You know the feeling. At the end of the day you look back and see how little you have managed to get done. And it makes you feel bad.
Another day, you look back and see you have achieved a great deal. And that makes you feel fantastic.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have that second kind of day, every day? Of course it would. You’ll be a whole lot more productive, and you’ll feel great too.
Best of all, this is a self-perpetuating cycle. The better your day is today, the more positive you will feel about tomorrow, and so on.
We all know this, and you have probably already heard everything I share in the 4 points below.
The thing is, you didn’t follow through. You didn’t DO it.
Maybe this time it will stick.
Here are 4 ways to help you have a great day, every day.
1. Plan each day the evening before.
Don’t begin each day by sitting in front of your computer and then trying to figure out what you should do.
Instead, write out a clear to-do list the day before. So the last task you have each Monday is to write out the to-do list for Tuesday. And so on, throughout the week.
This way, when you sit down each morning, you know exactly what you will be doing and can jump straight in to your first task.
This may not sound like a big thing, but it really helps.
2. Segment your days into work blocks.
When I write down my to-do list I do more than just list the tasks I want to complete the next day. I also allocate specific blocks of time to each task listed.
For example: Work on new home page for client X, 9:00 to 11:30
I allocate large blocks of time for major tasks, and smaller blocks for smaller tasks…like answering emails or catching up with my social media accounts.
The key here, in addition to setting the start and finish times, is to STICK TO THE SCHEDULE.
3. Avoid distractions.
If you really stick to #2, you won’t have to worry about this. But if you don’t, your day and your productivity will be nibbled to death by a host of distractions.
You know what I’m talking about… taking a quick peek at your Facebook page or Twitter feed. Answering a few emails. Watching a YouTube video. Going down to the kitchen for a cookie. Discovering someone’s blog for the first time and reading a few posts.
There is nothing wrong with doing any of these things. Just don’t do them during those allocated blocks of work time.
You may wonder what the harm is in taking out 2 minutes to check your Twitter feed. It’s not about the 2 minutes. It’s about the break in your focus and concentration. Even if you get back to your task after just 2 minutes, it might take you 10 or 15 minutes to re-immerse yourself fully into the task.
Distractions can be the death of a freelance business. Succumbing to distractions breaks your focus, diminishes your productivity, and leaves you feeling disappointed in yourself by the end of the day.
4. Keep a tidy desk.
A messy desk is another form of distraction. Everything in the periphery of your vision disturbs your ability to focus on the task in hand.
By all means, have a messy table behind you, out of sight. But within your line of sight, keep things clean and organized.
That means filing what needs to be filed, binning what needs to be binned, and only leaving what you need for the job in hand.
Wrapping it up.
Ultimately, this is all about self-discipline.
All the most successful freelancers I know are highly self-disciplined.
They work as if they have the toughest boss in the world standing behind them all day. No slacking. No excuses. No hanging out at the virtual water cooler.
They just get the work done.
And here is the kicker. By getting the work done they FEEL GREAT. They are happier than other freelancers.
You can do this too. Feel good about yourself each day by getting your work done efficiently.
It’s the freelancers who have little structure and no self-discipline that end up feeling disappointed in themselves each day, and then wonder why their freelance businesses never really take off.
Related Resources:
My productivity ebook for writers, Writing Rituals
My coaching service from freelancers…
About the author: Nick Usborne is an online writer, copywriter, author and coach. Read more…