Working smart is even more important when you’re self employed. Sure, all of us should be putting the effort in when it comes to our job or career, but when you’re self employed, you only get paid for the work that you do and not the hours. For most employees, taking an extra long break or skiving off when they can makes sense as they’re getting paid regardless. But it doesn’t make sense from a self employed perspective. Here’s how you can work smarter and more efficiently to get the most out of your time.
Get organised the night before
Most people that work a traditional job will get their stuff ready the night before- their clothes, their lunch and their work bag. If you work from home, it’s tempting to skip this step but it’s something well worth doing. You won’t be wearing a uniform, but some clean, comfy clothes to change into when you get up can get you in a good frame of mind instead of staying in your pyjamas. Preparing a lunch and keeping it in the fridge saves you from having to mess around midday. If there’s any prep you need to do, such as writing a to-do list of tasks then get it sorted the night before, so you’re on top of things and feeling good in the morning.
Learn shortcuts
Even something as simple as keyboard shortcuts can save you time when you’re working. Whether its the snipping tool on Mac to screenshot (https://setapp.com/how-to/snipping-tool-for-mac explains how to do this) to using the correct cut, copy and paste shortcuts. If you regularly use softwares, these will all have their own shortcuts integrated into them too which are worth learning. Photoshop is one example of this, it can make designing anything much quicker when you’re not having to manually search the tools that you want.
Turn off distractions
Sometimes it can feel like you’ve worked a solid eight hours, but actually, a good two or three of them were spent messing around procrastinating. If you check Facebook between every email you send, have a quick browse of Instagram after every paragraph you write or get up to make a cup of tea every hour then this time soon adds up. If you get rid of distractions and focus on getting through your tasks, you get to finish sooner which is far better than stretching out your working day. Turn off your phone, or put it away from arms reach if you’re in bad habits of checking it. Before starting a task, make sure you have everything you need, and work on powering through it distraction free. It’s not to say you can’t have breaks, breaks are healthy and essential. They give you a chance to stretch your legs and rest your eyes, but it’s no good if you’re getting up every five minutes. You’ll be stopping your flow of productivity.
