Knowing yourself is key (be honest with yourself and identify a regime that works best with your period of peak productivity - do you work best in the morning? etc)
Life hacks:
Things (app) helps to organise tasks for projects and makes to do lists.
Bad habits are hard to break. SelfControl (app) blacklists certain websites that are a distraction to your productivity.
Buffer (app) sends out social media posts for whenever you plan them to go out making it quicker than individually sharing each post and becoming distracted by your phone.
Allow structured procrastination
The occasional off day (not day off)
Beating the block:
Nobody to bounce creative ideas off generally when working freelance.
Finish the day with a set amount of ideas/drawings/concepts (these might be bad but having something on paper in your studio space is a good way to get the juices flowing the next day).
Know who you can bounce ideas off.
The Human Touch
Try a skill swap
Put on an event (reunion/workshop/exhibition)
Real life networking (essential for winning pitches)
Portfolio masterclasses
Follow up on initial meetings
Appreciate your followers
Defend your castle
Agree your fee first (take the budget seriously, be transparent)
Have clear/consistent T&Cs (30 day payment terms? Late terms? How are you going to get paid? - sort it up front - state copyright)
Join an industry body
Be reliable (will get you repeat work and favourable treatment when getting paid)
Be organised
Deliver your work on time
Be nice
CHASE CHASE CHASE (contact the right person in the finance department so you can separate the person you need to be stern with from the creative
Be prepared to turn work down
Why should you consider turning work down?
Requests free work, work for 'exposure' (need to consider the fact that this is how you make a living)
Asks for an impossible solution, product or asset
Requests for you to work below your normal rate (always ask for more than you expect to get and consider it a negotiation)
Offers to pay in the form of project proceeds or other services
Keeps expanding the scope of work without extra pay
Wants you to work on areas outside your expertise (this opens the opportunity to sublet the brief - invite an expert and adviser the commissioner of that person's rates etc)
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