Overcoming the Challenges of Working Independently
Some two years ago, my very close friend, I believe it’s called BFF these days, called me and said ‘guess what’, with so much excitement in her voice. I wondered what the fuss was. She had just quit her job to start a venture of her own!
Prior to this time, she had complained about spending her energy being accountable to someone else. Well, what seemed like an exciting part soon exposed its own share of challenges as I soon learnt from her. According to her, she found herself spending more hours just lying on her bed not accomplishing anything. Thought more of how to accomplish her goals rather than putting in the work. Soon deadlines became flexible and so were her goals. This created a very dangerous routine of not getting anything done and she lost her business.
You see, when working for or with someone, we have this sense of not wanting to let them down, this sense of accountability that is on the high, which is in contrast to working as your own boss or independently. There’s the absence of that sense of accountability, procrastination then sets in and the initial excitement dies.
It is of great importance for any independent professional to find a way out or avoid falling into this trap. Here are a few principles I read up that could help you become more productive.
Use The Five Seconds Rule
Mel Robins’ book, The Five Second Rule, tells you to ‘mentally countdown 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and move!’ Take action immediately an idea or inspiration hits you. ‘The simple act of counting down prevents our brain from rationalizing and shutting down an idea.’ It’s an effective way to help you get started. To help you make sure you don’t abandon your idea midway and start something else. This first step begins the bulk of the progress of getting there.
Use the Five Minutes Rule
Most times when we want to do something, there is laziness within us that prevents us from committing to it. To really get the momentum started, you need to tell yourself, “I will only work on this for five minutes”. Soon you will learn that your energy and momentum will have started to flow when working on a task with undivided attention for five minutes and chances are you won’t realize when the five minutes have passed and you become engrossed in that task.
Dividing Big Projects into Small Tasks
Dividing a big project into small seemingly insignificant tasks and actually checking them off gives you that feel-good sensation and will motivate you to achieve the next task.
Applying these three principles can help you achieve more every day and really give you that satisfaction and joy of being productive as you work independently.
Cecilia Abegunde
Digital Support @ Termii
Need help with enhancing customer engagement and retention through personalized messages? Visit termii.com or send me an email via Cecilia@termii.com.
