3 Ways to Up Your Freelance Game in 2017

The start of a new year is an excellent time to look back on the past year’s accomplishments and set goals and initiatives for the New Year. Urban cities have seen a rise in freelancers, so we wanted to take the opportunity to offer a few tips to freelancers on how to maximize their freelance game in 2017.

Find a Collaborative Work Environment

More and more freelancers are leaving the comfort of their sofas and seeking out collaborative work spaces to mimic the positive aspects of a more traditional work office environment. Rather than battling the other freelancers for the best spot at the local coffee shop, coworking spaces provide a guaranteed comfortable work space for a reasonable rate. In addition, they offer the opportunity to gather and collaborate with other like-minded freelancers and entrepreneurs.

Coworking spaces can also be helpful for networking purposes. Take advantage of forums to seek out potential projects and partnership opportunities. The collaborative environment of coworking spaces can be helpful in fostering business relationships with other entrepreneurs.

Secure More Affordable Insurance Coverage

One of the primary struggles of freelancing is the absence of an employer-sponsored insurance plans. Expensive individual plan rates are all too often out of the budget of a freelancer. Luckily companies like Health Insurance Innovations are changing the insurance game by offering 12-month short-term medical (STM) insurance plans. These plans are much more cost efficient than traditional individual major medical (IMM) plans, especially for freelancers.

Amongst the many benefits for freelancers of a STM plan over a more traditional IMM plan is the ability to obtain coverage quickly. While IMM plans can often take up to 60 days for the coverage to process, the streamlined underwriting process for STM plans allows for immediate coverage. To learn about additional benefits of STM insurance plans over IMM plans you can read more or research companies that offer STM insurance plans.

Maximize Your Productivity

Utilize apps designed to increase productivity to maximize your workflow in the New Year. A quick search for productivity apps will give you countless alternatives to try, but a few favorites include:

• Evernote is an widely-used app that is a great resource for taking and organizing notes. Establishing an organization system is often the first step to increased productivity, so getting in the habit of using an app like Evernote can get you on the path to productivity.

• Last Pass allows you to store and autofill passwords for all of your regular sites so you can cut down on the time it takes trying to remember which password goes with which site.
• Wunderlist is a checklist app that helps manage your to-dos. You can check this off as you can complete them (what’s more satisfying than checking a lingering task off a list?)

By implementing and exploring these tips, you’ll be on your way to a more productive and efficient 2017. Do you have any other recommendations for other freelancers on how to optimize their business in the New Year? Share them in the comments!