End-of-the-Year Checklist: 5 Tasks for Freelancers to Check Right Now

Freelancing. An amazing way of work – being your own boss. Of course, it comes with challenges here and there. It requires good organizational skills, discipline, and great time management skills.

Anyhow, if you are a freelancer yourself, you already know that. And I must say, you are lucky, because we dedicated our last blog post this year – FOR YOU!

So, as we’re closing out 2022, we want to provide you with an end-of-the-year checklist, 5 tasks for freelancers, that will assist you with planning for the next year, while reminding you to remain diligent with working on your business.

Let’s start!

5 Tasks For Freelancers – #1 Express Your Appreciation

First of all, in your 5 tasks for freelancers, start by thanking yourself! (You can play Snoop Dogg’s speech.) Congratulate yourself for everything you have achieved. Give yourself high five!

Gratitude keeps people engaged. The workplace appreciation culture boosts commitment and engagement among employees in addition to productivity. Also, appreciation fosters employee loyalty. Actually, according to research, more than half of workers quit their jobs because they feel under-appreciated.

You get now why expressing appreciation to your associates is so important. Along with maintaining contact, healthy relationships and networking. 

There are numerous ways to show your appreciation. And you can do it often! Show your gratitude by organizing gatherings (this doesn’t have to be anything fancy, you can just have a drink together), you can also simply – write them a nice email. Do what comes naturally to you. Both you and your associates will feel great, I promise!

#2 Consider Offering New Year Discounts

Number two of your 5 tasks for freelancers. As a sign of gratitude, give presents to your associates! That will be a great way to show appreciation, and they surely will be grateful and value you more. This is also an amazing opportunity to work on your personal brand, to break through and to be remembered. 

For example, if you are a freelance photographer, you can consider gifting a special type of portraits, or Christmas photos, or something more customized. Maybe even try something new? If you are a freelance writer, maybe consider making an offer at the end of the year, or at the beginning of the next, to create an ebook for some small business or company. Schedule a meeting and explain the benefits. It can be a cool freelancer offer (bare in mind that not every company has content writers).

You can get a lot of benefits from this. Someone new could learn about your brand, and maybe, they’ll want to become part of your story. You will connect with people, maybe even build better relationships. In the end, you might get a testimonial from them that will be very important to you.

5 Tasks For Freelancers – #3 Plan A Successful 2023

Now, number three of your 5 tasks for freelancers. Once you acknowledge what you have achieved, think about what the next step is. Plan what you want to achieve, how you will achieve it, and be thorough.

If the previous year was not as successful as you wanted it to be, do not despair. Learn from mistakes. If something wasn’t good this year, work on it so next year it will be. And, if something turned out to be actually good, don’t be satisfied with just good. Now that you know how you can make it even better for next year! 

Specifically – if you had, let’s say, problems with organization or work-life balance, that is an issue you should spend more your time on. Or, if the problem was budget (you spend money as soon as you get it – I don’t judge, we’ve all been there), then learn to manage your finances. Surely, it will not be easy, but it is a skill you absolutely need to develop.

The most important thing is to acknowledge your problems, and then work on finding solutions. You can read a book that can help you, enroll in a course, or simply, sit alone and write a clear plan to solve this problem.

Bonus tip: Don’t forget to update your portfolio! It is a great thing to do at the end of the year because it will make your planning even easier You will look back at everything you have achieved so far, get that boost of motivation, and get new ideas on how to improve yourself!

#4 Consider Business Conferences You Plan To Attend

Off to the fourth item on your ‘5 tasks for freelancers’ list! We know how important education is. Both for your personal development and development of your business. 

Although networking may be considered a conference’s primary goal, it is important to remember that conferences are also held to share knowledge and ideas. By going to conferences, you lessen the likelihood that your affiliate firm will pass up chances to adopt the newest advancements.

So go ahead and do some research. Search for conferences and training in your industry. It’s always better to decide where you want to go and buy a ticket as early as possible (if you don’t want to pay 100,000€). 

Bonus tip: Don’t be afraid of networking! In your line of job, connecting with people is crucial.

5 Tasks For Freelancers – #5 Last But Not Least – Organize Your Office!

Are you ready for the last item of your 5 tasks for freelancers? Well, ready or not. The space you work in is very important. Your office and desk spaces are key parts of your working environment. They can impact your productivity and efficiency, as well as your general wellbeing at work. Also, layout in the space where you work has effects on productivity, mood, and mental health. 

And yes. I know. We all love working in our pajamas on the sofa. But sometimes, we are way more productive if we sit down at the table or determine the exact hourly rate. Arrange that bedroom a little, so that your mind immediately shifts to work when you sit there. That shouldn’t be exactly the same couch from which you binge watch series or take a nap in the afternoon (in fact, it would be great if you could separate these two).

Clear out that desk, put your work equipment on it, turn off TV and other distractions, and decide how long you are going to work that day. Don’t let yourself get distracted. You can add something inspirational to your desk. Something that calms you, and puts a smile on your face! For me, a nice flower arrangement and some citrus scented oil does the job.

Wrapping Up

We have come to an end of this end-of-the-year checklist. I hope these 5 tasks for freelancers we have provided for you motivated you to close this year up as befits. 

What is left to say, except to wish you much success in the coming year. Recharge your batteries for the holidays, and then get down to business!

Until next year!