One of the most appealing parts of freelancing—aside from the fact that you don’t have to wear real pants if you don’t want to—is that you don’t have a commute to start off your freelance day.
For a long time, I used that as an excuse. No commute means I have more time in the morning to do whatever I want before I get to work. So I’d leave the dishes in the sink. I’d leave the kitchen a mess.
I’d tell myself: “You’ve got time tomorrow. You can clean in the morning. You don’t have to commute, so just do it tomorrow.”
And while that’s technically true, here’s what happened:
I’d wake up and start doing all the things before I got to work.
First it was just the dishes. Then I’d tidy the kitchen.
Then I’d think, “Well, the living room’s a mess too…”
Add in my morning walk and eating breakfast, and suddenly it’s 11 a.m. and I haven’t done a single thing for my business, except get grumpy that my whole morning disappeared into housework. And not only do I feel grumpy, now I feel rushed because I don’t want to work later in the evening, but I have a ton of work to get done.
I’ve wasted my most productive hours on cleaning my house, and I’ve wasted my mental energy on tasks that don’t help my business. When I feel rushed, grumpy, and unwilling to work later something has to give, and usually that’s marketing my freelance business. Which means I’m at greater risk of slow periods, which is exactly what happened.
The truth: just because you can do something in the morning doesn’t mean you should
Freelancing gives you flexibility. That’s a gift. But if you don’t put a few boundaries around your time, that flexibility can eat your day alive.
I quickly realized I was the problem. I was putting other things ahead of my business and, as a result, I wasn’t taking my business seriously. Cleaning was now more important than getting to work. And the thing is, I don’t need to choose between cleaning and running my freelance business, I just need to make smarter decisions about when to clean and when to work.
Now, every night before I go to bed, I do three things:
1. I reset the space
Even if I’m exhausted, I know that tomorrow Heidi will thank tonight Heidi for taking care of the cleaning for her, and that is usually enough to commit to the 15 minutes it takes me to tidy up. I
- Unload the dishwasher
- Tidy the kitchen
- Fluff the couch cushions, fold the blankets
- Do a quick general tidy so I wake up to a calm, clean environment
Is it thrilling? No.
Is it helpful? Hugely.
Because when I come into a tidy space in the morning, I don’t immediately go into “fix-it” mode. I go into work mode. I start the day in a much better mood because I’m waking up to a clean house. And I no longer feel rushed in my freelance day because I’m getting started during my productive hours. My mind feels clear and I still feel energized about the day, not beaten down by all the cleaning I’ve done.
Plus, tidying the house every night means the mess never gets out of control. An extra bonus!
2. I check my calendar
Before I shut my laptop for the night, I do a quick peek at tomorrow’s schedule.
That one-minute check has saved me so many times.
- No scrambling for a Zoom link at 8:59 a.m.
- No surprise meetings I forgot about.
- Just a clear picture of what’s coming.
3. I write tomorrow’s to-do list
I don’t make it fancy, just a quick note of what I want to focus on, in order and broken into smaller tasks if needed. That way, when I sit down at my desk in the morning, I’m not thinking, “Okay… what was I supposed to be doing again?” I’m not wasting time looking over long lists of deadlines and in-progress projects to figure out what the priority for my freelance day is. I already know. And I’m off and running.
I’ve also read that thinking about your tasks the day before gives your brain time while you’re asleep to process what needs to be done, and even do some problem-solving. Writing your to-do list might help you feel more in control of your activities and less prone to distractions. A small 2018 study suggested writing a to-do list the night before facilitates falling asleep (though it was a very small study).
Tiny habit, big impact
This isn’t a life-changing ritual or a productivity hack that’ll triple your income overnight.
But it’s a small, doable habit that helps me show up with more intention, more energy, and fewer distractions.
And that’s what adds up.
Because the best freelance days don’t usually start with brilliance.
They start with space—mental space, physical space, emotional space—to focus on what matters.
🧹 TL;DR: The Night-Before Reset Checklist
- ✔️ Unload dishwasher
- ✔️ Tidy kitchen + living room
- ✔️ Check tomorrow’s calendar
- ✔️ Write short to-do list
Five minutes at night = a better, calmer morning.
And a much happier freelancer.
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