Lots of people think that freelancing is a dream job and for many it sure is! For those that work out of a virtual environment, most would agree that a flex schedule can be as demanding or more than working in a structured office setting because your office and home are one in the same. There is not a definite division between what time you start work and what time you call the day closed. Lots of freelance workers admit that they are logged on day and night and work a continuous schedule around the clock that many times pours into their personal time. Finding a way to balance managing your work schedule and keeping yourself and your family happy all while staying productive can be quite a task! Here are a few easy steps that you might consider when trying to balance it all:

Create Set Work Time Zones

General Work Time

General work time can be a collection of basic tasks that include:

• Checking your email inbox
• Logging onto your freelance websites to check for new work opportunities
• Updating your social media networks and checking for updates from others
• Catching up on general phone calls

 Focused Work Time

This list of focused tasks might include:

• Shutting down all forms of outside communication
• Setting status alerts to busy or completely logging off websites
• Closing down pop-up alerts or audio notifications
• Working on projects that need your un-divided attention

 Break Time

Refreshing yourself during the workday with a break can include:

• Taking small short breaks in-between long periods of hard work.
• Finding time to decompress in order to re-focus on your work task.
• Indulging in reading the news, stretching or light physical activity.

 Control Your Notifications

Working independently without controls can lead to a troubled work schedule. By tracking the things that could potentially de-rail your workday, you’ll enjoy a more productive workday every day!

To ensure your daily success be sure to:

• It’s been well-documented that audio and visual alerts can create longer periods of distraction. Sound notifications are the easiest to control and the least disturbing. 
• Configure your notifications to be audio only. Use your standard volume controls to limit distracting alerts throughout the day.  
• Shut off visual notifications. This visual stimulation can cause longer distractions because they force a shift in visual focus on the screen.

Organize Your Time

• Batch process your workload by scheduling your tasks, timing them and sticking to a routine.
• Set specific times to read and respond to your email messages.
• Create a daily routine with a limited time frame to work on your social media networks or sign up for an automatic program that streams your updates across your social networks.
• Work on small tasks when you need a focus break and choose less mentally straining tasks like filing paperwork or other less complex work projects.
• Continue to work even when you need to re-gain your thoughts or re-focus. By staying in the work “groove” you might figure out the answer to the complex problem that you were previously stumped on!
• Formulate a list of rules with dates and length of time about when and how long you will be in need of general and focused work time.
• Ask for the help from family, friends and others to support your work ethic and provide you with the time you need to work independently in order to fulfill your obligations.

 These are just a few ways that you can increase your productivity as a freelancer and independent service worker. Whether you’re a graphic designer, consultant or virtual accountant, these basic work controls can help build rules and a healthy work routine for you. If you have been working outside of a structured office environment and have secrets of success to share please post a comment and share with others.

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

No one buys sight unseen. Customers want to thump the melon, smell the coffee, and squeeze the Charmin before they put it into their shopping cart. The same holds true for your creative clients. Before hiring you for advertising, design, copywriting, web development –or any kind of work– they want to see what you can do. Sometimes that’s trickier than it sounds.

That’s where Oozil comes to the rescue. Part of the long list of creative tools Oozil is providing to its members is a virtual portfolio. With practically limitless memory, this space is invaluable: not just as a portfolio, but also a gallery and resume in one that makes your work available for the whole world, without the cost normally associated with hosting your own.

If you don’t have a webpage of your own, you might want a quick lesson in what that entails outisde of Oozil. A simple Google search for “artist webpage” turns up a long list of ads posted by companies that want to relieve creative people of their hard-earned money, charging monthly fees for the design, the space, and the web hosting, with extra charges if you exceed their limits. The cost is often more than you would stand to make by selling your work.

Those aren’t the only fees you would incur if you try to host your own webpage. The domain name costs money too. How much money depends on how good the name is, and you could end up shelling out hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars if you want a catchy one. You can go cheap and purchase a site name like dog-carrots-art23.net (all you’ll get for a budget price) and cross your fingers that anyone will ever find you.

But you don’t have to do any of that. Oozil has done the work for you. They’ve secured the space, the tools, and a catchy name that everyone will remember. You’ll have no need to pound the pavement in your own town with a bulging briefcase full of sample work. You can tell anyone, anywhere: “I’m on Oozil.”

For Oozil members who are clients, this collection of portfolios will be a one-stop shop for finding the people to fulfill your creative needs. Why spend hours flipping through resumes or doing online searches that yield nothing, when you could stop by Oozil and actually see what your potential hiree can do for you?

Oozil is all about connection. You could have the swankiest portfolio in town, but what if no one ever calls to see it? You could be offering a plum advertising assignment, but what if no applicants fit your needs? The virtual portfolio eliminates the hassle as well as the worry, and connects creatives to clients in a way that requires less work for both of them.

Imagine if you had an agent that worked for you, finding the right jobs (or hirees, if you’re a client) for you while you went about your everyday business.

Now stop imagining, because you have one already. Meet Oozil.

by Elizabeth Kelly