How To Stay Focused: 7 Ways To Keep On Task
Posted December 10, 2008 in How-To, Productivity
Do you sometimes feel as though your current task is the very last thing you actually want to be doing?
Do you put off necessary tasks for something that’s less important, but more interesting or amusing?
If you answered yes to either of those questions, know that you’re not alone. Procrastination and loss of focus is something that all freelancers must deal with at one time or another.
When you work for an employer you may have a supervisor checking in on your progress at regular intervals. If you get behind on your work, then he or she is going to let you know about it.
However, as a freelancer staying focused is solely up to you. It is easy to get distracted to the point where you can’t meet your deadlines. Yet, as a freelancer, you can’t allow this to happen or your business could fail.
To help you stay on focused, and keep your mind from wandering, here are a few simple tricks that you may not have thought of:
1. Break big projects into smaller parts.
A huge project that is due in a month and will take over half your time may seem overwhelming. You may naturally put off starting such a daunting task. However, if you can set up smaller milestones (mini-deadlines within the client’s deadline) for yourself, then you may find yourself less overwhelmed by the huge project.
2. Schedule breaks.
Taking time off from work so that you can get more done may seem to be counter-intuitive. However, one of the reasons that you may find it hard to stay focused on the task at hand is because you haven’t scheduled enough breaks for yourself. If you’re stuck on a project, it’s often beneficial to take a short break and tackle the project again with a new perspective after you are refreshed.
3. Pay attention to your health.
Freelancers don’t get paid sick days, so there’s a big temptation to skip doctor’s appointments and medical checkups. Don’t do it! It’s much easier (and less disruptive to your work) to make the time to see the doctor now and catch any health problems that might be developing early than it is to let a medical condition go untreated until you are seriously ill.
If you’re really pushing yourself hard, check out the health blueprint we published a few weeks ago.
4. Prioritize daily tasks.
Schedule a set block of time, perhaps twice a day, for routine tasks such as checking e-mail or social networking. Limit these tasks to your scheduled time and don’t exceed your time. (Without scheduling these necessary, but routine, tasks it’s easy to wind up checking your e-mail or logging into your social networking site every fifteen minutes or half an hour.)
5. Declutter your environment.
Take a good look around your desk. Is your work environment distraction-free? Or, is it cluttered with personal bills, old project notes, miscellaneous non-work tasks, and other items unrelated to your current project? If, like me, you find that your workspace becomes a distraction then a periodic decluttering may be a necessary part of staying on task.
6. Minimize interruptions.
I know of some freelancers who will only take telephone calls during certain hours of the day. I think it’s a good idea (after all, that’s what voice mail is for and you can always return a call). Minimizing interruptions helps you to get more done. Let your family know that you can’t be disturbed while you are working. If the doorbell rings and you aren’t expecting anyone, let it go.
7. Don’t give up when you “blow it.”
Like a dieter that goes off their diet after eating a binge item, after giving in to a distraction some freelancers figure that they’ve already wasted the day. It’s not true. After a distraction get back to work as soon as possible, even if there’s only a little time left in your day. Getting something accomplished, even something small, will help set you up for success later.
Are you a freelancer now? Do you own your own business? Have you struggled with lack of focus?
Why not share your ideas on how to stay focused here, in the comments?
Related posts:
- Taking Task Management, Brainstorming and Social Networking A Step Further
- Back to Basics: Your Task List
- Open Thread: How Do You Stay Motivated?
- 5 Easy Ways to Start a Productive Day
- 5 Essential Ways To Turbo-Charge Your Productivity
About the author: Laura Spencer is a freelance writer from North Central Texas with over 20 years of professional business writing experience. If you liked this post, then you may also enjoy Laura’s blog about her freelance writing experiences, WritingThoughts. Laura is also on Google+.
The Unlimited Freelancer is Now Only $19
Unleash the true potential of your business. Get The Unlimited Freelancer and start transforming your freelance business,
now only $19.
