You're a freelancer and here's how you can find joy doing it

Nobody tells you this, but as freelancers, we frequently worry about finding new projects, even when we're still tirelessly working on our current ones. We often shuttle between feeling burnt out with long hours and feeling anxious about not finding any, and none of the productivity advice we find feels relevant or practical.

Having worked as a freelance music producer for independent artists and film composers over the past decade, I've experienced my share of highs and lows, anxieties, and burnouts. I wish I had known how to manage them back then as I do now. Here are some straightforward, practical, and easy-to-follow habits that can simplify life and bring joy as a freelancer.

A music producer, surrounded by studio equipment under creative burnout

Identify the Struggle before you Hit Play

Anxiety and burnout might have similar symptoms but need totally opposite fixes. Often we keep switching between these two states because we try hard to make opportunities from every direction when faced with uncertainty and struggle to keep up with the commitments once work starts flowing in leading us to burn out. This is mostly the case wherever you are in your career path. Even the most seasoned legends I had the opportunity to work with had a similar story to share. You are not alone in this.

Understanding this simple fact can make us more considerate when deciding whether to accept or decline a specific project. Personally, I reflect on a few questions before I say YES. 'Does this help me stay excited and find new things in my craft?' Or 'Does this pay me well so that I can take time off to rest or build things that matter to me?'

Start Your Day, Your Way

The whole 5 AM two-hour morning routine is simply overrated, even though I am guilty of falling for that ambitious trap way too many times. For each person, the way they function at their best is affected by different factors. For some, it is better if they start their day with the toughest task at hand (The 'Eat the Frog for Breakfast' Club), and for others like me, we need to start slow; one tiny win motivating us to tackle slightly bigger and more complicated tasks. Knowing that the next task is manageable gives me great motivation to face it. So try a few routines and see what sticks.

Pro Tip: Don't go near your phone for the first 30 mins. Trust me, it's not a myth.

Don't Cross Your T's and Dot Your I's (Yet)

Now that we know how starting the day can impact how we function during the rest of the day, the wind down process has a bigger impact on how well we begin the next day.

We often feel the urge to finish that last bit of editing, revision or any of the hundred things we feel are annoying us in the project that we are currently working on. I would urge you to stop when you know what your next five steps are. This single shift can help you start the next day knowing what to begin the project with.

If you happen to finish a task by night, however, try starting the next one and leave it lying there for you to come back the next day and begin working right away.

You Produce Way Faster than You Think

Stop measuring your productivity by the number of hours you work every day. Come on, we are creatives, and we need to let ideas ruminate and let dots connect to make great pieces of work. Even though discipline is very important because we are our own bosses, we need to learn to manage our minds and let creativity find its way out.

Sitting on a project for way too long just to add hours is a very bad idea. Step out, isolate yourself from all the clutter, put on some music, light a candle, flip through a book, or do whatever brings you joy and calm. Now be very mindful of what you are doing, and you will definitely find inspiration from an unexpected place, and when that happens, go back to your project and just see how fast you actually finish it.

Spending time away from the project is not laziness but a very efficient way to do our best work. Taking breaks is a part of our working hours and our jobs. So take them without any guilt and bill them too.

We chose to freelance to escape the mundane routine and find joy, but somewhere in our race to find success, we kind of forgot about it. The joy in freelancing doesn't come from cracking the perfect routine; it comes from slowly building a life where the work and you can actually be there for each other.

None of this has to happen all at once. Pick one thing from this list that felt true to you and just try it tomorrow. Not as a productivity hack, but as a small act of kindness toward yourself.