If you don’t have enough Happiness in your day-to-day freelance work, you’re not doing it right.

    The fact of the matter is that whether you’re a writer, designer, or other sort of freelancer, there are plenty of different types of work you can do to keep your days from becoming too monotonous.

    Still, there are times when you’ve got to do some mundane tasks. You might have a design gig for a client with no imagination. You might have to write 150 pages of SEO content on household cleaning. We all have to keep our books, deal with clients, and pay our bills.

    I’ve found that one of the best ways to get through a drudge of a day is to insert some creativity in the process. Here are some things I’ve done to find more joy in my work, and make those everyday tasks just a little bit more enjoyable:

    Customize your workspace

    You don’t work in a corporate office. You don’t have to deal with the buzz of florescent lights all day long, or stare endlessly at the drab gray cubicle walls. As a freelancer, you have the opportunity to design your own workspace. Sure, you’re limited by space and budget, but there are some basic things you can do to make your workspace more joyful. For example, you can:

    * Install some nice track lighting, or get a stylish lamp for your desk.
    * Invest the money in a high-quality office chair.
    * Add some decoration to your desk, whether it’s pictures of your family or your favorite piece of pottery.
    * Pick up a small surround-sound system for your MP3 player and install it in your office.

    These are things that people who work in cubicles can’t do. These relatively minor changes to your workspace can make your work time much more pleasant.

    Find a schedule that works for you

    Some people work better doing all of their boring, mundane tasks at the same time. If that’s you, pick one day a week, perhaps, to do all of your most inane tasks.

    If you’re like me, though, you can’t stand the thought of a single day full of joyless tasks. I prefer to identify those tasks and spread them out through my day and week. That way, I’ve only ever got to deal with one of these tasks for a few minutes, and then its back to more enjoyable work.

    Maybe you’re not sure yet how you work best. Give each method a shot, and figure out what works best for you. Part of finding joy in your work is being able to work with your mundane tasks in a way that suits you.

    Consider outsourcing

    When I talk with other freelancers about outsourcing, the first thing that comes to mind is often the bookkeeping task. Let’s face it: just because you’re a good writer or designer doesn’t mean you’re good with accounting. Even if you’re good at it, you probably don’t enjoy it. If that’s the case, consider hiring an accountant, or a virtual bookkeeper.

    There are probably other tasks you can outsource, as well. For example, in my Business I spend a lot of time proofreading my own work. I do all right at it, but it can really start to drive me batty, especially if I’m proofreading a longer piece. In the last couple of months, I’ve been able to outsource that particular task. In my case, I’ve outsourced this task to my wife, who is a much better proofer than I am.

    Remember why you chose the freelancing life

    A key part of finding joy in your work is remembering why you chose this line of work. For example, I love the fact that I’m able to make a difference with my writing. A lot of the writing I do is educational; whether it’s writing about writing like I do on my blog, or whether it’s writing on a client’s topic, I try to write things that benefit others. I want to improve their lives with my work.

    When I’m stuck doing some mundane task, I try to remember that it’s all part of the package. If I’m going to make a difference with my writing, sometimes I have to write about a topic that isn’t interesting to me, but is eminently interesting and useful to someone else.

    I love what I do for a living. If you don’t love what you do as a freelancer, it’s time to think about another career. I chose the freelance life because I was sick and tired of following orders from a corporate boss who only looked out for himself. I chose the freelance life so that, whether I rise or fall, I can say that it happened because of me, and not someone else. I chose the freelance life so that I could have the flexibility to be there for every school play, even if it meant I had to work until 3 AM the next night to make up for it. Reminding yourself of why you choose to freelance can put a smile on your face and put the joy into even the most mundane task.

    So, what about you? What techniques have you found that help you get through your days of drudgery?