Try searching "Getting Clients" or "Productivity"
Free Report
Sign up for our product discount list to get a free copy of Why Some Freelancers Thrive and Others Barely Survive. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Forum Discussions
- Purchase New Apple iPhone 4S 64GB cost $ 380 Unlocked with
May 21st, 2012 - 1:41 pm - Buy New Apple iPad 3 Wi-Fi + 4G.$450usd/Samsung Galaxy Note
May 21st, 2012 - 1:40 pm - Buy New Apple iPad 3 Wi-Fi + 4G.$450usd/Samsung Galaxy Note
May 21st, 2012 - 1:38 pm
Popular Articles
- SEO Techniques All Top Websites Should Use
- When a Client Can't Afford You: Why It's Still Better to Bid High
- How To Stop Scrambling For Clients And Get A Steady Stream Of Paying Gigs
- A Simple Way To Stop Clients From Rejecting Your Proposals
- 3 Reasons Your Rates Are Still Low (And How To Start Raising Them)
25 Comments
jen brister
December 10th, 2008 at 6:21 pmThose are all great tips. If I did not make lists, my life would be considerably more chaotic! That’s an awesome photo by the way!
Brandon Cox
December 10th, 2008 at 6:23 pmAnd turn off Tweetdeck!! Reading feeds, tweeting, etc. is my major time-waster.
Lorie Marrero
December 10th, 2008 at 9:16 pmHi Laura,
Great post! I wrote something similar that your readers might like with five other tips on staying focused: http://www.clutterdietblog.com/2008/10/focus-like-a-po.html
Cheers,
Lorie Marrero
Creator of The Clutter Diet®
Preston Lee
December 11th, 2008 at 3:37 amI also learned recently that setting smaller sub-deadlines for yourself (or breaking up a huge task into little ones, as you have put it here) Also boosts creativity by stimulating healthy anxiety and adrenaline during the creative process.
Great post thanks.
Keith Johnson
December 11th, 2008 at 9:41 amVery nice post, Laura. Indeed, we need to “engineer” our day so that we “stay focused” and on-track. I find myself with the greatest amount of mental focus in the early morning, so I try to organize my plans for the day in the early morning, and then spend the rest of the day “executing” that plan. Great post, many thanks for sharing.
Keith Johnson
http://greatdocuments.net
Laura Spencer
December 11th, 2008 at 10:53 amGreat suggestions all! Keep them coming.
Lorie – I really liked your post.
Brandon – I do think Twitter has its place, but I’m not one who can work effectively and leave it on. I suggest scheduling it and limiting it.
Chester
December 11th, 2008 at 11:17 amYeah, it is sometimes very tempting to just spend time on the interesting stuffs. thanks for the wake up call Laura :)
Amy
December 11th, 2008 at 1:06 pmAaah so true. Email and twitter are big distractions.
Something that works for me is setting myself a small reward when I reach a major goal (not the teeny tiny goals). So you pat yourself for working hard.
Great article. :)
Laura Spencer
December 11th, 2008 at 2:45 pmHi Chester and Amy!
Amy – I used to use chocolate as that small reward – but I’m trying to cut back on eating sweets so there went my rewards! :-(
Amy
December 11th, 2008 at 3:19 pmHi hi. Oooh I was thinking chocolates as a reward … Something my husband and I like to do is to go out on Saturday down a road or street we have not visited. Or visit a new cafe just for coffee. Since we’re so busy, we never have time to do that most weekends and so it works nicely as a reward once in a while. Whether it turns out to be fabulous or not, it’s strangely relaxing to explore.
Laura Spencer
December 11th, 2008 at 8:57 pmWow Amy! Your “little” rewards sound fun. A bit time-consuming, but fun.
Thanks for sharing the great idea!
Jacob from JobMob
December 16th, 2008 at 5:02 pmThere are so many more things that can be said on this topic, so I’ll just add one: use tools. Use software that helps you focus like Darkroom and use software that blocks interruptions and automates work for you.
I also blogged more about this here-
How to Master Your Attention Span and Stay in Focus
Care
December 28th, 2008 at 11:42 pmThese tips are so simple, but so effective. Thanks
Synergy Informatics
January 2nd, 2009 at 7:11 amHi,
Your posts are really very helpful…
Keep Posting.
Krunal
Synergy Informatics
BrandonTHEsequel
February 28th, 2011 at 12:42 amI find it ironic that reading this post was a distraction from finishing my stories for my weekly paper.
Trackbacks