One of the best things about going freelance is that you can manage your own time, without a boss looming over your shoulder to check your progress every couple of hours. But this also has a rather obvious downside to it as well – without anyone there to judge you, it’s easy to get a little sidetracked by the mass of information coming your way via email, Twitter and updates like Google Alerts. In my case, most of these distractions are still work-related, so not bad as such, but they can sometimes make completing single tasks more difficult.

I met with a fellow freelancer last week for a couple of drinks and we decided that we both wanted to improve our productivity for 2011. So we’re trying something out: at the beginning of every week, we’ll write a outline of the things we want to achieve that week, email them to each other, and then at the end of the week we check how the other has done. That way, at least we’re accountable to someone other than ourselves… It’s my first day of it, and blogging was on my list, so the fact that I’m writing this post is a step in the right direction. I’ll let you know how it goes after I’ve been at it for a while, though.

Other things I’m doing to improve productivity include:

1. Avoiding pyjamas in the day

They may look cute and cuddly, but they’re actually quite dangerous. There’s something about wearing  them that is demotivating, and frankly, it feels a bit unprofessional. I know some freelancers that do wear pyjamas, and get along fine with it, but it’s enough for me to know that I could do it, if I wanted to.

2. Allocating social media time

Twitter is a brilliant and vital resource for a journalist, but if I’ve got updates popping up all day, it’s really difficult to concentrate on any singular thought for more than two seconds. And I’m beginning to suspect that it’s having a serious effect on my attention span. So the plan is to still dip in regularly, but only at certain times.

3. Making a daily list, with a set time for each goal

I think one of the most important things a freelancer needs to help them stay sane is structure. Without making sure that you have deadlines for each project/pitching session, it’s much more difficult to prioritise. I’m hoping that breaking up each day into do-able chunks will help me see more clearly exactly what it is I need to get done.

How are you planning to increase your productivity this year?

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