Let’s face it, before we started our freelance journey we thought that it is the best possible solution for us. Flexible working hours, most of the time we can work how much we want, and when we want but some deadlines need to be met. When compared to a regular 9 to 5 job freelancing has a lot of advantages but they come at a price.

When you have flexible working hours your attention span and focus on tasks can be a bit off. Sometimes we waste more time on social media than we think and that’s bad for a lot of reasons. First of all, we will be wasting more time on “work” daily than we actually should and if we just simply focused on the work we would have more free time for daily activities. The second big problem would be meeting the deadline, finishing a ton of work in the last few days of the week or month could lead to errors and bad results in general. So what could we do to stay focused during work? Here are some ideas.

Do the hard ones first

If there are some daily tasks that you really don’t enjoy working on then try to focus on them first. Finishing them early on should help you deal with the easier ones more comfortably and you will feel even better when you know that the hard part of the day is over.

A great chair-table combo is a must

People who spend 8 hours or more a day working on hard and demanding tasks don’t want additional stress. Without a comfortable work setup, you won’t be able to be productive as much in the long run. Investing in a comfortable chair and table is definitely something you should do. You will thank yourself in the future.

Organize your workstation

Having a lot of objects in arms’ reach could be a big problem. It could often lead to distraction and once you get out of your work rhythm it’s hard to get back. Keep only the most essential items on your desk.

Limit yourself with social media

Social media can be the worst distraction that you can possibly have. We all know that once we lose focus and take “just 5 minutes off” to scroll through our Facebook feed or check Reddit for a while those 5 minutes can turn into hours.The result? You probably didn’t learn anything new during that time and now you have to stay an hour more at work.

Daily “to-do” lists are your best friend

Monthly tasks can often create an illusion that they can be taken care of some other day. Skipping a few days never hurt anyone, right? Well, in most cases, that is definitely not true.Skipping tasks can lead to an accumulation of work that you won’t be able to finish on time. Breaking the deadline is the worst thing you can do and your employer probably doesn’t like it. Instead, when the month starts, split the work however you want and add it to your “to-do” list. Add little check marks every time you are done with a task, it will give you a sense of accomplishment and motivate you to finish the rest as soon as possible.

Let your friends know that you have a strict working schedule

A simple ring of the phone could get you distracted and if your friend wants to hang out for an hour or two you probably won’t reject the invitation. This will be a major setback for you and your workday suddenly doesn’t end at 5 PM, it will probably last 2-3 hours more.

Use Headphones

Music can be an amazing confidence booster. It can also help you to be more productive and focused. Turn the volume up, pick your favorite playlist and end the workday with a huge success every time.

Our everyday lives are surrounded by distractions. Everything we see around us is tempting and probably more enjoyable than work but keep your priorities straight. Mixing work with pleasure was never a good idea so do them in the right order – work first, pleasure second and you are already on your way to start a very productive workday!