Sunday, February 9, 2025

3 methods freelancers can enhance their focus, motivation, and drive


On a scale of 1 to 10, how motivated and pushed do you’re feeling in the present day?

Possibly you’re firing on all cylinders, laser-focused on what is going to transfer you nearer to your targets. If that’s you…hurray! Preserve going.

Maybe you’re tooling alongside simply positive. You’re not setting the world on fireplace, but it surely’s ok for proper now (a superbly acceptable normal to purpose for typically!).

Or perhaps you’re struggling to concentrate on the targets you’ve dedicated to. You have got a lot of concepts, however really feel overwhelmed about which of them to prioritize, and the drive wanted to push via the laborious, boring features of the work simply isn’t there. Possibly there’s some head-trash slowing you down too. If this resonates, nothing is incorrect or damaged, we ALL really feel like this at occasions.

However nobody feels nice after they’re overwhelmed and unfocused, proper? Fortunately, there’s lots we can do to redirect towards our desired outcomes. On this put up, I’ll information you thru a course of that can remodel a low-energy state into targeted, ahead momentum.

I’ll share:

  • An outline of how focus, motivation, and drive work
  • The way to determine the three issues that matter most to you (as a result of not every thing deserves your full consideration)
  • A easy framework that will help you keep in mind what to concentrate on (as a result of that’s a factor too!)

Able to channel your focus, motivation, and drive within the path of what you need? Let’s break it down.

Step One: Perceive how focus works

I used to think about focus as a considerably fastened entity and that people who thought and acted in a extra linear, constant means have been “good” at focusing, whereas the extra visionary, non-linear, artistic thinkers weren’t so good at it.

Fairly binary, proper?

After I heard Dr Amishi Jha describe focus as a flashlight of consideration, it expanded how I thought of and engaged with focus. Let me share an instance she used. Think about you’re strolling house from the prepare station, it’s darkish and your senses are on excessive alert. You have got a flashlight educated on the sidewalk in entrance of you. Immediately, you hear a noise behind you. Is somebody behind you?!!! You swing round, taking the flashlight beam with you. As soon as you identify it’s not an ax assassin and only a cat stepping on a twig, you flip round, coaching your flashlight again on its authentic focus – the sidewalk in entrance of you and getting house.

That’s what your focus is like. Generally you get to decide on the place it’s educated. Generally it briefly will get yanked in a special path. That’s a characteristic, not a bug. How lengthy your focus stays elsewhere is one other matter, however simply excited about it this fashion is liberating, proper?

Right here’s one other factor I discovered whereas including “licensed ADHD coach” to my enterprise teaching toolkit – focus, motivation, and the way we really feel, have every thing to do with each other, and in flip how good we really feel concerning the progress we’re making in enterprise and life.

Enter the oft-misunderstood neurotransmitter, Dopamine. Opposite to fashionable perception, Dopamine is not only about reward (the time period “dopamine hit”, whereas catchy, is inaccurate), however determines our ranges of motivation, need, and drive. For people who expertise decrease ranges of Dopamine (ADHD is only one motive) connecting needs with the motivation and drive to see them via will be enormously difficult. For instance, shoppers who determine as neurodivergent usually inform me that administration, bookkeeping, and submitting taxes (some would possibly say, the extra tedious features of being a artistic freelancer), are a continuing wrestle. 

Relatable?

A silver lining to all that is that after we perceive our distinctive Dopamine baseline, and the way we focus, we will tinker with our habits and methods to maximise and direct that focus to the issues that matter. Sort of cool, proper?

Step Two: Determine the three issues that matter MOST to you

As a artistic entrepreneur you’ll at all times have extra concepts than the capability to make them occur (unhappy trombone noise!). In Step One, we established that every of us focuses otherwise. We additionally care about very various things, which is one motive why evaluating ourselves to others is so futile. The place one artistic enterprise proprietor could have the will to construct a full-service company with employees, a bodily workplace, and high-ticket shoppers, one other could wish to construct a extremely worthwhile service-based business-of-one. In every of those eventualities, the targets you determine and actions you’re taking can be VERY completely different, whereas being completely on-point for every particular person.

Here is a quite simple course of for sifting via all of your concepts, and drilling down to simply three? 

  • Get all of it out of your head. Set a timer for 10 minutes and do a mind dump or thoughts map. 
  • Belief your intestine. With out pondering an excessive amount of about it, circle the three issues that leap out as most vital or impactful proper now.
  • Connect that means to your decisions. Ask your self why they’re vital. What’s going to occur in the event you don’t take motion on these issues? What’s going to occur in the event you do take motion on them. How will you’re feeling about your self? How will your life and work be completely different/simpler?  

Step Three: The 4 C’s focus framework

A humorous factor occurs after I’m doing private {and professional} growth work. It made SO a lot sense on the time, I believe I’ll always remember it. After which I overlook it!

I’ve a sense I’m not alone on this, which is why I got here up with the 4 C’s focus framework to assist artistic freelancers and entrepreneurs keep in mind the place to direct, or re-direct their focus (no matter their distinctive targets).

The Four C’s focus framework

Creativity

Artistic concepts want time and house to develop. And that point shouldn’t be one thing our productivity-obsessed tradition will grant you – you’re going to need to take it and defend it. It took me years to cease feeling responsible about swimming laps (the place my mind comes up with concepts and solves issues) throughout “work” hours.

For a artistic entrepreneur or freelancer:

  • Looking of the window is working
  • Strolling the canine is working
  • Studying a novel is working

What are your non-work artistic actions?

Motion merchandise: As an alternative of becoming these actions round your “work”, place them entrance and heart for a few weeks and see what occurs.

As artistic freelancers and entrepreneurs, it may be very simple to change into remoted. Whether or not you’re extroverted, introverted, or someplace in between, folks want folks. As Brené Brown says: “We don’t need to do all of it alone. We have been by no means meant to”.

I’ve joined, created, and led communities for so long as I’ve been in enterprise. From group teaching, enterprise retreats, and the month-to-month group enhance Artistic Mornings gives, I would like other people to bounce concepts off, co-create, and share help. What about you? Who’s in your arsenal {of professional} and private supporters and cheerleaders? If you happen to can’t simply provide you with a number of people, would possibly I recommend you consider beginning to attain out and construct these relationships? You gained’t be sorry you probably did!

Capability

Capability is solely the assets you need to full the issues which might be in your plate. I really like Charlie Gilkey’s acronym, TEAM (Time, Power, Consideration, and Cash). Capability can be fluid. For instance, on this season of my life after I nonetheless have younger children, time is my most treasured useful resource.

“Controlling your time is the best dividend cash pays.” Morgan Housel

The whole lot I tackle must be inside my time capability, in any other case the wheels begin to fall off. Be sincere with your self about your capability and focus your assets accordingly.

Money

Nobody’s using totally free and no matter your desires are, they want funding. Generally you’ll be flush, and typically issues can be a bit tighter. However keeping track of your money is what allows you to play the enterprise recreation of enterprise lengthy sufficient to achieve success.

OK, we coated lots right here, so be happy to select and select what space you’d wish to concentrate on (pun supposed!). There isn’t a proper order, and you may’t get it incorrect, simply begin the place you might be.  You’ve acquired this!

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