Things You'll Need:
- Clean and organized office space
- <br>Self-imposed limitations
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Step 1
Create and maintain a clean, organized office space. If you have the space, have an "office" that is separate from the rest of your house (if this is not possible, designate an area of a room as your office). Keep this space clean and organized and make sure you have workspace essentials, such as good light and a comfortable chair.
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Step 2
Keep your materials organized. Make sure you have separate files for all your clients and that you know where to find important documents and records. If you spend your whole day looking for things, you won't be able to do your job and make money.
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Step 3
Eliminate distractions. Unless you need to take business-related calls, try not to answer the phone while you are working. Similarly, emails probably do not require on-the-spot action, so keep the inbox closed and limit yourself when checking it (once an hour is more than enough).
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Step 4
Give yourself breaks. Particularly if you are sitting in front of your computer all day, you may need to get up to stretch or take a short walk on a regular basis. It is better to allow yourself to do this and then get back to work than to sit in front of your computer for an hour and not really do anything.
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Step 5
Prioritize and set goals. Make sure you know what tasks are pressing and decide which of them can reasonably be accomplished by the end of the day. Try to stick to these goals.
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Step 6
Put in your hours creatively. You may have other obligations than work during the day (for example, you may work from home expressly because it allows you to pick up your kids). It's fine to attend to those obligations, but make sure you can find the time to finish your work later.
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Step 7
Lose your low-paying or difficult clients. If you are freelancing and you have clients that are taking up a lot of your time and not paying much (or otherwise making your life difficult), drop them. This will free up your time and allow you to find clients that aren't hurting your overall business.
