Yo ! 

As freelancers, we don't have bosses breathing down our necks or office routines to keep us in check.

It's just us, our laptops, and the constant battle between "I should be working" and "just one more YouTube video."

I've crashed and burned with so habit-building attempts that I could write a whole book called "How NOT to Build Habits." (Aside from beer, uggh)

But through all those failures, I think I might have learned what actually works for people like us. But first, we need to acknowledge that:

Our Brain is the Ultimate Lazy Bum (But in a Good Way)

Think of our brain like having two characters inside:

1. The Planner - our ambitious, goal-setting side that makes all those amazing promises
2. The Doer - our lazy, energy-conserving side that actually runs the show most days

The Planner says, "I'll send 50 client emails today!" The Doer says, "Nah, let's check Tiktok instead."

Here's the thing - The Doer isn't trying to sabotage us. It's just trying to save energy by sticking to familiar routines. The secret is to work WITH this lazy side of our brain, not against it.

So here are a few tips to work with this lazy brain of ours.

1. Go Stupidly Small

Seriously, make your habit so tiny it feels almost useless:

• Want to build a client outreach habit? Start with sending ONE message per day
• Need to be more productive? Work focused for just 5 minutes
• Want to learn coding? Write 3 lines of code daily

I tried to do the Robin Sharma book reco to wake up at 5 AM and do a 2-hour morning routine? Epic fail. When I switched to "just put your phone far enough away from you when alarm rings," it actually stuck.

2. Attach it to Something You Already Do

Your existing habits are gold mines for building new ones:

• After making coffee → send one client message
• After lunch → work on one skill-building task for 5 minutes
• After brushing teeth → write down three priorities for tomorrow

When I started attaching my "log expenses" habit to every time I buy or pay for something, it finally stuck after years of avoiding my money situation.

Never in my life did I consider myself to be tracking expenses this religiously, but you can ask me how much I spent on being accidentally in Rome on July 5, 2024, pati yung kinain namin plus lahat ng gastos that day..

and I would be able to answer you. (and yes, pati toilet fees lol)

3. Make it Feel Good Right Away

Your brain needs instant rewards, not just long-term benefits:

• Use a physical habit tracker and mark your X each day (the satisfaction is REAL)
• Do a little celebration dance (I do this in my home office - don't judge)
• Send a message to an accountability buddy
• Track streaks on your phone

Kung hindi masaya, hindi tatagal. Trust me. That's why kahit bitter ang lassa ng beer, people still keep drinking it, (and most alcohol for that matter) kasi we associate happy feelings with the act.

4. Remove ALL Friction

Make your habit the path of least resistance:

• Set up your workspace the night before
• Have templates ready for client messages
• Put your phone in another room
• Close all browser tabs except what you need

Remember: energy flows where friction doesn't go. (Did I just make that up? It sounds good though hehe)

What Nobody Tells You About Habit Timelines

Those "21 days to form a habit" people? Di daw pala totoo yun.

Research shows habits can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days to form, with an average of 66 days. (James Clear, Atomic Habits)

Different factors include:

• How complicated the habit is
• Your personality (some of us are naturally more routine-oriented)
• Your environment (working from home vs. coffee shops)
• Your current stress levels (pandemic, anyone?)

So don't beat yourself up if it's taking time. The timeline isn't as important as just showing up consistently.

Habit Ideas That Changed My Life

For Getting More Clients:

• The One Message Habit: Every morning after coffee, send ONE outreach message
• The Network Nurture: Every Friday, reach out to one past client or connection

For Actually Getting Work Done:

• The Power Hour: One distraction-free hour first thing in the morning
• The Work Sandwich: 25 minutes of focused work, 5-minute break, repeat
• The End-Day Reset: Spend the last 10 minutes organizing tomorrow's priorities

For When It All Falls Apart (Because It Will)

We all mess up our habits sometimes. The difference between those who succeed and those who don't is how they handle the inevitable slip-ups:

1. Use the "Never Miss Twice" rule: One missed day is an accident; two is the start of a new habit
2. Have a back-up plan: "If I can't do my morning routine, I'll do a 5-minute version at lunch"
3. Do a weekly review: Sunday evenings are perfect for resetting and recommitting

There was a time I had a long vacation (10th year anniv din namin ni wifey kaya nag-out of country kami. That sure messed up my habits and routines. Pero, instead of giving up, I just started again with even smaller versions.

It took longer than I'd hoped for me to get back in the groove, but I was back on track in 2.5 months(!).

Building Your Own Habit System

1. Pick ONE habit to start with: Seriously, just one. The most important one.
2. Make it ridiculously small: Then cut it in half again.
3. Track it visually: Paper, app, whatever works for you.
4. Get an accountability buddy: Preferably another freelancer who gets it.

Remember, , the goal isn't perfection. It's progress. Those tiny actions compound over time into remarkable results.

Ito lang muna for now. Let me know which habit you're going to start with!

Reply and let me know what you're thinking. Baka ito na ang simula ng panibagong chapter ng career mo.

Shoden "Roger Habit" San

🎉

Pst. Don't Keep Me A Secret. refer this newsletter to your freelancer friends. This REALLY REALLY helps me a lot, thanks!