Working for yourself comes with many perks. You can make your schedule, you can choose how much or how little work you do, and you are beholden to nobody but yourself. However, one of the major drawbacks of being self-employed is the toll it can take on your ability to concentrate. If you have recently found yourself struggling to focus, here is some practical advice you can put to use.
Stick to a Consistent Work Routine
Unlike the rigid structure that most traditional jobs enforce, freelance work is often much more flexible. While there may be deadlines and milestones to hit, freelancers are usually expected to manage their own time. If you find it difficult to focus without a routine, create one that makes it easier for you to be productive each day. This might mean waking up early or allocating time for certain tasks.
Change Your Surroundings
It is understandably tempting for someone self-employed to stay in their own home to work. Familiarity and comfort can sometimes be beneficial to a freelancer, so long as they have good self-discipline. However, taking yourself out to a dedicated workspace can ensure much higher levels of concentration. You could search for coworking Eagle House Shoreditch for ideas about where to work outside of your home. Although you don’t need to go into an office like people with traditional jobs, you should still accept the fact that your surroundings impact your productivity. Find somewhere to work that allows you to settle into a state of flow where you can work uninterrupted.
Track Your Tasks
It is amazing how effective against poor focus simply knowing the duration of a task can be. Figure out how long each of your regular tasks takes to complete and use this information to allocate time to each task within your day. Learn to prioritize based on urgency and importance to avoid running out of time.
Develop Better Discipline Outside of Work
It is easier to maintain good self-discipline as a freelancer when you are also self-disciplined in your personal life. Your seemingly insignificant habits will influence how you behave in other aspects of life, so work on building your self-discipline in multiple areas.
Keep Organized Notes
You will find it much easier to keep your mind on track when you have an organized system of notes. Everyone will have their way of writing down important information, but find what works for you and stick to it. Do you need to write out your to-do list each day to get it done? Get rid of notes when you’ve finished with them and be thorough about note storage to prevent an abundance of paper clutter.
You may have initially believed that you were either naturally able to concentrate or you weren’t. Fortunately, this is not true. Anyone can develop stronger habits and the ability to focus when necessary. As a freelancer, you will hopefully find the above tips useful when trying to improve your focus and achieve your goals.
