One of the fundamental principles of productivity is that in order to get things done, you gotta focus. And that necessary focus requires that you eliminate as many distractions as possible — not always an easy task with the Internet, coworkers and busy phones calling to you from every direction.

Here’s how to block out the Siren’s call of distractions, in 10 steps.

First, let me say that there should be room in your life for distractions. Work should be fun, and without a few distractions, things can get boring. That being said, when it’s time to do a task, there’s no reason to do it while handling a million other things. You’ll never get things done that way. When you’re ready to work on a task, block out all else, and really focus on it. Do your best on that task, and get it done as quickly as possible. Then reward yourself with distractions.

That’s all easier said than done, I know. So here are 10 of the best ways I’ve found to eliminate distractions and really focus on a task.

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Imagine a quiet office space. There are only a few people around – not enough to distract you, but enough to ensure that you don’t feel isolated from the world. Mostly they are freelancers, typing away at their computers.

You like the music playing in the background because it is almost like someone copied your own playlist. The coffee is delicious, there’s plenty of food to choose from, the view is not bad at all…And the best part? The rent you pay is the price of the things you eat and drink.

It sounds good, doesn’t it? I’ve just described at least three of my favorite coffee shops. You might think that working in coffee shops is an obvious choice, albeit not a very convenient one. After all, several other FreelanceSwitch writers made pretty good cases about why libraries make better offices than coffee shops or why co-working spaces are the best office alternatives. But what if there aren’t any co-working spaces near where you live? And most libraries don’t really allow you to eat or drink something around their computers.

So what’s a freelancer to do? Sure, most freelancers, including me, run home offices. But working in one place for a long time decreases productivity, creativity and frankly, it gets boring and lonely.

So every time I need a change of scenery, I take my stuff and go to one of my favorite coffee shops. And if you choose correctly, they can make the most fun and positive office substitutes. Whether you don’t feel comfortable in libraries or you don’t live near co-working spaces (or just don’t want to pay $25 or more for them), here is a guide to what to look for in coffee shops so that they provide a satisfactory office experience: Continue Reading

Thanks to the internet, it is more advantageous to work as a freelancer these days. You can conveniently find clients online, market your work effectively at a low cost (or for free), network with colleagues, run your website, research, handle your accounting and a lot more.

But having such easy access to the internet is not without its drawbacks. For many freelancers, it is hard to resist reading e-mails, logging on to social media accounts, checking stats for their blogs and websites or following one link after the other. Even though we want to get ahead by multitasking, we get distracted and wind up not accomplishing much.

That’s why lots of productivity articles advise you to turn off your internet connection (or ignore it) when you need to focus.

However, we do have a lot to do on the Internet and we really get frustrated if our connection goes awry. So what do you do when the internet cuts you off? Whether you are at your (home) office or at your favorite coffee shop, it’s inevitable to run into problems from time to time.

Yes, the internet is essential for many of our tasks, but we often forget that quite a few of these can, and maybe even should, be done without it.

The next time you can’t connect, don’t get mad – get efficient. Regardless of what area of freelancing you are in, following are some ideas to get you started: Continue Reading

I’ll be honest– my home life is completely insane. My house is like a zoo with two feral monkeys on the loose, tearing apart everything they can get their little hands on.

There are spills, wrecks, crying jags, minor explosions, loud thumping sounds (heads on walls probably), and occasional horror-movie-style screams. It’s amazing that two tiny people can create so much chaos.

My wife does all she can, but she’s outnumbered. I provide back-up, but I’ve also got a job to do. In spite of all the madness, I still somehow manage to write for several hours each day.

Speaking of which, I should get started on some work right now while they’re eating pancakes. Here are 5 of the ways I keep from going completely nuts and manage to keep my freelance writing projects on track. Continue Reading

Working as a freelancer may not conjure up images of being a tough cookie, but being a one-person show at your own business takes remarkable creativity, discipline, and good old-fashioned moxie. The Atlantic called freelancing the “next industrial revolution” of our time.

Freelancers, from independent creatives to technical consultants, juggle multiple clients, spearhead their own marketing efforts, and work tirelessly at their network of mobile offices from the home dining table, coffee shop counter, and coworking spaces.

So if you want to boost your mettle as a freelancer, here are seven ways to toughen up your freelancing game. Continue Reading

Freelancers spend a lot of time online. We search, surf, and even add our own marks to the vast World Wide Web by generating content of our own.

I remember in college how the library was the fountainhead of information. I scoured stacks of books to get a snippet or quote to use in a paper. Now I can do the same search in under five minutes online. A few hyperlinks later, I’ve found what I’m looking for.

As a medium for getting information, the Net is mostly a boon to freelancers. We have immediate access to an array of content. Ideas and information that were once scattered broadly in different places are now available through select portals. It’s a godsend, right?

Then, slowly it happens. You start to succumb to digital distraction. Freelancers all know the feeling. We’re reading an article on the Web. Embedded in the text are links to other related and referenced works. We click around, following a trail that loops, wanders, and leads to increasingly wide-reaching and scattered topics. I thought I was reading about freelance editing, and now I’m on a site plastered with goofy-looking cats. How did that happen?

