Procrastination – Problematic when Freelancing

Freelancing and More! » Work at Home Experiences » Procrastination – Problematic when Freelancing

Procrastination – Problematic when Freelancing

March 15th, 2010 | 1 Comment

How problematic is procrastination when freelancing? Procrastination hounds all of us at some time or another, and since more of us have access to social networking sites, instant messengers, and e-mail they are even more distractions to keep us from our goals.

For those who are freelancing, procrastination is even more problematic. Because of the number of distractions, it isn’t unusual for freelancer to discover that they have spent hours where they intended to spend minutes. This time can be spent on social networking sites, it can be spent reading news, or it can be spent on instant messengers or reading e-mails. Here are some of the challenges facing freelancing professionals who spend too much time procrastinating.

Impact on deadlines

One of the biggest problems with procrastination is it can cause a freelancer to miss important deadlines. While those who work in and “brick-and-mortar” environment, where one single missed deadline may not be a problem, or, someone else can pick up the slack, freelancing means one person one client. A missed deadline could mean a lost client. If the freelancing professional consistently misses deadlines, they will soon develop a reputation for being unreliable.

Impact on quality

Freelancing means that you also have to put your best work for would every single day. If you are finding that you are wasting two or more hours a day (e,g, procrastinating) chances are you are rushing through work. If you’re rushing for work, chances are pretty high that you are not putting out the best quality you can. If the quality of your work is deteriorating because you’re procrastinating, you will soon develop a reputation for not producing quality work. If you don’t produce quality work, you will lose clients.

Impact on income

If you are freelancing, you depend on high quality work, making deadlines, and retaining clients. If you’re procrastinating, not only does the quality of the work suffer, you missed deadlines, and you lose clients. With all of these factors, a loss of income is inevitable.

Summary

Regardless of how committed we are to success, procrastination is problematic for many people. Procrastination is even more problematic when freelancing, since the success of your freelancing business depends on you making deadlines, and producing high-quality work. Don’t allow procrastination to thwart your attempts at being successful in freelancing.