The power of rituals and how to use it to solve your problems
One of the biggest problems faced by a beginner freelancer is often the motivation problem, especially if you happened to work in a day job before.
Are you one of those who used to do lots of work as instructed by your boss but find it difficult to work now that you are your own boss?
Are you one of those who think and plan a lot about finding clients and projects, programming, writing, blogging, youtubing, etc. but simply postpone it when it comes to actually implementing these things?
Do you feel that you are being stopped by the procrastinator and critic within you the moment you actually start acting on your freelancing dream that caused you to quit your day job?
If the answer to above questions is a resounding yes, then continue reading this article - you are very much in need of experiencing what is known as the power of rituals!
A ritual is nothing but a habit of doing something useful and creative for yourself, a habit worth having. Ritual is what gives structure and pattern to your life, it is a force which is thousand times stronger than what is called volition or will-power. It is something that can defeat the common enemies of creativity within you such as the procrastinator, the critic, the victim, etc.
You see, achieving success in freelancing (or most common human endeavors for that matter) isn't really a rocket science, your own common sense tells you that. Probably that is why you quit your job and that was the right decision. The problem now is to defeat your inner demons by devising a structure to your freelancing life. Work happens at offices of large companies because there is structure: there is management and board which handles things from top to bottom, there are scrum meetings and design discussions, etc. Most likely, there is also an attendance or time-keeping system where employees register their working hours and under which tasks they worked!
Now that you're your own manager, you need to bring this schedule and structure to your life yourself. You must ensure that you get at least 5-6 hours of undisturbed time for your freelancing activity. You can schedule something like this:
The important thing is to be easy on yourself. Its very easy to get overwhelmed by this on the very first day, its too easy to simply quit doing this after finding it too hard or mentally painful. But always remember that the long-term you has your best interests at heart! If your long-term self has devised this schedule, then its the duty of your short-term or immediate self to stick to this schedule religiously! Barring any exceptional emergencies, you shouldn't be deviating from this schedule at all.
But in case you happened to deviate then don't curse yourself, simply do your best and try the next task on the schedule.
Another important thing is to have an eye for a detail. The demons are too stubborn initially, they'll try their best to ensure that you don't follow this at all. So, its important to be prepared for them in advance by showing commitment to yourself - Take a printout of the schedule once you devise it and stick it to your desk. Apart from that, you can also add it to a spreadsheet stored on your laptop or smart-phone, and keep an extra column called Done. Mark it as "Y" or something as and when you start finishing the tasks on the schedule. I know it sounds quite silly but believe it or not, you'll start enjoying once you start doing it!
The possibilities you have in yourself are immense, don't let your inner demons sabotage them. Sky is the only limit if you creatively devise a ritual which is in your best interests and then religiously follow it. Do me a favor and do follow it!
Are you one of those who used to do lots of work as instructed by your boss but find it difficult to work now that you are your own boss?
Are you one of those who think and plan a lot about finding clients and projects, programming, writing, blogging, youtubing, etc. but simply postpone it when it comes to actually implementing these things?
Do you feel that you are being stopped by the procrastinator and critic within you the moment you actually start acting on your freelancing dream that caused you to quit your day job?
If the answer to above questions is a resounding yes, then continue reading this article - you are very much in need of experiencing what is known as the power of rituals!
A ritual is nothing but a habit of doing something useful and creative for yourself, a habit worth having. Ritual is what gives structure and pattern to your life, it is a force which is thousand times stronger than what is called volition or will-power. It is something that can defeat the common enemies of creativity within you such as the procrastinator, the critic, the victim, etc.
You see, achieving success in freelancing (or most common human endeavors for that matter) isn't really a rocket science, your own common sense tells you that. Probably that is why you quit your job and that was the right decision. The problem now is to defeat your inner demons by devising a structure to your freelancing life. Work happens at offices of large companies because there is structure: there is management and board which handles things from top to bottom, there are scrum meetings and design discussions, etc. Most likely, there is also an attendance or time-keeping system where employees register their working hours and under which tasks they worked!
Now that you're your own manager, you need to bring this schedule and structure to your life yourself. You must ensure that you get at least 5-6 hours of undisturbed time for your freelancing activity. You can schedule something like this:
- 10:00 to 12:00 Find jobs on Upwork.
- 12:00 to 01:00 Read a blog about your topic.
- 01:00 to 01:30 Lunch break.
- 01:30 to 03:30 Work on an existing project.
- 03:30 to 04:30 Work on a side-project (writing a blog, creating a youtube-channel, etc.)
- 04:30 to 05:00 Meditation.
- 05:00 to 05:30 Write an article or post.
The important thing is to be easy on yourself. Its very easy to get overwhelmed by this on the very first day, its too easy to simply quit doing this after finding it too hard or mentally painful. But always remember that the long-term you has your best interests at heart! If your long-term self has devised this schedule, then its the duty of your short-term or immediate self to stick to this schedule religiously! Barring any exceptional emergencies, you shouldn't be deviating from this schedule at all.
But in case you happened to deviate then don't curse yourself, simply do your best and try the next task on the schedule.
Another important thing is to have an eye for a detail. The demons are too stubborn initially, they'll try their best to ensure that you don't follow this at all. So, its important to be prepared for them in advance by showing commitment to yourself - Take a printout of the schedule once you devise it and stick it to your desk. Apart from that, you can also add it to a spreadsheet stored on your laptop or smart-phone, and keep an extra column called Done. Mark it as "Y" or something as and when you start finishing the tasks on the schedule. I know it sounds quite silly but believe it or not, you'll start enjoying once you start doing it!
The possibilities you have in yourself are immense, don't let your inner demons sabotage them. Sky is the only limit if you creatively devise a ritual which is in your best interests and then religiously follow it. Do me a favor and do follow it!
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