Productivity seems to be a major source of concern for freelancers. The simple reason being that it can be hard to stay focused for hours at a time. No one is looking down your shoulder, and no one is trying to impose an often unnecessary tight work schedule on you.
The “productivity hacks” that are out there may work for some. But this is only true for you if they are compatible with your lifestyle, or for those who already have a strong measure of self-discipline.
Not to worry. We’ve compiled 3 productivity-boosting techniques you can use without having to turn your lifestyle upside down, and you can start today!
Here’s the first one:
Productivity Technique #1: Use Be Theme’s pre-built websites to finish your client’s work in 4 hours
Be Theme has more than 300 themes, the largest selection of pre-built websites on the market. You can select a theme that will work for you in minutes, and install it with a single click in less than a second.
Time saved – productivity increased.
No coding is necessary, nor is wireframing. First, you need to have the pre-built website of your choice installed. Then, you can build a customized website for your client in 4 hours.
More time saved – productivity improved even further.
Here are a few examples of how Be Theme has helped other freelancers become more productive:
Here are 10 Be Theme pre-built designs you can use to create a full website in a few, short hours
- The large images are especially valuable food presentation techniques
- The interactive menu is extremely useful, and the customers’ testimonial section is both useful and extremely important
- The professional & bold images serve this niche well; and the before and after images are a “must” for a service of this type
- The section on price listing for services is a must if a user is to respond to a call to action
- This pre-built website’s menu is supportive for events & meeting websites; while the clean design makes navigation easy for the user.
- Take special note of the eye-catching countdown clock
- Luxurious imagery, a sense of elegance, and soft design combine to emphasize services and/or products
- The Integrated eShop makes everything easier for the web designer, the client, and the user
- Bold imagery & color combinations appeal to this niche’s audience
- The Integrated eShop and intuitive navigation icons are especially appealing to users
- The Hip design is inviting, the integrated video and audio player will keep users engaged, while the Blog section for concert and album release announcements will keep users coming back for more
- Large images inside the online menu are sure to draw customers
- The Photo gallery shows off the business; while the informative About Us page makes the business stand out
- An impressive gallery like this one, is a must have for a creative’s website.
- A simple & clean design will give any website a professional look, while the integrated presentation video ensures capturing the user’s attention
- The standard intuitive menu for eLearning platforms and easy navigation through the courses or events calendar are a “must have”
- Large video thumbnails to grab attention also play a major role in a website for this niche
- Another example of how a sharp, simple design and clean structure will give a website a trustworthy, professional look, and promote easy navigation
- The perfect content organization allows easy reading on the part of the user
Productivity Technique #2: Be more flexible instead of forcing yourself into a strict schedule
This technique may sound counter-intuitive. Yet, you should try to go against the grain of what some productivity “experts” will recommend.
It’s often better to be somewhat flexible in your approach to your work. This is much better than forcing yourself into a “productivity straight jacket”.
You don’t necessarily have to make a to-do list, get up before the sun comes up, or break up your day into 15-minutes segments.
Those practices may be fine for those who never take time to smell the roses. These people may be even enjoying work in such crisis environment.
Here are a couple of examples of how being flexible will increase your productivity:
Feel “stuck’ on a task? Take a break. Take a walk (with your dog if you have one). If you’re working a problem, your subconscious mind will continue to do so. This will happen without your placing pressure on it to come up with a solution. Be kind to your brain, and it will reward you.
Making a to-do list is fine – but keep it general. List a few things you would like to achieve during a work session, a day, or a week. You don’t need to write down the specific tasks involved in meeting your objectives.
Accomplishing general tasks, as opposed to specific tasks, is much more rewarding. It is much easier when you let the specific tasks take care of themselves as part of your workflow.
Productivity Technique #3: Calculate how much a lack of productivity costs you every day
Walking the dog is not a waste of time, nor is enjoying a cup of coffee if it helps you relax and clear your mind. Procrastinating, on the other hand, will interfere with your productivity. It is time wasted and does not help to improve your productivity in any way.
This third technique involves a little bookkeeping (time tracking, if you prefer). But it’s a simple form of bookkeeping.
Do not write down the time it took you to do every workflow activity during the day. Instead, keep a log of the times you spent procrastinating, and for how long.
You might be charging an hourly fee or on a per-project basis. Either way, you should be able to calculate your hourly earnings during an average day. Then, it’s simply a matter of multiplying the hours spent procrastinating by your hourly rate. That’s what your wasted time is costing you.
Once you’ve calculated your lost earnings, post it in a conspicuous spot as a reminder. Do this whenever you’re beginning to procrastinate. Keep track of your lost earnings, and make every effort to keep the number to a minimum.
Those lost earnings may never quite get to zero, after all, you’re only human. However, with just a little effort on your part, you can come quite close.
Conclusion
Try these 3 techniques to increase your productivity as a freelance web designer.
They work.
- Use Be Theme to design and deliver a website in 4 hours
- Strive to be more flexible, instead of forcing yourself into a precise schedule
- Calculate what procrastination is costing you, and work to minimize that cost
The good news is that you don’t need to force yourself into a strict schedule. You also don’t have to feel guilty about following a more flexible one. Eventually, you’ll see your productivity increase.
These simple, straightforward methods can be used by anyone to make the most of their time.
The post How to Increase Your Productivity as a Freelance Web Designer with 3 Simple Techniques appeared first on Design your way.
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