All freelance workers (heck, all workers in general) know about the Dreaded Project: that item that sits on your to-do list, deadline looming or even long gone, too intimidating to tackle. We’ll do anything but that Dreaded Project, even though we know it’s the most important thing we should do.

Fear no more. We’re going to conquer that Dreaded Project and turn it into a tame little puppy dog in just 8 steps.

Then you can get it off your to-do list and breathe a sigh of relief. It’ll be a huge burden off your chest, and you can safely go back to diddling around online until the next Dreaded Project arrives. But that’s OK — you can apply these same steps to that one too.

1. What’s bothering you? Take just 5 minutes to think about this Dreaded Project. What’s bothering you about it? Why don’t you want to do it? Often our reasons for putting it off go unsaid, and we avoid thinking about it. We know it’s there, but it’s too dreadful even to consider. Well, take those 5 minutes and consider it. Often it’s not as bad as we first imagined. And if we know what the problem is, we can address it. Spell out your obstacles, and plan a way around them.

2. Clear outcome. Now take another 5 minutes, and think about how the project should be when you’re done. What will it look like? What will it smell like? (Well, you can skip that question if it’s not a tangible project.) Have a clearly defined finished project in mind, and write down a sentence or two to define it. Do this even if it feels silly (”Outcome: I will write a useful article for freelancers about completing Dreaded Projects.”), as it will crystalize the outcome in your mind. It’s much harder to reach a destination if you don’t know where it is. This one step, most often skipped over, can make a huge difference. And it’s the end of our project planning, so you can rest easy now.

3. Set aside half a day. Clear a half day to complete this project. If it’ll only take 2 hours, still clear half a day. If it’ll take two days, still clear half a day — at least you can get a big start on it, and then you can clear another half day when you’ve done that. I find that mornings are best, as your day has usually not fallen into chaos by then. Clear your appointments and meetings, reschedule them for later, beg off, and push back other assignments. The only thing you’re going to do for that half day? Your project (you can now stop calling it the Dreaded Project, and start calling it The Project Whose Rear I Plan to Kick).

4. Unplug. You need to clear all distractions. Unplug the Internet and your phone. Drastic, I know! But necessary. Turn your cell phone off. Let people know you are not to be disturbed. No television, no games, no chatting around the water cooler. Clear your desk, if possible (it’s OK to pile everything out of sight for now). Be disconnected, just for half a day. Tell yourself that the world won’t fall apart if you don’t check email or RSS feeds or Twitter or IM or Digg or your forums or whatever for just half a day. Really.

Note: if you need the Internet to do research on this project, do it before your half-day. Get all the research done and saved off-line, so that you can unplug when it’s time to do the actual work on the project. Get your ducks in a row before you start.

5. Focus on one step. OK, now that you’re ready to get to work, you need to cut this project down to something you can actually chew. Pick a mini-task that you can complete in 15 minutes to start off the project. Now focus completely on that one mini-task. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it helps move you toward that clearly defined outcome you wrote down in Step 2. Don’t bite off anything big — you want to focus on a small task.

6. Singletask. Don’t allow yourself to do anything but that one small task. Really focus on getting it done. Resist all urges to check email or whatever your compulsions are. If you feel yourself trying to do something else, stop, and pull yourself back. Block out everything but this one task. Pour yourself into it, and lose track of the world.

7. Reward. When you’re done with that small task, give yourself a 5-10 minute break. You deserve it — you started on the project! Get up, walk around, say hi to that attractive co-worker two cubicles down, then call your spouse to declare your undying love. Don’t check email. That’s your reward for when you finish your half day. Now get back to work!

8. Next step. OK, time to re-focus. Choose another small step (15-20 minutes would be good) that will move you closer to your defined outcome. Again, really focus on it until you complete it. Now continue to repeat these last few steps, doing one small task at a time, taking a little mini-break, and then focusing on the next task, making sure to singletask each time. Keep doing this until you complete the project, or until your half-day is over. Don’t allow yourself to do anything else (except in your mini-breaks) until you’re done. If you’re still not finished at the end of the half day, either keep going if you can, or set aside another chunk of time to work on the project.