Guest post by John Mak
If you’re a freelance writer, or if you’re interested in becoming a freelance writer, then you’ve probably had some interesting conversations with your friends and family. Most of them probably expressed surprise & concern over whether or not you can actually make a living from the work. Most of them probably expressed the wish that they’d be able to leave the 9-5 for good and all too. Being able to escape the office is one of the biggest perks to freelance writing but it can also be a mixed blessing. Completing work on time without the structure of a normal workday and without the constant pressure of having a boss can be difficult to say the least. Read on and learn a few tips to help you get your work done without a boss.
Create a Routine
When you first started freelance writing you probably felt a little drunk with freedom and enjoyed getting your work done whenever you wanted, wherever you wanted. This is a healthy and natural phase to go through but ultimately you’ll find more success and satisfaction by creating some predictable work patterns to stick with. Find some environments where you know you complete good writing and make them your make-shift office. Determine what times suit your work-flow and personal life best and get your work done during those hours.
I know what you’re saying- you don’t want to work hard to escape the office to just create another one about yourself! This is a valid concern, but keep in mind that the real freedom of successful freelancing is the freedom to control your time and environment. You’ll do better with a routine and you’ll be much happier & productive if you determine that routine yourself instead of having one imposed on you.
It’s much easier to stay focused when you have pre-determined “work hours” than if you just wing it.
Construct Small Productivity Goals
When you don’t have a boss breathing down your neck you need to conquer the temptation to browse Facebook all day or to put all of your work off until the last minute. Heck, even with a boss breathing down their neck most employees aren’t able to conquer these impulses! The key to starting your work on time and staying focused on it lies in setting small productivity goals for yourself.
These goals can be a function of time or a function of your work itself. For example you can set a timer for an hour and then see how much writing you can get done with a focused hour of work. When the hour is done you can then indulge a time waster or two before setting the clock for another hour and getting back to work. You can also set a small goal, such as writing a single article with complete focus, to break up your work day in a more specific manner.
Creating these small goals makes success easy for two reasons. Small goals aren’t intimidating. It’s easier to say you won’t check Twitter for an hour than saying you won’t check it all day. Breaking up your day into focused periods of work and playing around also removes the impulse to constantly indulge those time wasters. Knowing that you’ll be able to indulge them soon enough is often all you need to comfortably postpone getting your social media fix until you can get some real work done.
Turn Off the Information Stream
Speaking of social media you’re never going to get any work done if you’re constantly plugged into it. Turn off all desktop notifications providing you with a constant feed of updates, tweets and other minor & inconsequential bits of information. Even with the above structures it’s impossible to focus on work when you have a window running in the corner of your screen all day long. Putting your cell phone on silent and setting it somewhere you can’t see it (like in your bag) is also a necessary action for focused work.
One easy way to disconnect from the information stream is to just work somewhere without internet. Pull up all the research and information you need and then do your actual writing where you don’t get a signal. Consider leaving your phone at home and staying in this distraction-free zone for at least a few hours every work day. Bring some sort of release (like a book) that you can engage with on your micro-breaks but otherwise do everything you can to make this disconnected space about focused work and focused work alone.
It’s Easier Than You Think
Staying focused without a boss may sound impossible at first but implementing these few simple adjustments to your work day makes it a snap. Don’t be surprised, after implementing these tips, when you find that you’re far more productive without a boss than you ever were with one! Bosses tend to be good at getting their employees to spin on the wheel and they are often lousy at helping employees manage and prioritize their time & attention effectively.
Use your newfound freedom to get more done with less time and you’ll never think twice about returning to the office and your old boss.
Hello, I am John and I like to share my experiences as a blogger with others. My quote is “If others can do it, I can do it”, with no excuses and persistence setting every thought into action. On my blog, I share software reviews, free trials, tech advice and coupons where I present deals such as Ringcentral promo codes (cloud-based software) and GoToMeeting Coupons (video conferencing software).
