I’m often faced with a ‘to do’ list that I’m confident I’m going to achieve by the time 6pm comes around but, then, I discover I’ve only ticked off two items by the end of the day.

Here are four tips to help ensure our days become more productive:

1. Work out HOW you work at your best

I know I work much better if I haven’t been out late the night before. Sounds obvious, but the sheer fact of feeling tired can have a real effect on how effective you are at work.

I also work much better if I’ve been exercising first thing. Because I work from home, I don’t actually have to go out of my flat to start work, but I don’t like to go from bathroom to kitchen to desk without first either going swimming or going to the gym. I no longer have a 50-minute commute, so I spend that time exercising. It really helps get my brain into gear.

If you’re like me, you’d probably rather run for the hills than have to negotiate a sale. That’s because we’re great at our chosen freelance discipline but, as one-man-bands, we also have to be the head of sales and we’re not all natural-born salespeople.

The good news is that my ‘blog buddy’, Pawel Grabowski, has devised a free email course that will show you how to become successful at sales. Become a Sales Champion is delivered over 10 days to your inbox and you can sign up for it here.

Pawel kindly gave me a sneak preview to his course. He covers all the main principles of selling in a way that made me think: “Hey, even I might be able to crack this with a bit of practise”.

You worked like the clappers to meet a really tight deadline this morning. You also had to resolve a tricky problem that wasn’t of your making. AND you had a nightmare journey back from a client meeting this afternoon.  How do you unwind after such a terrible day?

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Go and exercise. Enjoy a fun class at the gym; thump a boxing bag; or do a relaxing Pilates or yoga class
2. If you’re not into exercise, put your feet up and lose yourself in some classical music
3. Run a deep bath, pour in some relaxing oils and have a good soak
4. Dance around in your home to some loud music
5. Take the dog for a good walk or run
6. If you enjoy cooking, immerse yourself in preparing a tasty evening meal – preferably with something interesting on the radio to listen to
7. Have a fun night out with friends
8. Lie down and listen to a relaxation tape
9. Play with the cat – pets are great stress busters
10. Meditate for 20 minutes
11. Watch a cartoon or comedy programme on the TV – laughter is a great de-stresser
12. Have a game of ping pong (I’ve got a mini set that fits onto my dining table)
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Welcome to guest writer Hannah Marcheselli. Hannah started freelancing over the summer and recounts her experiences so far of going it alone.

I’d always thought that I would end up working for myself one day, but somehow the time never seemed quite right. With more than ten years as in-house writer for various large financial institutions, publishing houses and agencies, I was started to get frustrated by the constraints of being employed by someone else and the horrors of the daily commute to London. I could have gone on for years finding excuses not to take the plunge and set up on my own, but when I got married in June this year, I used it as an opportunity to make some more big changes to my life.

Launching myself into my new business

In my post last week (Are you thinking of going freelance?), I posed ten questions which would help you decide whether the freelancing life is for you.

If you’ve made up your mind to take the plunge, here are ten tasks you need to undertake in order to get started:

1. Think of a name for your business. (Is the url available? You can check it here.)
2. Buy the domain name before anyone else can snap it up (I use Namecheap).
3. Write your marketing plan.
4. Find a designer who will devise your personal brand for you. This will need to be applied to your business cards, stationery templates, website etc.
5. Get your website designed, written, built and hosted.
6. Set up an email account which includes your new company name.
7. Kit out your home office.
8. Ask your friends and work contacts if they can recommend a good accountant.
9. Get some watertight terms and conditions drawn up.
10. Read my post on sorting out all the administrative tasks (insurance, business bank account etc).
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If you’re thinking about going freelance but haven’t yet taken the plunge, here are some questions to help make up your mind.

• Are you a self starter who is also self disciplined and self motivated?

• Can you meet deadlines without someone prodding you into activity?

• Are you able to work on your own without the interaction and banter of colleagues around you? (If you answered ‘no’ to this, you could always consider working on freelance projects where you’re based in a client’s offices – I know quite a few designers who work like this. Or you could rent a desk from a company with spare space on its hands.)

• Can you handle the fact that you won’t have a regular pay cheque paid into your bank account on the same day each month?
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