Breaking Bad Habits: What NOT To Do

Breaking bad habits requires the same amount of self-discipline and persistence as building the good ones, and can be just as, if not more, important. But are you aware of the habits that you need to break? Let’s take a look at the nine bad habits all freelancers have – if you recognise them, it’s time to start breaking them! 1. Avoiding uncomfortable tasks and staying in your comfort zone As a freelancer or solopreneur, you are your own boss. You have full control and responsibility for every area of your business, and you decide on your priorities – what needs doing and what can take a backseat. Running a business often means getting outside of your comfort zone, putting yourself and your work out there publicly, with nowhere to hide. This means tasks that you might not be comfortable with or want to do – but which will have a big impact on your business – are often left sitting on your to-do list. When you have a traditional job, you have line managers and colleagues who will give you a kick to get outside your comfort zone when you need to. But when you are freelancing and running your own business, you are the person who needs to give that kick to yourself. Which is a tricky balance to say the least! It’s very easy to come up with an endless list of tasks that you can do instead, as a way to avoid the uncomfortable tasks that you need to do. By doing this, you still feel busy and stay safe in your comfort zone – for example: Creating social media posts instead of pitching your services to potential clients Postponing cold-calling and email pitching until your portfolio looks ‘perfect’ Accepting an underpriced project instead of negotiating for the fee you deserve In reality, not all tasks are made equal, and it’s essential to be strategic about what you dedicate your precious time to. 2. Ignoring environment design James Clear talks a lot about environment design in his book ‘Atomic Habits‘, and how it can massively influence both our good and bad habits. The principle is very simple – we can change our environment to add or remove obstacles between us and the behaviours that we don’t or do want to turn into habits. The more obstacles there are, the less likely we will do something and the other way round. For example, say you want to start working out regularly. If you prepare your workout clothes the night before, put your shoes and water bottle somewhere you will see them first thing in the morning, you are more likely to actually do the workout than if you keep them in your wardrobe out of sight. The same goes for the environment design of your workspace. You are probably going to be more productive in a co-working space, where you are surrounded by other freelancers who are working hard on their businesses, than if you are working on your own at the kitchen table, with plenty of distractions around you. Whether it’s taking the bin out, washing dishes, or making yourself another cup of coffee there are endless distractions in that environment. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you can’t be productive working from home. You can turn any workspace into the place you are most productive at if you pay attention to environmental design and change it in a way that will put obstacles between you and distractions. Continue reading: https://freelancesuccess.co.uk/breaking-bad-habits-what-not-to-do/