Being a beginner in freelancing, I had to search for articles on freelancing tips. About 99% of the articles opened were written about how freelancing is done; choosing a niche, securing ideal clients, setting prices, building a portfolio, and so forth. 

And I thought everything was settled until reality kicked in. It’s not only about working tips; there are some other accompanying factors that need your mind to get ready for. They may not have a direct association but may have greater impacts if not well handled.

In this article, I’m about to share a few tips that go beyond what’s written in those articles that I, as a freelancer, have experienced. It will help in understanding and preparing yourself when experiencing one or two challenges in your freelancing journey.

Be a good Communicator

As a freelancer, you need to learn the art of communicating clearly. Be timely, responsive to emails and DMs, know how to present your message in a clear and concise way, and be open and maintain your communicating tone. Learn how to effectively use different media of communication, like Zoom, email, DM, or Google Meet.

Good communication will help you market your services correctly, inform them in case of emergencies, and negotiate with your client. Build and maintain good relationships by getting good reviews and recommendations from your clients to other people and extending work contracts.

All this can be achieved by being a good listener, preparing your points that you need to communicate, and using good language to communicate. Choose to say what is necessary, important, and necessary in that conversation.

Taking full responsibility

There is no shift or someone else to help you with your work. Your absence stops everything. Do you have a plan B in case of emergencies? Or will you blame Tanesco for the absence of electricity without doing anything? Or Tigo for instability networks in other areas?

Take work that you are capable of working on and delivering on time. As a freelancer, everything depends on you: marketing, sales, negotiation, research, doing the actual work, and submitting. Ask yourself how you can take full responsibility for different jobs under the umbrella of freelancing.

Avoid distraction by keeping your phone away when working or limiting some apps. Protect your health to avoid occasional diseases through exercise, getting enough sleep, eating a balanced diet, and resting. Tools like Notion, Trello, and ClickUp are for managing your tasks; Calendly for booking appointments; and Zoom for meeting to ease your responsibilities.

Be a Timekeeper.

Working as a freelancer, you will have a lot of deadlines to meet with your clients’ work. And one of the things that stands out to clients is your ability to deliver work on time. No excuses, no stories, only working within the required time.

Unless you are only working as a freelancer, this may not be a big deal, but if freelancing is your side hustle, this point hits differently. You need to balance your time between main work and side hustles. Deliver both quality and on time.

Set a daily timetable with tasks and times, and stick to it. Plan your week’s tasks ahead before the week starts. Mark each task that is successfully completed on time. And to those that were not completed on time, look at the factors for their delay and work on them.

It’s not about your excellent working skills that get the work done. When other factors hit, they may greatly impact your productivity. Either way, embrace any life challenge that may be thrown at you as a freelancer and conquer it Effortlessly. You got this!.