Working from Home
By Lis Garrett
Keywords: increasing productivity, working from home, freelance writers
Working from home offers freelance writers the unique challenge of maintaining a clear divide between their business and personal lives. In their neverending quest for the ever-elusive and oft-thought mythological "balance," freelance writers can have a difficult time staying on task and completing work-related activities. If increasing productivity is a goal of yours, follow these five tips.
Create a flow chart. Increasing productivity begins with prioritizing daily, weekly and monthly business obligations. Freelance writers who clearly define their professional objectives will find working from home less stressful. Devise a master schedule and break it down into smaller projects that will help you increase your productivity. Perhaps that means claiming 15 minutes each morning to organize your desk or back up important files onto an external hard drive. Maybe once a week you'll focus on marketing your writing skills. Whatever jobs you need to perform to keep your career moving forward, outline them on a piece of paper, white board, calendar or anywhere that is visible to you throughout each day.
Take advantage of your internal clock. Working from home gives freelance writers the opportunity to create their own schedule. If you are more alert early in the day, set aside a few hours each morning to complete the work that requires the greatest attention. Likewise, if you are a night owl, finish your assignments while everyone else is sleeping.
Get help. Freelance writers working from home who also have young children to care for have an especially tough juggling act. Not only do they have to attend to the demands of their work, they also have to do so while parenting children who are likely too young to understand why their needs are occasionally put on hold. Hire a college student to play with your child for a few hours each day while you work, or look into part-time daycare.
Mix it up. Take a break from your work every 20 minutes to complete another task. Set a timer to remind yourself to change focus. Wash the dishes, go for a walk or fix a snack. Give your mind a chance to relax and reboot.
Get up and stretch. Freelance writers spend a lot of time sitting in front of the computer. Increasing productivity is as easy as remembering to move your body to prevent neck, back, and leg cramps. The better you feel, the more work you can accomplish.
You don't need to make major changes to increase productivity while working from home. By making several small adjustments, you can make the most of each day.
Lis Garrett is a work-at-home writer living in Upstate New York with her husband and three children. In addition to her work as a contract writer for Writers Research Group, she writes site and product endorsements, maintains a blog for novice freelance writers, and edits a school newsletter.
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