I used to do some freelance work back when I took off a year from school. However, these days I am back in school. I have a lot of experience with online classes, which in my opinion require the same motivation because things are self-paced and self-taught. I’ve been doing online classes for a year and a half. So, I’ll try to give you some tips based on my experience.

First and foremost, I cannot have the TV on. I get distracted all the time if the TV is on, even if I put on a movie or show I don’t have any interest in, because what usually happens is that I see a small part and then I get interested. However, I need background sound, otherwise I get restless. So if I really must, I put on something that I REALLY REALLY do not like. I could spend all day watching the history channel. However, cooking shows, not my thing, so that works.

Otherwise, I usually have my Bluetooth speaker on. I usually just set my music on shuffle and put it away from me, otherwise I could spend all day picking and choosing which song to listen to next. The key to not get distracted with the music is to put it at a low volume, where it is not too loud and sounds soft. Otherwise, you won’t be able to do much focusing or thinking.

Gather everything you believe you’ll need for your work. Sounds like a basic thing, but it really is important. So, that means, pens, paper, calculator, dictionary, etc. Whatever you know you’ll need. Because what usually happens is, if you are not prepared you’ll be getting up and you’ll get distracted by other things you might want to do.

I am usually home alone when I do my freelance work, or my school work. Otherwise I find myself getting distracted with the noises around. If you don’t have the house to yourself then close the door to your working area and tell them not to interrupt.

I find that I get restless after a certain amount of time. So, about every hour or so, I take a break. Go to your backyard and enjoy the fresh air, eat, stretch, etc. However, give yourself a predetermined amount of time and don’t allow yourself to go over because after that it is easy to say, “Oh just 5 more minutes.” This will lead you to keep delaying your work. So set a timer if you need to.

Do I successfully manage to avoid procrastination? About 85 percent of the time, yes. The other 15 percent, not so much. It all varies from person to person. On the days that I set a schedule for myself, things are usually smooth sailing and I go through my day with little procrastination. On days I do not plan, well, let’s just say work doesn’t really get done. So if a schedule is what you need then plan it out as if you were going to work at an office.

So for example:
Wake up at ___________.
Eat breakfast, clean, work out, water plants, feed dog, etc from ___________ to ____________.
Work from ______________ to ___________.
Small break for ___________ minutes.
Work from ___________ to ______________.
Lunch break from __________ to __________.
Etc. The point is, it greatly helps to organize your day, otherwise you might slack off and keep delaying things. It happens to the best of us.

If you are only beginning to do freelance work then you might find it a bit hard to manage your time, or who knows, you might be very self-motivated and you might do great. It all varies.

If you struggle at first, don’t worry about it, over time you’ll find what works best for you. However, if you are just beginning, then definitely take advantage of scheduling. Don’t overwork yourself by trying to cram it all in. If you don’t get to finish a task them pause it and schedule it for later. If it is not something that can be put off then that’s fine just reschedule other things that can wait.

Hope this helps.