We all have weaknesses when it comes to productivity – especially with the myriad distractions when you have no boss but yourself, and you work from home. We all want to appear super-efficient, but we’re also only human, and working online it’s all too easy to lose focus.
Image: http://www.narrativetherapy.com.au/blog/
Sometimes I have to work harder to get going than I do on the actual work. This has always been a problem for me – I was always the “I’ve almost started!” kid when it came to homework. But I have never missed a deadline, so a lot of it comes down to knowing your weaknesses, and exploiting them where necessary.
So here are five tricks I’ve learned that work for me; feel free to disagree and give me something better to work with.
1) Get the slacking off out of the way first. When I switch on the computer, I look at my RSS feeds first, including the just-for-fun ones. Then I read my two main news sites. The idea is that I run out of temptation so I have no choice but to get on with the task at hand.
2) Use another web browser for work stuff. This is my favourite. I use Firefox usually, but when I have to look at client sites and do web research for work, I’ve been using Chrome. In Chrome, I have no bookmarks, no RSS feeds, and no saved sites – ergo, nothing to pull my attention away.
3) Take frequent breaks. I’m one of those people who works best in bursts, rather than for long stretches. I know when I can soldier on through, and when my attention has waned to the point that I read the same sentence over and over. That’s when I go and get another coffee or hang out the washing, ready to start again.
4) Do the easy work first. Lots of people say to get the hard stuff done first, but that’s not how I roll, baby. I like to ease myself in; by the time I get to doing the hard stuff, I’m in work mode and I can stay on-task better.
5) Religiously fill out my timesheet. I just use a notepad document for each project and log start/end times each day. It makes me very conscious that it’s work time – and I can see how long it is between bouts of work, which is often a good kick in the pants. It’s vital to do proper timesheets anyway if, like me, you charge by the hour, but this way I’m using it to my advantage.
Any other good tips?
All good points! I try to operate a rewards system, so the chocolate stays downstairs until an assignment or a section of it is complete. And the journey to and from the kitchen gives my eyes a rest too.
This is funny because it demonstrates how true it is that each person needs to find their own “best practices.” If I start out working, I’ll be on track for most of the day. If I start out reading the “just for fun” blogs, I’ll get – and stay – distracted. I’m with you on the bursts though; I also find myself reading the same sentence over and over.
I actually always do the hard work first, and leave the easy stuff for later in the afternoon when my eyes/back/ass are sore from sitting
I have a very strict and very regular routine. I get up at 7. I spend from 7-10 eating breakfast, drinking coffee, browsing websites, answering emails, and “waking up”. I start work at 10. I work for 1 hour, then I stop and do my workout. I have a very strict regimen (6 days a week, alternating days…1 day is 20 kilometer run, 2nd day is interval/circuit training with pushups, crunches, jumprope, and jumping jacks) and each workout session lasts 45. I take a shower, have a snack, and I’m back at it by 12:30. I generally work until 2 or 3 p.m., then I call it quits.
At 2:30/3 I go meet my wife on her way home from work. We go for a 1.5-2 hour walk and have ice-cream/beers while we make a circuit through the parks. Back home by 5ish. We have dinner,, then I’ll work on the magazine for a couple few hours while she works on her crafting , then we spend from around 8/9 until midnight watching TV shows or movies or playing computer games together. Then I do it again.
Saturdays she teaches TOEFL from 10 until 2, so I spend that time working on the magazine, but other than that, Saturdays and Sundays are non-working days.
That’s a pretty “regular” schedule, and I very rarely deviate. In short, I work about 3-4 hours a day freelance, and about 3-4 hours a day on the magazine, but it’s all spread up. The longest stretch of work is from noon until 2-3, but there are usually 10-15 minute breaks in there in between 1 hour batches, just to give my eyes a rest and stay physically active.
I rarely suffer from a lack of motivation. I love what I do. I love every single project I ever take on. I love the fact that I get to work from home, have a beer with lunch and not have to worry about some boss over my head hollering at me for having a brewskie or two with my food. I love having the cat in my lap while I work. I love being able to take breaks WHEN I WANT TO.
The hardest part about overcoming weaknesses is setting a schedule. If you can set a schedule and stick to it for 3-4 weeks it will become routine, and once it becomes routine you are golden.
I suspect the trick is in the routine… I do my work first, then client’s, use chrome for everything that will let me… I also maintain a goals list and calendar that help me… when I use them, which is most of the time.