back to a project after our eyes are fresher. Sometimes if you stare at the same thing for long periods of time, it’s difficult to judge what is good and what is bad. Burnout is real!
You may think the solution to the problem you are solving is obvious, however, without a break, this cannot be guaranteed.
It helps to step away and give your brain a little processing time, you may even find an even better solution. The chances are that when you return, fresh ideas will come and the client will love the work even more.
I find that when I’m so fixated on my screen, my communication skills deteriorate and I have problems answering the simplest of questions. when working with clients, you can’t let this happen as it makes you the freelancer seem less experienced than you are.
Steve Jobs had a few habits, one of them was that he would walk all the time. “Jobs believed that his most creative ideas came when on foot rather than in an office.” – The Ladders
#2. Make a playlist while creating
When working fast and on-demand sometimes our brain is focused too much on the job in hand. It’s nice for there to be some background noise or distraction to freshen things up.
I have different playlists for different types of jobs. This motivates me and paces what I’m doing. Audiobooks are an excellent way to learn something different subconsciously while working.
#3 Freelancers have tidy workspaces (sometimes)
Creativity and concentration can be held back because the workspace can be sterile. If you want to add personality to the project you are working on, make sure that you have personality in the room with you.
#4 Living in the moment, on-demand
Being an on-demand freelancer is very much living in the moment, so make sure you’re in the correct state of mind. Be mindful of every project you are working on before taking on new jobs, this way you won’t be worrying about what you need to do next. Personally, I write my projects down and try to forget them until I look at my diary again. This helps me have a clear mind while living in the present moment.
#5 Work quickly
One of the benefits of working on-demand is that you don’t hold onto a certain project for too long. Projects will all be short term, this means fewer things to keep you awake at night. This is a big benefit because sometimes, having too much time to work on a project can sometimes be restrictive and can cause health problems such as anxiety.
#6 Recycle projects for efficiency
As an on-demand freelancer, you want to start and finish jobs fast. One way to do this is to recycle materials for different clients. Just make sure that each piece is unique and on-brand for the project that you are working on. There is no point is re-creating the wheel.
#7 Set your own schedule
Jobs can come to you unexpectedly. Try to stick to your own schedule as much as you can and automate your day to help with efficiency and productivity. Expect the unexpected. Keeping a physical diary and notepad at hand will help if you need to offload information from your brain fast.
Scheduling and invoicing tools can help save you time. Many freelancers use Upwork to help them manage their day-to-day on-demand lifestyle.
