How to Set Your Schedule When Working at Home

by Kristine

Working at home as a freelance writer means that you hold your own time in your own hands. On the other hand, it’s also a hard time for those who don’t know how to schedule. The results may be missed deadlines, backlogs, and cramming.

Guilty, as charged. I mean, as a freelance writer, you surely might have had one lazy day when your bed seemed to call you to come and sleep. Yes, I am guilty, as well.

However, I found some helpful things to aid me whenever I feel so lazy. And I bet other freelancers have their own techniques to get their butts up and running or writing.

We all know it is hard to jump-start your day so you can work, especially when you know that you’d just be staying at home the whole day, working away in your computer. As a freelance writer, it’s hard to miss deadlines because it means that you are not serious about your job.

Here are some tips as to how you can help yourself back on the track when you’re working at home.

Write down your projects – it doesn’t matter how or where you would write it – just simply write it down. Sometimes, it is better to write all your projects on a piece of Post-it and stick it right on your monitor. Why? Because then you would always see that you have something to do. Now it’s time to close that Facebook/FarmVille window and look at that bright yellow Post-it hanging on your monitor.
Write down your deadlines – Aside from seeing the things that you have to do, it actually helps a lot if you would see the deadline. When are your projects due? If you do not have any deadlines, then make one for yourself. You are a freelance writer – you earn on your own. Thus, you need to set schedules on your own, as well, if needed.
Establish a quota – If you have a continuous stream of projects, then please do establish a quota. If you need to make blog posts, then set a quota for yourself, as well. Write 3 to 5 articles a day, and perhaps one short blog post – or however you want to make a quota. Just be sure that it is realistic and that you will follow it.
Set a ‘block time’ – This, perhaps, is the most difficult tip I can ever write because I also have a hard time following it (although I try – hard.) Block off all your social networking sites, online gaming sites, online shopping sites and many others for a certain period of time. It can be one hour or even 30 minutes, but it would do you good if you do not have any other cyber distractions. Disconnect from the internet and focus on your writing – even for just 1 hour. It would definitely do you wonders.
Set a start time or an end time – it does not have to be both, but setting a particular time as to what time you’d start or end can help your mind set itself to ‘thinking and writing mode’. When you know that you MUST work, then your brain would also bring your body to that ‘work’ mode. Don’t you ever wonder sometimes why you do more when you are out of the house? This is partly because of this – because you know that you HAVE TO WORK at that particular time.

I am sure there are a lot more others who have their own techniques when they battle laziness and set their schedules when working at home.

Feel free to comment about your own working patterns as a freelance writer