Work smarter and not harder.

hitmeasap Level X⁵

November 15, 2016, 11:12 am

13

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Freelancers,
I often work 12+ hours per day and sometimes I've been working for about 17-18 hours too.. And if we think about it, most freelancers I know are working somewhere between 10 and 12 hours per day. - It's very common.

However, lately I've been thinking about working less. Not only due to the hours I'm working but also due to the fact that I'm working from one day to the next. I've barely worked starting on a Monday and stopped working on the same day. I usually stop working on Tuesday. I literally work around the clock.

That being said, I've been doing this because I've felt comfortable with it. I like the late hours and I believe that I work more effective during the late hours. - But is that really the truth?

I don't know, and I'm interested in finding out the most efficient time for me to work. - That's why I'm willing to try to work after a schedule. So I work for about 8 hours per day instead. And do it more like a "day job" so to speak.

The thing is, that it's tricky to change something I've been doing for years. I've been able to change it for about 1 or 2 days at the most, and then I'm back in the same routine again. - What do you think? - It's November. It's dark outside and we all need some sort of daylight to feel good. - Do you think it's better to have an actual work schedule and work the hours you would work if you had a day job?

Some would say that it's smarter to work that way.. - Why would that be the smarter choice?

Best Regards,
hitmeasap

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anwebservices

anwebservices

Who knows my friend. Sometime i ask my self same question. I have to admit that freelancing is very addictive. Many times i spend over 12 hours each day. There is no work included all the time ofc but researching new ideas, improving our knowledge, keeping up with current trends etc etc etc.... My friends telling me, they miss me. I miss them too, but why the heck i can't get my but of the chair? I do get complete day off occasionally because it's easier then work only 4 hours and go out...

I guess we already work smarter, but we have to admit that we are too addicted to internet and we overdoing it without solid reason. Yes?? I guess so :/

10 years ago

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hitmeasap

hitmeasap

I am like you Anweb. Except the part taking a day off. - I just can't. Well, in fact I could probably do it, but it rarely happens. I'm even working on Christmas Eve. Occasionally I have a day off and that's on New Years Eve. - However I would like to have some sort of schedule. Obviously not a schedule that was "set in stone" so to speak, as that's hard to achieve.. But something. It would be awesome to have a few days off every now and then.

10 years ago

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EliteWriter

EliteWriter

Oh no I would definitely not work on certain days, especially special days such as the Christmas. I even end up limiting my workload to a bare minimum when there are christmas holidays as that is family time. We cannot end up being robots. We need rest, and some enjoyment, especially during such festive days.

10 years ago

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Lynne

Lynne

Well one of the huge appeals of freelancing is so that you can work exactly when you want to, no when "normal people" work so I am not sure why exactly you are wanting to try and work normal working hours.

I mean is sure does sound like an interesting experiment.... but why oh why?

Cutting down on working hours and working smarter, not harder - yeah I'm all for that and honestly that is what I am always aiming for.

10 years ago

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hitmeasap

hitmeasap

I guess it's because I want to be more like a "normal person" Lynne. or something. I don't know really. It's hard to explain but it feels like I'm missing out on certain things and that's basically due to my working hours.

10 years ago

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EliteWriter

EliteWriter

12 hours every day is certainly a lot. I understand that you may be busy and it is a must for you to work this much. But why don't you try to find ways which can help you reduce your workload, such as outsourcing some part of your work to another freelancer, such as a virtual assistant? You could try to include some changes too, such as divide your work day by going out for a walk in the afternoon just to unwind a bit and get some fresh air. You need to be a bit creative, but do try to introduce something that will lighten up your long working day.

10 years ago

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Cristian

Cristian

I've tried working as a freelancer for 8 hours a day, 5 days per week, haven't been able to keep up the schedule, I always ended up being "late" for work or staying late and in no time everything was so messed up I figured I just might get a real job and put everything into order.

I agree on the working smart thing, that's how I'm freelancing at the moment. I don't freelance more than 10 hours per week and I always look for shortcuts to have more free time for myself and my family.

10 years ago

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overcast

overcast

It kind of painful to work smarter. Some of the time we can work smarter and some of the time we have to work harder. It all can be possible if we know our limits. Some people can pull off anything. Some people can work hard. And things can go on and on in that case. I think it;s not always possible there as well.

9 years ago

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Krisleen

Krisleen

Hard work should always be accompanied with working smart. It's better to be productive and finish tasks at a short period of time than to be busy working for more than 12 hours and barely accomplish anything. Working hard alone deteriorates performance because you get tired. Obviously, forcing yourself to work while you feel tired will decrease your ability to focus while you don't have enough energy to accomplish things. Later on, this will deteriorate your health. When I was a full time employee before, I used to overwork for almost 24/7 and I end up not being productive at all. I barely finish tasks because my back hurts a lot and it distracts me. I just figured that my spinal problem got worse and it really affected my performance. I realized that I lack one thing and that is working smart. Working smart means working hard and giving focus on things that really matter. It's much better to focus on sources of income that are time efficient. Focus on jobs that are not time consuming but can earn you good enough. This can even prevent health problems that can interrupt with your activities. It makes life even more enjoyable when you have a balanced time in doing different activities while you preserve your health.

9 years ago

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Corzhens

Corzhens

My plan when I go full time with my freelancing is to work for 8 hours in a day and to consider working beyond that schedule as overtime work. My purpose is to come up with quality work. I have noticed that my efficiency goes down when I work longer than the prescribed duration. And I also want to enjoy working so I should not overwork myself.

9 years ago

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