The benefits of working at home for yourself as a freelancer can fill a long list. However, some of the positive characteristics of this type of job can also lead to bad habits that are difficult to break. If you find yourself falling into negative personal or business practices, you need a sure-fire way to break these bad habits before they get out of control.
Recognize Bad Freelancer Habits First
In order to solve any problem, you first need to be able to identify it properly. What bad habits do you have as a freelancer? Some of the most common may include:
- Procrastination and poor work ethic
- Accepting low price offers
- Accepting every single client instead of just quality ones
- Not marketing effectively to your target audience
- Failure to follow up with existing clients and leads
- Allowing your skills to stagnate
- Mismanaging time and energy
Develop a Quick and Effective Response
After you recognize that you have some of these bad habits, you need to come up with a system that addresses them promptly. Become more aware of your regular business practices and create a set response or shift in behavior that you go to every single time. This will help you overcome the bad habits and maintain efficacy in your chosen market.
For example, if you find yourself procrastinating, switch on a minimal distraction program on your computer that locks you out of social media or other websites. Or, if you have not updated your skill set recently, work new classes or a tutorial series into your existing schedule.
Replace Bad Habits with Good Ones
The best way to overcome bad habits as a freelancer is to replace them with good ones. This should be more than a system of immediate responses when a bad habit appears. Instead, put systems into place so it becomes much more difficult to procrastinate, forget to send an email after a client’s project is done, or work such long hours that you suffer from exhaustion.
