We’d like to start by letting you know what this blog isn’t going to do. If you’re looking for a blog that helps you conquer the world, smash huge goals to ‘make the best of lockdown’ and guide you towards ‘being your best self’, this is not it. Because, honestly, that’s way too much pressure to put on yourself with everything that’s going on. Quite rightly, many of us are in ‘survival mode’ - and that’s okay. This is why SMART goals are your best bet right now, and as it stands these need to be pretty darn clever to get anything decent out of our foggy overwhelmed brains. 

So, what do we mean by smart exactly? 

… other than being really fucking clever. Well, the history of when the acronym SMART was first founded in relation to objectives is debatable, and honestly we don’t have time to go into a history lesson right now, because it’s not on our SMART list!  All you need to know is that in terms of setting objectives, SMART goals are:

• S – Specific (or Significant).

• M – Measurable (or Meaningful).

• A – Attainable (or Action-Oriented).

• R – Relevant (or Rewarding).

• T – Time-bound (or Trackable).

But, what does that MEAN?

So, how does this translate in the realms of this new apocalyptic world we are residing in? It means we need to set goals that are achievable, small and make us feel good. Even if you’re ‘meant’ to be doing X amount of hours a day, it’s time to flip your perspective if you’re going to produce any amount of good work during lockdown. Because sitting at your desk staring at a blank screen or procrastinating isn’t going to help anyone. It won’t make you feel better, and it won’t make your clients happy either - who by the way are just as overwhelmed. Now, we’re not going to be able to do this for you, but we can offer some ideas and ways to help you set achievable goals by way of example! So, here goes. Here’s some of the SMART goals that can help you get a little feeling of achievement at a ridiculously challenging time. 

1. Wake up, shower and get dressed - like you did before

This may seem silly, but it meets the SMART criteria; it’s specific, measurable (you’re either dressed or naked), attainable and trackable (you know how long you take to get ready).  You’d be surprised how many freelancers are slumping out of bed and staring at their laptops wondering why they can’t produce the same quality of work. At first the novelty of doing your work in your PJ’s or falling out of bed and being at work on time without breaking a sweat seems exciting, but it soon gets old. 

Psychologically that time you spend in the morning getting ready to leave the house, whether that’s a client meeting, a networking event, a coworking space or cafe hot spot - is mentally preparing you for the day ahead. Have you also noticed the change in your attitude when you dress up for a meeting or get ready to go out? As you put on your clothes, do your hair and select the right clothes, you're creating an image of yourself that makes you feel good. That makes you feel like YOU.

So, the first SMART goal we can all add to our list is just wake up at a specific time, shower and get dressed - just like you did when you use to leave the house! What you wear isn’t just about looking good in your next video call, it impacts your body language and behaviour. So, even if all you do when you get to your desk or whip out your laptop is get a sense of achievement from being dressed! Go for it, you are totally justified jumping with glee to celebrate the fact you are wearing pants / trousers / a bra / [insert relevant item of clothing here]!

2. Do ONE thing that makes you feel good, and do it first

In the past, you may have saved your passion projects or time to do your own stuff for the end of the day or even the week, if you had time. Well, it’s time to switch that up, because if you do something that makes you feel good first, chances are you will feel energised, motivated and more confident. What is that ‘thing’ you never get time to do that meets the SMART criteria? Have an answer? Do that. Allow one to two-hours to get the ONE SMART thing done that makes you feel good.

Now for this to work and not slip into an entire day of “Oh, shit I didn’t do any of my actual work at all!”, make sure it’s something that can take two-hours or break it down into smaller tasks if you need to.

Of course only you know what your thing is, but here’s a few ideas if you're struggling:

• Finally do some painting or colouring

• Learn one song on piano / guitar - instrument of choice

• Learn how to write a screenplay, so many videos online!

• Read two-chapters in a book on your pile of ‘must reads’

• Bake something in the kitchen that will cheer you up

• Spend some time with your kid/s dancing and laughing

• Do what you do for clients, for yourself or your business

• Finally write a blog you want to write, for you

• Arrange a silly lip sync session with friends

• Have a video chat with friends or family

Still can’t find your thing? Chances are it can be found in doing something for someone else. For me, today it was writing this blog. Because I feel fulfilled when I help other freelancers feel less overwhelmed and wanted to share the ways I’ve managed to get through this period, it makes me feel good. Here’s an inspiring video to help you find your own way to feel fulfilled:

3. Pick one ‘bread winning’ task to achieve today

Before lockdown, it’s likely your to-do list was unrealistic at best. We often plan in eight hours of work and wonder why none of it's finished by the end of the day, which in the freelance world equates to the moment we finish, and go to sleep. Do yourself a favour and take away this 8-hour a day expectation, advice that doesn’t just apply to lockdown, repeat after us:

“You will never achieve 8-hours of expected output in 8-hours.”

This is true always, and especially now in lockdown when mentally we just don’t have the ability to remain focused for long periods or own a looking glass that tells us how we are going to feel at any given moment. Presenteeism in the workplace is a thing for that reason. Employees spend 8-hours or more at work, but they don’t produce work that equals those amount of hours. Bring that expectation right down to a list of achievable tasks, starting with just one main task you will achieve today.

