Time for some honesty: I’ve been wasting a lot of time lately, and I’ve really been feeling guilty about it.

Last Saturday alone, I swear I lost a solid 3 hours to Twitter and random Internet searches (I have this thing where I’ll sit and Google any and every random topic that comes to mind.) Since the time change (because the U.S. is ridiculously still at war with the Sun), I’ve gotten even worse. I look back at how I’ve spent my time this week and it’s almost embarrassing.

This isn’t the first time though — with all the freedom we have, it’s easy to waste time as a freelancer, and I’m no stranger to that life.

I procrastinate on projects I’m not really fond of. I bounce around the Internet when I shouldn’t. I even stretch simple projects that should only take 2 hours into 5. When I look back at patterns like this, I see a need for improvement (i.e. deleting social media apps, using a work timer, downloading a distraction app, meal prepping…stuff like that.)

I’ve gotten started on some fixes, but if I hadn’t taken the time to actively ask myself a very important question, I’d probably be just piddling along, being inefficient, and burning up time (money) that I could’ve been using to push my freelance business even further. That question? It’s simple and I want you to ask it of yourself right now…

Sit back and think about that this week…how much solid, dedicated time are you giving your business? Are you focused? Are you eliminating distractions? Are you being realistic? Are you being efficient?

You don’t have to tell me the answers (though I’m happy to listen if you want to)…the goal isn’t so much to share, or even fix any problems right now. It’s for you to look at the last few months and be honest with yourself about your relationship with time and how you think that relationship is reflected in the results you’re seeing in your freelance business.

The great thing about freelancing is that you’re always free to reset. If you don’t like what you see? You’ve got a brand new chance starting right now.

Megan