4 Ways to Achieve Productive Freedom
Happy Fourth of July! In celebration of the US’ 232nd year of independence, here’s some advice on acheiving Productive Freedom
Productive Freedom is simply being able to enjoy time for yourself, while accomplishing all your commitments on time and to spec. Ready? Let’s go.
Practice Great Time Management. No doubt you’ve equate good time management with productivity. But what exactly is it? In my opinion, proper time management is simply good planning and the will to execute the plan; plan your schedule and follow it.
Think Long-Term. A general misconception is that freedom is being able to do what you want when you want it. Nothing could be further from the truth, because as everyone knows, every freedom comes with responsibilities.
In short, to achieve the true freedom the freelancing setup allows, you’ll need to think long-term. Before making a decision, consider the long-term consequences of your actions. It may be great to spend that night out with friends, but will you be able to properly work while trying to burn the midnight oil?
Don’t Always Start From Scratch. At the very least, preserving your own freedom means saving time. A good way to do this is to build a library of “assets” you can use on projects, cutting down on the required labor hours (see Inventory 2.0).
For instance, computer programmers are saved from coding the basic elements of an application (controlling the look of the interface, how it interacts with a printer or webcam), because they already rely on pre-made modules to do this for them. Thus, they can concentrate on higher-level functions, which usually make a program more useful for the end customer.
Set Clear Expectations. Have you ever felt trapped by a promise you made, only to realize that you’re either unable or unwilling to fulfill it? Breaking promises is not only bad for client-freelancer relations, but for life in general. It makes it hard to gain and retain the trust of people, and will make it harder for you to get things done as you waste time re-establishing your credentials.
But I digress. Setting clear expectations saves your from the burden of trying to live up to your own boastful words. It keeps your productive and personal life on your own terms.
A similarity among these five actions is that they will be hard to do at first. But habits work against and for our own favor; so long as we push ourselves to do something over and over again, it will become second nature to us eventually.
Again, enjoy the long weekend, and the Fourth of July!
Image source: GingerLove of sxc.hu
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POSTED IN: Living as a Freelancer
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