In the modern era, it’s possible to earn a very respectable living while working as a digital freelancer. You’ll be able to choose your own hours, shape your own working environment, and make a great deal of money.
With that said, getting the best from this way of working requires that you develop the right habits and systems. If you aren’t organised, then you might even put client data at risk – which can lead to reputational damage and even legal consequences.
So, what steps might you take?
Create a Workflow That Fits Your Style
To begin with, you’ll need to shape a routine that supports your objectives. Everything that you do throughout the day should help to progress your projects and get useful work done.
Having a system for note-taking and time management is essential. You might have a list of tasks that you work through each day, which integrates with your calendar and project boards. Using software to allocate blocks of time can be a game-changer.
Your aim here should be to free up mental resources and energy that can be committed towards the actual productive work you’ll be doing.
Store and Share Files Safely
Client documents should never be sent over unprotected channels. This goes especially if they would be of a high value to a malicious third party.
This is where an encrypted, remote storage drive represents the ideal solution. It’s cleaner, less cumbersome, and more reliable than a traditional drive. What’s more, you’ll be able to use it to keep your files encrypted, wherever you’re submitting them from.
Part of the joy of this life is that you’ll have the freedom to work from your house, a cafe, or a client’s premises. You should be able to do this with confidence, and a business cloud solution might very well allow this.
Keep Communication Clear and Traceable
If you have a lot of clients, then you’ll need to keep track of what you’re saying to them. If you’re spending a lot of time trawling through emails in search of particular messages, then you’re wasting valuable resources.
Keeping a system of folders in your inbox can help you to stay on top of the key communications. You might also have a dedicated project space on your preferred collaboration app in order to eliminate confusion.
Some professionals might even set aside a shared document, where key decisions can be logged, along with notes about them.
Back Up and Protect Your Work
When you lose files, you’ll have to explain why you’ve lost them to your clients. This can seriously erode trust, as well as create extra work for yourself. Make sure that you’re storing redundant copies of important files. Modern remote drives will do this for you – just set up an automatic sync so that your local data matches what’s on the remote drive.
Finally, it’s important to take security seriously. Make sure that you’re on guard against phishing and that you protect your documents using a password manager and multi-factor authentication.
Conclusion
The effort you put into getting your systems organised will be repaid in the long run. Start by making one simple change every day. This might mean getting your file system into shape, installing a new productivity app, or setting up automatic backups for your work.
Over time, you’ll build a workflow that’s low-stress and high productivity!
