Boost your productivity with these simple pandemic-proof strategies
By: Dorota Pawlak
Tags: Work From Home, Productivity, Productivity Tips, Freelancing, Freelancers

Image by Freepik

Distractions, everywhere distractions.

When you work from home— as a freelancer or an employee — it might be challenging to maintain a strong focus through the whole day. Especially, if you struggle to come to terms with the ‘new normal’.

How can you stay focused and productive when there’s so much going on around?

How to make sure you get your work done when you’re the only adult in the room?

Let me share with you my pandemic-proof strategies for productive work.

Do the most complex task first

To keep your productivity at a high level, first you need to learn to manage your time effectively.

Imagine your tasks as grains and stones in different sizes. If you had to squeeze them into a small jar, you’d probably start from throwing the big stones first to see what else can fit. If you begin with tiny grains, there might be no space left for the bulky pebbles.

The same applies to your agenda.

Start your day from bigger, more complex projects that require more time and energy. Leave the smaller and shorter tasks for later or complete them as a transition between two longer tasks. You’ll probably feel a great relief if you manage to tick off the biggest monster on your to-do list as soon as possible.

Then you can continue with filling your jar with small grains and pebbles — that is completing other less urgent or less monstrous activities.

Create a dedicated work space

A major obstacle for people working from home is the fact that they work from home.

This may lead to distractions, lack of structure and omnipresent chaos. You don’t need to hide away in a basement or rent an empty apartment to work in peace.

All you need is to create a separate work station, even if it‘s located in your home. Move away from your dining table and ditch that comfy sofa in your living room. If you don’t have a spare room that you could convert into your office, use other spaces such as an attic, a garage or an empty closet. There must be at least one tiny corner in your house that you could transform into a comfortable and productive working area.

Eliminate distractions

When your mind keeps wandering, you won’t be able to work productively. Too much noise, too much clutter, too many calls or messages — nearly anything could set your thoughts in the wrong directions.

To create a motivating workspace you need to make sure there’s nothing that could hijack your attention.

Clean your workspace, remove empty glasses and candy wrappers, move your desk towards a wall or window. Make sure the space in front of you is as minimal and as clean as possible.

A clear and tidy space will put your mind at ease, whereas a disorganized desk will make your thoughts cluttered and chaotic. Your brain does notice the clutter and adjusts to your surroundings accordingly, even if you claim you can only focus in a creative mess.

Take regular breaks

Structure your day according to your energy level and figure out when your productivity drops. For some people it means taking breaks every 2 hours, others prefer to take a break only after ticking off a large task on their to-do list.

No matter how you prefer to organize your day at work, remember to change your position regularly and plan for several short and one or two longer breaks.

Taking regular pauses will help you restart your workflow, stretch your muscles and restore your energy level to get ready for more focused work and more brilliant ideas.

Over to you

What will do today to increase your productivity?

P.S. I share more tips on maximizing your productivity and time in my free e-book “How to make the best use of your time”.

And if you’re looking for advice on how to boost your productivity when you have to juggle your business and motherhood, have a look at my book “You’ve got this: How to continue your freelance career when you become a mother”.

This post first appeared on Dorota’ blog at https://www.dorotapawlak.eu/four-productivity-tips-for-busy-freelancers/