Before we know it, we’ve spent hours staring at the screen and have gleaned nothing.

Famous psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi pioneered the word “flow” to describe a state in which we are no longer mindful of anything else except the moment and the actions we’re engaged in. When it comes to surfing the web, this idea of flow takes on a disturbing meaning. We get lost in the layers of information, jumping around from page to page. Before we know it, we’ve spent hours staring at the screen and have gleaned nothing.

Hmm. Maybe we should be worried. But becoming a Luddite freelancer and living off the grid isn’t an option. If the Internet is a ubiquitous part of how we live and work, then how do we shore up our defenses and prevent our brains from being overwhelmed by the medium?

Here are several ways to keep internet-induced distraction and digital disturbances at bay, and stay focused and productive as a freelancer. Continue Reading

View engaging conference lectures, interesting how to discussions, and high quality freelance advice via video here on FreelanceSwitch.

This week we look at The Happy Secret to Better Work by Shawn Achor. We believe that we should work to be happy, but could that be backwards? In this fast-moving and entertaining talk from TEDxBloomington, psychologist Shawn Achor argues that actually happiness inspires productivity. Continue Reading

Before I took the big entrepreneurial leap in 2010, I had always worked for a single employer. But you know how the story goes— suddenly the cubicle walls start to feel claustrophobic, the beck and call of the chain of bosses starts to grate, and you yearn for something, well, more inspired. You feel confident enough in your own skills and personal networks to leave the ‘system’ and start your own freelance business.

The highs are higher— exhilarating and thrilling; and the lows are steep drops, where you battle self-doubt and worry about scoring the next project.

When we first started, we worked out of my partner’s San Francisco apartment to save on overhead costs. My co-founder worked alongside with me. He had his corner. I had mine. Our breaks during the workday were lunch and pots of tea, and our meetings took place over walks to Golden Gate Park, just four blocks away.

While no one was there to observe our work patterns (like most internet-based businesses, our client interaction takes place over e-mail and Skype), we managed to stay fairly disciplined. One of the great perks of working for yourself is the freedom to set your own schedule. No one dictates that you have to clock in at a certain hour. No one’s looking over your shoulder.

Ah, the sweet freedom of being an un-tethered freelancer. But there are downsides, too. At a job you don’t worry about the next paycheck if you slouch a little one week. But on your own, if you don’t produce, you don’t get paid. Every moment for a freelancer is precious.

So once you make the leap, what’s the best way to structure your new work life as a freelancer? Know that by “going indie” you’ll need to prepare yourself for the emotional roller coaster of running your own shop. The highs are higher— exhilarating and thrilling; and the lows are steep drops, where you battle self-doubt and worry about scoring the next project.

While there are numerous and inventive ways to maximize your precious time and work more productively as a freelancer, you’ve got to first master the basics.

Here’s a starter kit of essential productivity tips to get you grounded and organized as you make the transition to the exciting and unpredictable life of a freelancer. Continue Reading

View engaging conference lectures, interesting how to discussions, and high quality freelance advice via video here on FreelanceSwitch.

This week we look at Ditching Basecamp for Project Management With Google Doc by Freelance Jam. In this video the Freelance Jam duo cover project management workflows as they relate to client projects and thier own projects. Brian has decided to move most of his project management process over to Google Docs, while Dave is holding strong on the super simple Basecamp app. Find out how and why we each are using the systems that they are. Continue Reading

We talk a lot about marketing and securing clients here on FreelanceSwitch, but there’s another aspect to freelance life that comes as your business starts to flourish–being overwhelmed!

It’s hard to deal with, actually, because you spend so much time learning how to launch your business and probably less on learning how to cope with it when it’s running like a fine-tuned engine. Just because a business is successful doesn’t mean it can’t be stressful!

Here are a few tips on how to deal with business when the phones literally won’t stop ringing–and you need to buckle down and get to work! Continue Reading

To do list task managers and full productivity software is essential to a freelancers business. The style of design your looking for in a to do list app will differ based on the size of your small business, the nature of the services you offer, and your personal preferences.

You may be a one man freelancer and prefer a stripped down, easy to use task app that syncs well in the cloud and works with your preferred devices. Or you may regularly work with a team and need some specific features to have you all working in harmony and efficiently.

While every user will have different needs in a to do list manager, there are some features that clearly add functionality, and looking at them will help you choose the best to do app for you.

How a to do list task manager implements these features has a big impact on it’s user base. Here are some of the most prevalent and useful features to consider in reviewing task based productivity software:

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Usually two words “freelancer” and “time” go together. Freelancers can’t juggle multiple tasks simultaneously and that’s why we need to allocate time carefully. Time is an essential source of freelancer financial success.

There are lots of web apps that help track time and create reports. If you use one of the tools on a daily basis, you can turn your work into a structured schedule, get more spare time for fun, and improve your productivity. Here’s is an overview of 10 top free apps for time management for freelancers. Continue Reading