In 2008 I left my well-paid job as a TV producer for the BBC to go it alone as a freelance writer. I was excited by the prospect of being my own boss, setting my own schedule and being able to choose the type of projects to work on. At the same time, I was nervous. I had swapped all the security, comforts, and benefits that come with being a salaried employee and replaced them with the unknown. When you work for yourself there are no paid vacations or sick leave. You can’t blame disappointments or failures on office politics or weaker team members and there are no guaranteed pay cheques.
Ten years later and my freelance career is thriving. It is not going to make me a rich man, but it is making me a comfortable and happy one. And none of it would be possible without self-discipline. It is the key to success and without it, nobody can survive as a freelance worker no matter their field. Self-discipline has allowed me to achieve a wonderful work/life balance. I am able to devote the hours I need to my writing while also having ample free time to enjoy my family, friends, and interests.
One of the biggest drawbacks of not having self-discipline is that you don’t set any limits that enable you to manage the ebbs and flows of the marketplace. Very soon you find yourself running to catch up with your workload and chasing potential clients. Instead of being busy with steady work, you overcommit and overbook and consequently become overworked and exhausted. And all of this leads to burnout, which is ruinous to health. The long-hours work culture is commonplace in the United Kingdom, which has the longest work week in Europe. One of the reasons why people turn to freelance careers is to get away from this kind of pressure, yet before long they find themselves even more stressed out than they were before.
So how can you avoid this? How can you instill self-discipline in your working life? Here’s how I do it.
7 Tips For Self-Discipline
1. Make the Alarm Clock Your Friend
When you are your own boss, it is tempting to grab a few extra minutes or an hour under the covers, delaying the start of your day. You simply must have the same attitude as when you were a salaried employee and had to be in the office on time.
I get up early every working day and still manage to have a lie in. All I do is set my first alarm for half an hour before I want to get out of bed. That way I have a wonderful 30-minutes snooze time. By the time the next alarm goes, off I am ready to start my day.
2. Plan the Day Ahead
I discovered early on in my writing career that if my day didn...
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar