3 Tips for Staying on Task ~ Work for Yourself

Photo Credit: Dan Brady

I was reading a post on Get Paid to Write Online, and one thing Jeanna said really stuck out to me:

"With all that needs to be done, you may find yourself jumping from one task to another. Not helpful. You’ll look up at the clock and see all kinds of time has passed while you’ve accomplished nothing. This then creates anxiety for you, which then leads to procrastination, which then leads to you not doing what you need to for your business, which ultimately leads your business to a bunch of nowhere if you don’t get back on track."

Read more: http://www.getpaidtowriteonline.com/manage-overwhelm-new-freelance-writer/#ixzz1lKRBDSA3
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This is my daily life. Really. Time management is an important skill to gain when you work with little or no supervision, and it's not my strong suit. It's something that I haven't yet conquered, and thus, my life is sometimes a bit chaotic. I start with good intentions of conquering it all, but I end up with nothing more than a few start/stops.

Like when I talked about income tax anxiety, I want to share with you some of my thoughts on what can help fix this situation and overall help you overcome the overwhelm that many new (and seasoned) freelancers face. I'm in the thick of it. It is very real, and no you are not alone.

Oh, and I hear you saying "how can you help someone else and you can't even help yourself?" And I answer that with because I can and because I want to. So there. *smile*

So, here are a few tips for staying on task:

Plan your tasks hour-by-hour. Your tasks should be planned in advance so that you can dedicate all of your time to that task. After your time is up, you should move to the next task (even if you aren't finished). Leave some "pad" time at the end so that you can finish up anything you didn't during the time allotted. You can also plan your tasks by half hours, quarter hours, or whatever works for you as far as time is concerned.
Schedule "fun breaks". When you work from home (especially if you are a freelancer), it's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of working until your fingers bleed (hopefully that's not a literal statement in your case). If you don't set aside some time to have fun during the day, you will resent your work even more. 15-30 minutes is normally sufficient. This way your mind won't wonder to something you perceive as "more fun" when you're working on a more important task.
Use a task list. When you're working on your tasks for the day, you should make a list so that you can "scratch things off" when you complete them. It may sound a bit silly, but the mind likes the feeling of completion. Even if you aren't finished with all that you have to do for the day, it's good to be able to check a few things off the list as you go along. That will help fuel your productivity.

Have you heard that Marianne Williamson quote that tells us what "our deepest fear" is? That's pretty much spot on. We are not at all afraid of failing. On the contrary, we are afraid of people seeing is as a major success. It may sound silly, but your lack of good time management and procrastination is deeply rooted in being seen as the success that you are. It all goes back to another saying that goes something like this: "To whom much is given, much is required.". When you are given those praises, you have a certain "reputation" to live up to.

Do you have any other tips for staying on task?