I was perusing through this site called Dev.to.
It’s an AMA (Ask Me Anything) site for developers and freelancers. And, I came across this one AMA: “Landed a Junior Front End Developer role in 3 months”. And, one of the questions caught my eye:
“How did you stay motivated? And how did you handle the days where you may not have been so motivated?”
And, the answer was great advice for freelancers and work-from-home folks:
“I set a very strict schedule for myself, I had set hours every day that were for study and nothing else. Being self taught requires a lot of discipline and determination, no one else will make you do it. Getting little wins in everyday also helped a lot, if I was struggling with a concept or feature, I would take a break and work on something I was more comfortable with, so I felt I had achieved something at the end of each day.”
She’s talking about self-teaching…
But, this can apply to anything where you manage yourself.
Like delivering for clients.
Or, marketing your freelance services, etc.
I have this method I’ve used for several years now. It’s a kind of reward system. So, I have a marketing routine I do everyday to promote my products and services. These emails, social media, my blog, etc.
It’s a set thing.
I follow the same routine every morning.
But, to motivate myself… I don’t let myself eat breakfast until I’m done with this routine. Because, I’ve noticed that once I eat, the endorphins kick in a bit and it’s easy for me to let the day just slide away from me.
So, I follow this rule strictly.
The hungrier I get, the more motivated I am.
And, it works great.
Since doing it, I’ve been far more consistent than I’ve ever been. And, my business has grown 4-5 times, as a result. It also has the dual effect of keeping me focused. Because the hungrier I get, the more focused I get on doing the one thing I have to do in order to eat.
So, I don’t go off on some YouTube binge.
Or, get lost in my email.
My mind hones in on what I have to do to be able to eat.
In any case, give it a try. No idea if it’ll work as well for you as it has me, but it’s worth a shot if you’re feeling unmotivated or unfocused. It’s little tricks like these that can, sometimes, make all the difference.
Speaking of little tricks…
This is one of the big lessons I’ve learned over the years when it comes to freelancing and, in particular, getting clients. It’s not about one big tactic or technique that suddenly sends a flood of clients your way.
It’s about stacking a bunch of little things in your favor.
Soon, you’ve stacked so many things, getting work seems easy.
And, you don’t really think about it.
Trick is, knowing those things. In any case, this is what I give you in my Beginner’s Guide to Freelance course. All the little things I’ve learned over 15 years of being a freelance web developer.
And, you can get access to the course for nothing on Skillshare.
As a teacher there, I can give an exclusive 2-month free trial.
So, you can take the course (plus 21,000+ others).
Without paying a dime.
Interested?
Link for all the details is here: https://johnmorrisonline.com/skillshare
Later,
John
