Increasing Productivity

June 18, 2009 by Brooke | Tips | No comments

Ah, freelancing. Our 9 to 5 friends envy us, thinking we set our own hours, work in our pajamas, and answer to no one. We protest but know it can be true if we allow it. With a job that gives us so much freedom, it’s easy to become too relaxed and thus unproductive.

I’ve found myself drawn away from work to RSS feeds, Twitter, and now World of Goo often enough to know that I need discipline to keep on track. I’ve found the following methods to be most effective toward that goal.

1. Have a plan. At the end of every work day, I put together a plan for tomorrow in my Moleskine planner (which I love, by the way). Write up a list of everything you need to accomplish the next day, both work and personal.
2. Get dressed. I’m actually in my pajamas as I write this–then again, I’m sick. Regardless, I’ve learned the best way to make a day productive is to begin it like you would a full-time job. Wake up to an alarm, shower, and arrive at your desk dressed and ready to go.
3. Change your environment. Most people find that they can better focus when they are away from distractions. What helps me, though, isn’t solitude but breaking out of my familiar environment. I’ve found that moving my work away from home for the day has a positive effect on my concentration. Even sitting in a busy airport or a plane has given me focus, oddly enough. I usually fill up several pages of my notebook with sketches and thoughts in one flight. And if you can’t escape home, change it: move furniture, change the artwork on your walls, switch out throw pillows. Don’t let your environment stagnate or your work will reflect that.
4. Exercise. One liberty we freelancers usually enjoy is the ability to escape sedentary desk work at any time. The majority of the reasons we leave it hurt our productivity, with one exception being aerobic exercise. Research has proven what I’ve discovered myself: we can focus much better after a good workout. I even listen to podcasts rather than music while I run to keep my mind active.
5. Have a side project. Previously I believed that I could do my best work when I focused on one thing at a time. But I’ve now found that I’m easily burned out with this method. What has helped me most is giving myself a side project to turn to when I need a break. Taking a real break seems like it would help more, but it in fact causes me to go into idle mode, making it difficult for me to go back to work.

Write post on productivity: check. What methods do you use to keep yourself on task?

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