The independence that comes with freelancing is a double-edged sword. Sure, you get to work wherever and whenever you want, but it also means you're constantly battling yourself to do chores on time.

As a freelancer, I've discovered some basic yet effective strategies that have more than increased my productivity over the years. They are in charge of keeping me motivated and boosting my earnings. Examine my treasure trove of productivity tactics to discover if any of them can benefit you, whether you're a freelancer, entrepreneur, or 9-5 office worker.

1. Begin your day correctly.

Because you are not rushed, getting up early gives you a better chance of starting your day on the right foot. It gives you plenty of time to eat a healthy breakfast, exercise, and prepare yourself for work.

2. Create and keep to a timetable - no, genuinely this time!

It appears that mastering your schedule requires more effort than merely acquiring notebooks and plans. The following ideas and strategies will teach you how to create a timetable that you can keep to.

Many studies show that the most productive time of day is around 10:30 a.m., while the least effective hour is 2:55 p.m., due to the post-lunch slump. As a result of this, make use of checklists for all of your duties.

Checklists are a great tool to set short and long-term goals. It helps you stay on track and see what has to be done. To make enormous undertakings appear less scary, divide them into smaller tasks. Taoist is a popular alternative for to-do list apps and task management. It comes in the form of a desktop app, mobile app, Chrome extension, and email plugin, allowing you to easily sync it across all of your devices.

Find out what works best for you.

There are several alternatives for making and sticking to a plan, and the success of each depends on your personality. Consider the following suggestions:

90-minute focus cycles: In this strategy, you schedule your day so that there are intervals of work followed by moments of rest. In this scenario, it's a 90-minute work block followed by a 20-minute break. When you know you'll be catching up on your social media notifications shortly, it's simpler to concentrate.

The MIT approach: The acronym MIT stands for ''Most critical Task,'' and it refers to prioritizing one to three of the most critical things on your to-do list. This does not imply that you will just get three things done per day, but it will assist you in prioritizing them. Small wins can occasionally create momentum that spreads to the remainder of your to-do list.

Time management: While precise preparation is required, time blocking can increase overall productivity and add structure to your days. Create a timetable and allocate your chores to particular time windows. Plan for the unexpected and make time to rest, relax, and enjoy yourself. A precise timetable might assist you in staying on track because. Your time has already been allocated, and you are aware of which chores will fall through the gaps if you do not adhere to the plan.

Setting realistic deadlines: A Deadline is the chronological counterpart of a budget. You can avoid expenditures by scheduling time ahead of time to finish a task, goal, or project. Deadlines have been shown to be quite advantageous. They provide your brain with a framework for problem-solving and help you transition from floundering to focusing.

3. Take note of your workspace

Set aside a room in your home for just work-related tasks. This could be an entire room, a corner, or even just a single desk. The main thing is to have a defined space where you may work on obtaining your ideal mental state.

Remove anything from your desk that you don't need for work. A cluttered work environment makes it difficult not just to identify documents that you may require for work, but also to think coherently. Some people with crowded workstations, on the other hand, are more creative and productive. "If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, then what is an empty desk?" Albert Einstein once pondered this question. This illustrates that organization is more important than minimalism. What seems to us as a crowded desk may represent some type of organization to someone else. The trick is to discover the optimal combination of simplicity and clutter for you. 

Maintain a visually appealing workplace. What you view while working has a significant impact on your productivity. Angela Wright, a color psychologist, says that each basic color has a specific psychological effect. You can also mix and match these colors to make the most of them.

Blue is great for enhancing productivity since it aids concentration.

The color orange stimulates the imagination.

Yellow helps to prevent cognitive fatigue.

Green is a terrific color for people who prefer to work in a calm setting.

Plants can be used to decorate your desk.

Did you know that having indoor plants and flowers can boost productivity, creativity, and problem-solving skills, according to a Texas A&M University study? Plants in the workplace can reduce indoor pollution by 60%, according to NASA. 

Your productivity can be raised by up to 15% as a result of the improved air quality.

4. Reduce distractions

Maintaining focus is one of the many challenges of working as a freelancer. To keep focused on your tasks, eliminate as many distractions as possible.

Make gaining access to your social media accounts difficult.

Traditional organizations limit the use of social media websites because they lead employees to lose concentration and delay. The same can be said for independent contractors. So, unplug from social media by performing the following actions:

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Reedit, and other social networking sites should be removed from your favorite bar.

Log out of all accounts to make accessing them more difficult.

Turn off the notifications.

Are you still having problems avoiding your social media accounts? Install Stay Focused, a Chrome productivity extension that helps you stay focused. a Chrome productivity extension that restricts the amount of time you spend on social networking and other time-wasting websites. It is highly customizable, so you may make it uniquely yours.

Set your phone to silent mode.

It's easy to become side-tracked when your phone continues blaring and ringing. So, whenever you need to completely concentrate on a task, close all chat applications and put your phone on silent mode.

5. Do you procrastinate? Here's what you can do:

Time spent procrastinating is time not spent working. Here are two methods that can assist you in getting back on track.

Attempt the 2-minute rule. When you're feeling lethargic, the 2-minute rule can help you get back into the swing of things. You complete a tiny task on your to-do list.

You tackle a tiny task on your to-do list that can be finished in under 2 minutes. You'll most likely be back at work by the time you finish this short task.

Apply the 5-second rule.

If you need to finish a difficult task quickly, the 5-second rule can help. It's quite straightforward. Begin counting down from 5 and then take action. You're making a conscious effort to take control of your prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain involved in decision-making and working, in the same way that scientists countdown the seconds until spaceships launch off.

6. Make an effort to stay inspired.

Maintaining a cheerful attitude is essential for productivity. Here are some ideas to help you stay motivated.

Maintain a record of the chores you've performed. One of the most useful aspects of creating checklists is the ability to keep track of the activities that you've completed satisfactorily. Take a moment now and then to reflect on your achievements and give yourself a mental pat on the back. After all, nothing is more inspiring than progress, according to Harvard's Teresa Amiable.

Reward yourself for your achievements.

Reward yourself with things that make you joyful, whether it's a minor but arduous activity or a major endeavor that has been done. A monetary reward is not required. It could be as simple as devoting 15 minutes more to your pastime or making a quick trip to the library. The trick is to use your emotions to make you feel good about your profession.

7. Stay away from multitasking.

Multitasking, contrary to popular assumption, lowers rather than boosts productivity. This is related to a loss of focus, which leads to additional errors. It goes even beyond that. A Stanford University study discovered that multitasking impairs cognitive regulation, whereas a University of London study discovered that it may diminish IQ. The bottom line is that focusing on one activity at a time will result in better and faster results.

Working from home is built on self-discipline. Change your bad behaviors and adopt new ones that will help you advance in your career. It does not have to be a dramatic change. It is possible to make it easier by taking small steps till you achieve your maximum production level.