Working for yourself is the greatest thing, but it does take some MAJOR adjustments. Yes, it is absolutely a major shift going from being an employee to being self-employed. This includes getting a grip on time management. This is doubly hard when you are working from your home, with all the potential distractions. But, if you think about it, if you ever had the please to work in cubicledom, there were certainly plenty of distractions there too!
There are lot of distractions everywhere during the day but when we have clarity of purpose and focus on the things that only matters will produce the results that we want in our lives. Thanks for your insight!
Fantastic article John. I agree clarity of purpose and focus does make a difference. You still have to practice discipline constantly, but it helps to have that purpose as the driving force to your day to day operations.
@Marshal – I do think you can be just as distracted at work, the only thing is that you have to constantly watch your back. LOL So most people would err on the side of caution, whereas when you work for yourself there’s not that stress of “getting caught”, thus the possibility of being less disciplined knowing there’s no one there holding your accountable… the very reason I’m a huge believer in getting a mentor or accountability buddy.
Michele,
I do have an accountability buddy – my wife/business partner. Of course, if she is the source of the distraction, then that is a different story. Fortunately she is usually very good about keeping me in line, yet leaving me alone.
Smart lady.
I think that if you decided to work at home,then you should also write a plan of actions that you should do for a day. It will help greatly to concentrate on work and you will try to do everything in time
Something that helps me a lot lately is a small application running always in the background called “sticky notes”. This app is very simple to use and you can write every task or idea that comes through your mind immediately there! It’s very useful.
Thanks for sharing with us.
One of the greatest challenges of working for yourself is not having someone making sure that you are getting the work done!
I know firsthand how tempting it can be to get distracted by things that aren’t important. One of the best things I can do for myself every day is to keep the email turned off until later in the day! That one decision in itself makes a huge difference! That and keeping a list of the most important things that need to be done that day.
Great decision on the email Stacy! I put that practice into place about 6 months ago and it has made a HUGE difference in my business. Email is someone else’s agenda and you have to take care of your business and your priorities first otherwise you never move forward.
Hi John,
Being self employed and doing freelance work is not for everyone. It absolutely takes a deal of self discipline to be your own boss. I am my own task master so to speak and never liked or felt that I needed a boss.
Good for you Justin! For some people it’s an advantage to know what they want and be clear. Others need instructions and guidance. We are not all the same but if someone has that discipline can be totally successful! Thanks for sharing!
Hey John,
Awesome tips
I agree with you with everything except for the one with routine. Yes, having a routine can help you to be more productive. But, I think following a routine consistently can make you tired of it (I believe in doing things creatively – Have a basic plan of what you want to achieve – and do things based on those. Make your work interesting by participating in personal challenges – like writing n number of articles per day or something along those lines.
Yes, of course, a good routine can help a lot of people. But, from my experience, it hasn’t helped me much (Going without routine has worked very well for me).
Anyways, thanks for sharing the awesome post!
Jeevan Jacob John
Thanks Jacob for your insight! I understand what you mean. Sometimes it could be boring to do all things in order and follow through everyday! We are not robots! LOL…
I believe though that everyone needs to adjust their daily schedule so it will be fun to work and do what’s important! I have a friend that he’s focusing 100% on his job by working 14-15 hours per day! I couldn’t do that.. Most of us need to be social, engage with other people and refresh our minds by going to a baseball game or going seeing a good movie.
Life can be simple or complicated. We chose either way, or the other!
Thanks for sharing,
John
Working during the day and working on my blog at night sounds tiresome, but it’s something that I love doing. Working for myself would be “work” because once you realize you are the income for the house, it then turns scary. I think people going into business for themselves don’t realize the logistics behind what it takes to stay focused. The push to find new clients, and the hard work to get the work done.
With a boss looking over your shoulder, you know you have to get the work done or you don’t get a paycheck. Once you start freelancing, you are the boss and your work determines your success. Once you put your mind to being more productive, you will chose to work harder every day.