Are you too busy working day-to-day on client projects to look at the bigger picture?

If so, try to take just 30 minutes out of your hectic schedule today to think about what you really want to achieve.

Go somewhere different – somewhere you can focus your thoughts. Then, turn off your phone and ask yourself the following questions:

1. What would I really love to achieve?

Note that it’s not “What do I think I could achieve?” but “What would I really love to achieve?” So, if you really want to earn £150,000 a year, write that down. Maybe you want to be a best-selling author or to own your own restaurant.

Don’t be constrained in your imagination and don’t get hung up on HOW you’ll achieve it. Just write down WHAT you want to achieve.

For those of us based in the UK, we have a Bank Holiday this week, two Bank Holidays next week, and one the week after.

However, public holidays don’t have the same significance for freelancers as they do for employees. As an employee, you’re given an extra day’s holiday for free. We freelancers don’t get paid if we don’t work (unless you’re on a fixed retainer – but you’ll probably have to make up the hours some other time).

And, if you’ve got lots of work on, four extra days off between April 22 and May 2 could put you well behind schedule.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m looking forward to the Bank Holidays. I’ll be taking time out to enjoy the sunshine (if it lasts), and to see family and friends. I might even watch some of the Royal Wedding on telly.

But I’ll also be taking advantage of the time out to do non-client stuff.

If you work all day, every day on client projects, when do you have time to take a step back and take a strategic look at your freelance business?

It’s great to be busy but it’s easy to get so caught up in client work that you lose sight of where you’re going. So, set aside an hour in the next couple of days to ask yourself the following questions.

• What do I want to achieve with my freelance business?

• Where do I want to be in five years’ time?

• What do I want to be earning?

• What have been the projects I’ve worked on that I’ve enjoyed the most? Why did I enjoy them?

• Are these the kind of projects I want to concentrate on in future?

• Who is my ideal client?
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