Practical Productivity Tips: Take on less work

I read a quote recently about organizing your stuff in a minimalistic type of way. I’m paraphrasing here but it basically said that the best way to organize all your stuff is to get rid of it. In other words, having way less things means way less need to organize. Your room, house, office, etc, all stay organized because there just isn’t anything to clutter it.

I am a big believer in minimizing distractions, reducing clutter, and living simply. If something doesn’t provide value to me now or won’t provide value to me in the near future, I get rid of it (typically donating it if I can). Someone else can get way more use of it, and I’m better for it— it’s one less thing in my life to think about.

The same can be said for your professional life as a freelancer. Today's practical productivity tips are all about reducing the 'professional clutter' in your life.

Professionally speaking, the best way to organize yourself and maximize your productivity is to take on less work. Being overcommitted to 5, 10 or more projects can sound like you’re being super productive. People may notice how busy you are and how many clients you have, and think: wow, good for you! You’re a rockstar and have so many clients!

productivitySamer AbousalbiOctober 2, 2015tips and tricks

Practical Productivity Tips: Use Routines To Get More Done

Routines get a bad rap. Whenever I hear the word routine, my first thought is that it's like you’re in a rut, and you aren’t exciting or spontaneous. That’s just not true though— routines are actually really great life hacks, and can open you up to being more spontaneous and interesting. If you're interested in maximizing your productivity, then learning about the power of routines is one simple way to get the most out of your day.

Routines, at least in the context of a daily schedule, can free your mind up to think on other things. Your brain gets used to routines and starts processing them using the more primitive, and automatic part of our brain. That means that you higher functioning brain (the neocortex) can focus on way more interesting things. As an example, this is basically the process that occurs when you finally learn how to drive (or ride a bike, or do any new task).

productivitySamer AbousalbiSeptember 28, 2015tips and tricks, freelancer, freelancing

Creative Freelancers: Get out of your head!

Working as a creative freelancer or indie developer can be incredibly rewarding. It's a chance to come up with ideas, build them out, and ship them out to the world.

It’s understandable to be afraid of what other people might think of our work. That work came from our inspiration, our ideas, our hard work, and so on. Our personalities, history, and ideas are baked right in. It's really easy to fear all the critics out there--what will people think of this? Unfortunately there's one critic that is the worst of them all, and it's the most important to silence.

productivity, creativitySamer AbousalbiSeptember 25, 2015freelancer, freelancing

Obsessed with Productivity: Learning what worked for me

When I first started working as a freelance software developer, I tracked my development hours. I was really good about it too—I would track myself down to the minute. If I stepped away for a break, I’d stop the timer and then restart it when I sat back down to code.

I did this for a few days and felt really frustrated: I could barely get 8 hours of work in a day. It took me weeks to realize just how crazy I was being. Logging 8 solid hours of *productive* work (especially coding) is a lot to ask of yourself—more so when you’re just starting out.

productivitySamer AbousalbiSeptember 21, 2015

Freelancing Tips and Tricks: Measure your distraction-free time

One of the things that is becoming increasingly harder to do is to have periods of time without distractions. Distractions can come in many forms— some of which appear so innocuous but are still just as destructive for your concentration.

productivitySamer AbousalbiSeptember 20, 2015

Must Have Freelancer Tools

There are many things that one may need while going through the process of becoming a freelancer. Self-discipline and an awesome work ethic are definitely at the top of the list. But what about actual tools? Being a freelancer is like owning your own business and wearing all the hats. A freelancer needs to be equipped to handle all of those responsibilities.

Here's a quick list of the most important tools (in no particular order) that a freelancer needs.

productivityCarolina Da SilvaSeptember 11, 2015freelancer, freelancing

The Productivity Monk