If you don’t have any clients this ‘bread winning’ task can be replaced by a ‘bread-winning’ activity, like writing a LinkedIn pulse article, or doing some outreach and looking for opportunities. Here’s a few ideas for SMART goals that can help you get a sense of achievement in your working day and lead to earnings:

• Plan a blog post or article for your client

• Write a blog post or article for your client

• Plan the week ahead and set realistic deadlines

• Attend a video meeting with your client

• Pretty up your workspace to improve productivity

• Sort out your LinkedIn profile to attract new clients

• Request a FRiBE freelance profile to help you get more work

You decide. It can be tiny, or significant. It can be silly or awesome. Just ONE thing you will do today that helps you earn money and meets the SMART criteria. Now, do that thing. 

That’s it for definite to-do’s. 

The rest needs to be as fluid as that second glass of wine you had last night 🍷 

4. Create a moveable list of tasks you will do ‘IF TIME’

Even if logically you feel you simply can’t get away with not doing the things on your big long list, put them in your IF TIME pile anyway. Because you can only do what you can do, and it may mean you need to move the deadline or adjust the project timeline. If there’s any time your client will understand, it’s now. These are strange times, and if you keep putting everything on your list as a definite to-do task and failing, things are not going to improve. You will not deliver more and you will feel like shit as a result.

Create a realistic list of things you could do if you get the time today and try to estimate how long each of these tasks takes to make sure it’s actually doable! Whatever you come up with, add another hour. Because there are breaks, unexpected emails, last-minute meetings and “blah” brain fart moments that will likely take up that space. SMART tasks for this list should be smaller and manageable, so even if you have a huge report to do, an entire ebook to write or a full SEO job on - break it down into the smaller tasks that get you there, and estimate time. For example, let’s use the writing a full research report task, that broken down could be:

1. Ideation and planning - title and concept

2. Structure and framework - chapters, sub-headers

3. Good research points and fact finding - a list of references

4. Write the introduction, the summary, chapter 1 and so on

5. Proof report - review for typos

6. Send report to client for review

7. Address client feedback

8. Source images for the design

9. Artwork the research report

As you can see, that one ‘30 page report’ writing task that made you think: “Oh my God, how am I going to do this, it’s too hard”, has now become a list of manageable smaller tasks. Give it a go with one of your mountainous tasks. Another benefit to breaking it down in this way is the possibility that you could actually outsource some of these micro-tasks to freelancers with less work on that don’t require your expertise and experience. A great way to pay it forward in this climate if you are overwhelmed with work and struggling. On the flip side, if you need more freelance work it’s worth reaching out to your peers and offering lower rate outsource support if you have time on your hands. Better yet, create a freelance collective and find work together! 

Free Trello template to get you started

I do this using Trello, so that I can slip and slide tasks across from IF TIME to today, and so on. It also means I can plan my whole week. I’ve created a ghost board you can duplicate to use the layout here: https://trello.com/b/GFFZxsgM/fribe-task-management-template (screenshot below):

5. Stick to your end of work day target, and stop

Yes this counts. Sticking to your end of day target is specific, measurable, attainable and trackable. Even if you fuck up, even if you haven’t done everything on your list, do yourself a favour and stop. Stop when you decided you wanted to stop, when the little one is downstairs ready for her Mum or Dad to come down or your favourite Netflix show is begging to be watched while you eat dinner. You deserve to stop. You need to stop. If you follow the above steps, and you only get point 1 or 2 done, that’s enough. You did good. Whether you have a specific time you’d like to finish, or want to finish between 6 and 7 - choose and stick to it. And like the rest of the SMART goals make sure it’s achievable, i.e. if you started your working day at 4pm, you might want to pick a later time or make your task list last only two-hours. 

Once you make it to your chosen ‘end of day target’ - stop and relax. Because, tomorrow is another day when you can try to be SMART with your objectives all over again, and chances are if you rest now, you’re going to do even better. 

Follow the feels to set small goals, the rest will follow

This is not the time to smash goals, break ceilings and pressure ourselves to transform into a superhero freelancer. Now is the time to use what tools we have to do what we can, when we can. So, make your way through this list to create your own SMART goals and after each of those goals are completed, stop for a moment. Have a cup of tea or pat yourself on the back in whatever way works for you. You did it, take a moment to enjoy that before you face the next goal on your list. Achieving something on your list, even if it’s small, is something to celebrate right now. Enjoy it. You did something, which right now means you did good.

Need a little help?

If the financial need to earn is so urgent you’re thinking “well, that’s okay for you to say”, then tell us this: Is what you’re doing now working? Is putting added pressure on yourself, panicking and becoming fearful doing the trick? If the answer is no, then try being kinder to yourself and giving yourself the air space you need to find your way, even if that’s a little slower than you would like. 

If you’re struggling at the moment and need support, please do get in touch with us. Whether that’s knowing how to manage client demands or needing more freelance work urgently. We may not be able to manage your client or hand you work, but we would like to help you find other freelancers and build your own collective so that you can lift each other up, share tips and stay motivated.

Not one for video calls and virtually connecting? Have a read of our latest blog on how to connect in a socially distanced world for some words of encouragement and tips on how you can get more human connection. 

Written by Jennifer Le Roux
Images sourced from unsplash.com