0 Amazing Tips Freelance Designers Should Learn from Dogs

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Freelancing is a cool option that an ever increasing number of people are opting for to earn their living. Freelance designers to talk about, they just a laptop where ever  they are which they stick to for long hours to come up with best designs possible. Its not as easy job as it sounds to be. There is so much of stress of looking for a project, handling the clients on the own, meeting deadlines and what not.
The reason why I am talking in length and enjoying writing on this topic is that I own a dog  with the name Spike who has actually made me learn a lot. I being a freelancer am glad to get to see my dog’s small gestures; the way she enters the room waving her tail, comes and sits besides me, stare at me continuously while I am having something. Ohh I just love each and every gesture of him.

1. Stick To A Schedule

Pets love the consistency of a routine and one should follow the same. Studies show that if you sleep and get up at the same time, you tend to sleep better. Sticking to a consistent schedule for bathing, dressing, eating helps improve the quality of sleep thereby helping you work with great concentration. Plan your days and follow a routine. If you stick to a schedule you will actually notice the difference in your productivity and efficiency.

2. Be Persistent

If you’ve ever owned a dog, you know that they’re really persistent. Angel, over the years has made me understand how to be persistent. She keeps asking for the food which smells nice to her, sits around making cute faces and at times tapping my legs to get the food.
Being persistent in what you want  and trying your level best is one important lesson which dogs make you learn. Don’t give up when no one hearing initially. Ask for the reason why the person on other end is saying no to hire you for project or whatever you are trying for. Try different angles and ways to get the desired outcome. Even if you don’t get that project or deal, you will at least know what went wrong and can improve upon.

3. Say No To Multi-Tasking

I have seen my dog do the job with undivided attention. If we juggle work and try doing multi-tasking like checking e-mails, answering to the calls, web surfing trying to do multi tasking it will lead us nowhere. We tend to do so in the quest to complete all jobs soon but then it takes more time than doing one job at a time. Those who do multi tasking tend to make their attention and memory suffer compared to those who focus on one task at a time.

4. Make the Most of Every Opportunity

Dogs never ever gives up! Angel knows who can give her something to eat and keeps moving around the person and in return many times gets something. When guests are at home, she knows that its time to make the most of the opportunity and get good stuff to eat. All you freelance designers should also make sure not to waste any opportunity. You never know things might work out if you grab the opportunities that knock your door.

5. Do What You Love

No one can motivate Angel to do anything she doesn’t love to do. She will do it once or twice but will not continue for long and does everything she loves to do. This is one great lesson, we all can learn that is to do what we love and don’t do anything just for the heck of it. If you are getting a feeling that a particular project is not what you would want to, don’t do it instead be humble to say no and ask for something that you would love to do.

6. Be Curious

Research shows that people who are curious tend to have a greater sense of meaning in life. Also, curiosity has been linked to psychological well-being and it tends to help expand the knowledge and skills.

7. Give Your Best Shot

Be it getting her favourite cookie, getting us out of our seat to take her to the loo or making us know if she smells the rat, she will make every possible effort she can to convey the message. If we are not paying attention, she will bark non-stop, make sound (which makes us know what she is asking for), go and sit at the door time and again asking to take her out as she has to get fresh, she doesn’t give up and gives her best shot. This is one important lesson which dogs make us learn if we understand.

8. Work Comes First

Over the years, I have noticed, if Angel has her food right in front of her and she is having it at the same time, if the door bell rings, she will go straight to the door to see who is it, then come back and have her food. Seeing her at this time makes me learn no matter how tempted I am to watch television, talk to a friend over the phone, sleep or do anything but work, I should not go for it when I am working. Duty comes first is the lesson which I have learnt from Angel.

9. Speak For Yourself

No one comes to know what you want till you speak up. Dogs are smart and know how to get what they want. They don’t have tongue as we have then also they know how to speak for themselves (if you understand). We all have the same tendency. For example, if you are waiting for the payment to be done by the client and its not being done, there is no harm in asking in a subtle manner. Similarly, if you have some problem in handling any project tell the clients directly. Likewise there are many cases which ask us to speak for ourselves.

10. Stay Focused

This is a key tip for each one of us. Whatever we do, we should have a clear aim and should be focused. Hold a cookie in your hand and keep moving your hand here and there, your dog will not move from there till he gets that cookie which he knows is for him. I love the focus which Angel has to get what she desires and her efforts be it jumping or getting up on the bed to get it makes me think how unfocused we human beings are. We know what we desire and wish to achieve our goal but fail to stay focused till we get it.

To wrap up, all I would say is that animals do make us learn a lot about life and make us realise our mistakes; all we need to do is observe them carefully. Have any key tip which you think we freelancers can get to learn from our dogs? Do share with us.