    作為自由職業者，如果你每天的工作都不怎么開心，那就是你的方法不對。

    實際上，不管你是爬格子的，還是搞設計的，或是其它什么自由工作者，都有很多不同的方法可以讓你免于每日重復工作的單調之苦。

    當然，有時候你不免要去完成一些枯燥的任務。 或許是給毫無想象力的客戶設計圖案。 又或許是不得不就房間打掃這個題目寫上150頁紙的內容。 我們都要工作，應付客戶，賺錢生活。

    我發現有一種最好的辦法可以打發每天枯燥乏味的工作，就是在工作中加點創造力。 這里是我在工作中找樂子的一些招數，讓每天的任務多一點點樂趣。

    設計自己的工作環境

    你不是在大公司里上班。 不必要一整天都開著白熾燈聽它嗡嗡作響，沒完沒了的坐在灰褐色的辦公隔間里。 你是自由職業者，可以設計自己的工作環境。 當然，你沒有那么大的空間，也沒有足夠的預算，但你可以做一些基本的工作讓你的辦公環境更溫馨。 例如：

    *你可以在辦公桌上裝一個伸縮燈，或是放一盞樣式時髦的臺燈。
    *花錢買一把質量很好的辦公椅。
    *在辦公桌上添置一些飾品，可以是你的全家福，也可以是你喜歡的陶器。
    *給你的MP3播放器找一款小型的環繞音響，裝在辦公室里。

    這些事情都是在辦公隔間工作的人不能做的。把你的辦公環境中做一下小小的改變，可以讓你在工作時間心情更加愉悅。

    摸索一套適合自己的工作計劃

    有些人喜歡在同一時間做完所有的枯燥乏味的工作。 如果你屬于這類人，那么可能的話，就每星期找一天來做所有最無聊的工作。

    但你要是和我一樣，那一想到哪一天全部都是毫無樂趣的工作，就受不了。 我喜歡先列出無聊的工作，再把這些工作分配到一天或是一周不同的時段。 這樣的話，我每次就只需要花幾分鐘的時間做其中一件，然后就可以回到更有趣的工作中來。

    也許你還沒完全想清楚怎樣做到最好。 那就每種方法試一次，找出最適合你的那種。 工作中找樂子的一項原則就是能以適合自己的方式完成單調乏味的任務。

    考慮任務外包

    每當我和其它自由職業者討論任務外包，想到的第一件事往往是賬務管理。 我們得面對這個問題。 你是一位優秀的作家或設計家并不代表你精于財務。 就算你很精通，或許也不會喜歡去做。 如果是這種情況，那就考慮請一個會計師或會計員吧。

    也許你還有其它的任務可以外包。 譬如，我在工作中要花大量的時間讀校自己的稿件。 我自己還能對付，但是讀校真的可以讓我發瘋，特別是讀校較長的稿件時。 最近幾個月里，我找了人幫我做這項工作。 根據我的情況，我把這個任務交給了我愛人，她作校對可比我強百倍。

    別忘了你為什么選擇自由職業的生活

    在工作中發現樂趣的關鍵一點是別忘了你為什么選擇自由職業的生活。 拿我來說吧，我喜歡自由職業，是因為我可以在寫作時推陳出新。 我寫的很多內容都是教育方面的；或是像我在博客里寫的有關寫作的文章，或是按照客戶出的題目寫的稿件，我都盡力寫出幫助別人的東西來。 我希望能夠通過我的工作改變他們的生活態度。

    每當我不得不做一些枯燥乏味的工作時，我就對自己說，這是你想要的生活必須附帶的。 如果你想在寫作上有所創新，有時候就必須寫些自己不感興趣的話題，但是別人會非常感興趣，你的寫作對他們會大有幫助。

    我熱愛我的工作。 如果你不熱愛自己的自由職業工作，那就得想想換種職業了。 我選擇自由職業的生活，因為我討厭，并且厭倦按著公司老板的命令來工作，而老板只會關心自己。 我選擇自由職業的生活，所以不管成功還是失敗，我會說是因為我自己才會這樣，而不是他人的原因。 我選擇自由職業的生活，這樣可以自由安排時間，每次去參加孩子在學校的演出，即使這意味著我必須工作到第二天的夜里三點作為代價。 回想一下自己為什么選擇自由職業可以將笑容掛在臉上，就算碰到最枯燥的工作也會感到快樂。

    好了，你怎么樣？ 你有什么技巧來幫助自己對付單調的時光？