Procrastination: You can overcome it.

I am sure, like me, many freelancers have had one of those slothful days. It’s a strange phenomenon to describe. You might not have much or any work on, or maybe you have lots. But when you sit down to do some work, you can’t. Your mind wanders, you start procrastinating, and time flies by. It’s very hard to overcome this mental condition. But if you don’t, you could see it become a more permanent part of your schedule.

Ironically, when I wrote tis article, I was having one of those days. But, before I started working, using my own advice, I thought I’d let other freelancers know how to beat this feeling.

1.Sit down and make a to do list

Many times I have sat down, and skipped creating a to do list. This should be the first thing you do before you start work. Forget checking emails, or reading RSS feeds, a to do list is the most important efficiency tool you have.

Take time to prioritize work and understand what resources will be needed. Also, spend time considering any potential problems for the day and try and predict any communication you will need to make.

This is a great way to get your day rolling. And it’s one of the easiest things to do. You can use anything you have at hand, like sticky notes, paper, whiteboards, or free web apps such as tadalist and rememberthemilk.

What if though, you are half way through your day, and your shocked to learn you haven’t written a to do list. That’s not a problem, but at the earliest available moment you have, make one. It will stop your time and mind going AWOL.

2. Take a break.

If you find that you’ve somehow gone from analyzing a client’s web statistics to surfing YouTube or bargain hunting on eBay, stop. This will suck up your time, and will cloud the division between working and relaxing.

A better method is to literally walk away from the PC, as soon as you realize you’re not working as well as you can. They say a change is as good as a rest, so take 10 minutes to go for a walk, read a book or sit in the sun. Don’t use this time to watch T.V or any other screened media. This will help you recharge your concentration, and focus. It will also protect your eyesight and wrists from injury due to prolonged computer usage.

You might feel guilty for having time off, but in the long run, always remember that will improve your work efficiency for that day. No one can sit at a computer for 12 hours and tell me they worked to their full potential. It’s impossible. They might have worked 8 hours, and spent a collective 4 hours during the day looking at craigslist or twitter.

In reality, they are only working at 66% effort. 34% percent of their time that day was spent slacking. When you take billable hours into consideration, you could be putting yourself at serious disadvantage.

So what if you replaced twittering with short breaks? For every hour you worked, let’s say you had a 10 minute break. You would have only spent 2 hours not working. And, the time you did spend working would have been a lot more productive.

3. Use caffeinated drinks sparingly.

Caffeinated drinks and sugary snacks are a great way of perking yourself up over a short time span. They can give you a little boost, and realign your concentration.

But consider their after effects. Drinking coffee is known to be addictive, and when the buzz begins to wear off, you will feel worse than you did before.

Try replacing your snacks with healthier, more natural options. Instead of coffee, try fruit juice, or even water.

They are a lot more refreshing, and will give you no withdrawal symptoms. Plus, drinking lots of water has added health benefits.

Instead of chocolate biscuits and sweets, try eating more fruit and nuts. They are loaded with natural goodness, and don’t carry the mood swings of sugar loaded treats.

Open the window too, oxygen is great for the brain.

4. Exercise.

If you start to feel lethargic, then go outside. Go for a quick jog, or walk. This has 2 benefits. Fresh air is great at clearing the mind. It will help you think outside the box, and tackle any problems you are having a step at a time. Been outside also helps inspire you. Whether it’s beautiful scenery, or wildlife, there’s always something outside that sure beats staring at a monitor.

Once again exercise has some cool health benefits too. It will help counteract sitting in a chair for long periods of time, as it’s good for your blood circulation and such.

5. Work on a personal project.

If you’ve done all the above and still can’t get any real productive work, and then start a personal project. This could be anything, from a blog, to a new hobby. It might be out of works time, or you could use some of your working day to work on your own company’s marketing, or branding.

Personal projects are great, as you can feel the achievements directly. You can lose sight of your goals when you spend a lot of time working on client work. Personal projects can also help build up confidence, and recharge your batteries and also improve skills and increase motivation.

I hope you found this article helpful and it has given you some hope, often knowing you’re not on your own in doing something can help with the problem. Right, must run I got some work to do

Tags: freelancing tips