The Most Important Thing Your Online Freelancing Guides Aren’t Teaching You: Setting Goals (And How to Achieve Them)

ByJim Litherland
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I became a freelancer this year. I thought I had plenty to worry about before I started, but all those ‘what ifs’ soon became reality once I was in the thick of it. The numbers on my bills suddenly seem much larger. I have a laundry list of projects waiting to be started (or finished), and being a team of just one person, I fail to make much headway on a single one despite sitting at my desk most of the day.

I’ve wondered, at least once a day but usually more, if I should just go get my old job back. I check Linkedin job boards as I drift into sleep each night… just in case. And I shift focus so often throughout the day that imposter syndrome sets in deeper and deeper as I wonder if I’m doing subpar work. I’m so stressed and overloaded with ideas and projects on a daily basis that I forget or disregard my physical fitness, mental health, and nutrition.

This is the reality as a freelancer. Just this week I went down another of these pits of deep despair, but I remembered once hearing someone say, “people don’t fail; they quit”. And so I soldier on, but to do so, I need to decide where it is exactly that I want to go. As a freelance business owner, no one works above me to keep me on task, to assign me deadlines, or to outline a workflow. I have to do that on my own. So where do I begin? Start with a goal.

What are a Freelancer’s Biggest Goals?

There’s plenty of similarity between being a freelance business owner and working for someone else. However, when you become a freelancer, your goals might be one of the larger transformations. Typical freelancer goals include:

  • Financial Stability
  • Professional growth
  • Work-life Balance
  • Client Satisfaction
  • Diversification of Income
  • Time management
  • Brand building
  • Networking and community engagement
  • Financial planning and savings
  • Work satisfaction and fulfillment

How to Approach Goal Setting for a Freelancer

These goals are great, but they all lack a very necessary component: direction. Where do you even begin? How do you get started? I had the same questions myself. I have a list of goals and ideas, things that I want to succeed at. But as each day passes, I feel like I’m making little to no progress on them.

That’s when I set out to answer these questions (and write this post). I researched and read a bit, but here’s what resonated with me: Brian Tracy. Brian Tracy is an author, speaker, and personal development expert, known for his bestselling books and dynamic seminars. While he probably has a vast collection of works, this one YouTube short was all I needed to get going:

Tracy’s goal setting approach includes 7 steps:

  1. List 10 goals you hope to achieve in the next 12 months and write them in present tense
  2. Identify ONE that would have the most impact on your life TODAY and circle it
  3. Set a deadline
  4. List what needs to be done to accomplish it
  5. Organize the list into a step-by-step checklist
  6. Take action on the items
  7. Do something everyday that contributes toward accomplishing that goal

Here are the 10 goals I came up with:

  • I earn $5000 per month
  • I write three successful blogs of my own
  • I own a second car for my household
  • I have savings to buy my first home
  • I have plans in place to move overseas again
  • I am married to my partner, Lily
  • My business is profitable
  • My business auto loan is paid off in full
  • I have at least 3 non-Fiverr clients
  • I have a new computer

Given that so many of my goals are finance-related, I felt that earning $5000 per month would have the greatest impact on my life today and also help contribute toward achieving many of the other goals.

SMART Goals

Making SMART goals is another strong method to ensure you have well-rounded goal. If you’re not familiar with SMART goals, it’s just a simple acronym for transforming a goal into one that includes full context:

S – Specific: Goals should be specific. Broad, general goals don’t provide much detail that informs you or your partners about how or when a goal is actually achieved.

M – Measurable: Goals also need a way to be measured. Otherwise, we have no method for evaluating our progress or success toward the goal.

A – Achievable: Ensuring that your goal is achievable means that we aren’t overreaching and setting ourselves up for failure. While a goal should be something to work toward, they should not be unreasonably outrageous.

R – Relevant: A relevant goal is one that directly impacts the changes that you wish to see in your life or your project. In other words, a relevant goal is related to your big picture success.

T – Time Bound: Be sure to set deadlines and milestones for your goal. Otherwise, we have no clear timetable to keep us on track to accomplish the goal.

After transforming my goal into a smart goal, I realized a few things. It was likely not attainable, especially by a end of year deadline. I did some math and gave myself some reasonable expectations and revised the goal.

My Goal as a SMART Goal:

I will increase my monthly income to $4000 per month from my freelance copywriting services by averaging 2-3 articles per day for an average of 22 days per month and increasing my prices by an average of $7.50 each month arriving at $75 per article by the end of 2024. This will enable me to begin meeting most of my other goals: owning a second car, savings for a house, plans to move overseas, having a profitable business, paying off an auto loan, and buying a new computer.

My deadline:

The end of 2024

Here’s what I decided needs to be done in order to accomplish it and the order in which I organized the checklist:

  • Develop a solid portfolio
  • Market my services
  • Reach out to more leads
  • Develop a faster workflow and templates to streamline my process
  • Establish more housework efficiency
  • Get more Fiverr gigs
  • Professionalize my branding
  • Learn a niche
  • Add more Fiverr gigs and learn new skills
  • Expand to other platforms like Upwork and Linkedin
  • Raise my prices

Common Pitfalls

Steps 6 and 7 in Tracy’s goal-setting method involve actually working toward the goals, easier said than done. Look out for these common pitfalls as you get started working.

  • Overcommitment: Don’t take on too many projects or set unrealistic deadlines! This can lead to burnout and decrease the quality of work.
  • Procrastination: Manage your time well. I recommend using the Pomodoro Technique to keep focused on completing one task at a time.
  • Distractions: Stay off the phone! Again, the Pomodoro Technique is extremely useful here with built in breaks to allow time for those things.
  • Scope creep: Make sure you’ve established clear boundaries with your projects and clients. More work without fair compensation is a killer.
  • Isolation and lack of support: Engage with other freelancers, join professional communities, and seek mentorship! We all need a little support.
  • Self-doubt and imposter syndrome: Remember that imposter syndrome can be a benefit if you allow it. Use that as a chip on your shoulder to prove the world wrong about you.
  • Client management: Develop strong communication skills, set clear expectations, and establish boundaries with clients to avoid any mishaps and the loss of a revenue stream.
  • Failure to adapt: Keep learning and growing! Technology moves quickly. Keep up with it if you plan to be competitive in the freelance market.

Becoming a freelancer is never easy, especially if you’re new to your industry. There are thousands of books, guides, and gurus out there with advice about your craft, but most of them fail to include the one tip that will actually help you define your target. Give yourself a hand by establishing clear, SMART goals and a plan for achieving them.

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