If you are an experienced freelance web designer, you’re aware of many productivity hacks. You might even have tried a few, and experienced both good and not-so-good results. Some of the more promising techniques may have come with a heavier price than you were willing to pay. We talk about the price of turning your lifestyle upside down.
Here are three techniques you can use that will lighten your workload and reduce stress. They will also enable you to discover other actions you can take to give your productivity a boost.
Best of all, you don’t have to make any drastic lifestyle changes, and you can start today!
Productivity Technique #1: Use Be Theme’s pre-built websites to finish your client’s work in 4 hours
This technique will give your productivity a boost from the get-go. Be Theme’s gallery has more than 300+ pre-built websites.
With the help of these, you can select the right theme for a client in minutes, install it with a single click, and off you go! You don’t have to write a line of code, and you don’t have to spend time building wireframes to show what you “intend” to do. You just do it! – and present your client with a custom website in 4 hours or so.
Here’s what other freelancers have to say about Be Theme:
Any of these 10 Be Theme pre-built designs could be used to create a ready-to-go website in a few hours
- Any food oriented website will benefit from large images to entice users, as does this one. An interactive menu and a testimonials section are added features built into this pre-built website.
- A bold, professional approach always works well in a niche of this type. This pre-built website also highlights before and after images, and a pricing section.
- Functionality to meet the demands of this niche have been incorporated into this pre-built website. They include an events menu, an attention-grabbing countdown clock, and a clean, user-friendly design.
- Looking for a design approach that works every time? With its soft design, elegance, and luxurious imagery, this pre-built website has it in spades. The integrated eShop makes it an even better choice.
- With its bold imagery & color combinations, this design understands the audience to be targeted. BeDenim also features an integrated eShop.
- This hip design befits a website dedicated to younger, pop music crowd; and who ever said a website for such a niche had to be staid and silent? The integrated video and audio player suggests otherwise.
- If you believe if you’ve seen one menu, you’ve seen them all, you won’t find that to be the case with this menu presentation. The large images inside the menu are genuine attention getters; plus, there’s a gallery to show off the establishment, along with an “About Us” section.
- A pre-built website that features a simple and clean design, and a section devoted to an impressive gallery should make it a much easier task to build a website for the most demanding creative client. The integrated presentation video should cinch the deal.
- This pre-built website features a standard intuitive menu for eLearning platforms, and is well laid out for ease in navigation. The large video thumbnails add to the UX.
- A sharp, simple design, easy navigation, and well-organized content give this pre-built website both a professional look, and one that is friendly and inviting.
Productivity Technique #2: Be more flexible instead of forcing yourself into a strict schedule
Sticking to a precise schedule, as advocated by some productivity gurus, may work for some. But not necessarily for others.
Adhering to this approach could prove to be counterproductive. This is especially the case for creative web design freelancers. Usually, they are not constrained to working to a tight schedule to begin with.
Try these out. You should be pleasantly surprised:
- When you hit a wall, take five. Enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend, or take a walk. Better yet, take one with your dog. You’ll both benefit. Taking a break works wonders for your brain.
- Make a to-do list, but keep it general. A list like this should outline what you want to, or need to, get done; not a step-by-step list of how you’re going to do it! Trying to accomplish too many specific tasks can lead to overload and failure. It will help if some of the general tasks can be carried over to the next day if necessary.
You might feel the need to schedule every 15 minutes of your work day. In this case, you might as well be commuting, and working under supervision in an office.
Productivity Technique #3: Calculate how much lower productivity costs you every day
Calculating your productivity based on how much time you save is one way. However, it is not always the easiest way unless the savings in time are obvious.
An easier approach is to track how much time you are wasting every day. Once you know that, you can usually figure out ways to minimize those wasted hours. Just like that, you become more productive.
Knowing how much those wasted hours are costing you is even better. That knowledge can be a real motivator.
You might be charging a client per hour or per assignment. Either way, you should be able to estimate your average hourly fee. Keep track of the hours you’ve wasted; by procrastinating as one example.
Tally up those hours at the end of the day and multiply the result by your hourly fee. You’ll see how much procrastinating, or any other time-wasting activity is costing you. Do not include taking a break to clear your mind, walk your dog, or have coffee with a friend. None of those are a waste of time.
Write down the wasted hours (and what they are costing you) on a sticky note. You can watch your progress, as you work to keep your wasted time to a minimum. It works!
Conclusion
These 3 techniques are surefire ways to increase your productivity. Together, they will save you time and help your brain function more efficiently. Eventually, they will make you aware of what wasted time is costing you.
- Use Be Theme to put together a website in 4 hours; saving you many more hours in the process
- Work to a flexible schedule. You’ll accomplish more.
- Track how much procrastination is costing you
There is one key good thing about these techniques. It is that you don’t need to make major lifestyle changes to become more productive.
