Working remotely is becoming increasingly popular. Today saying that you’re a “freelancer” is no longer met with a questioning look. Freelance writing is the classic work-from-home job. From copywriting to journalism, from blogging to ghostwriting, there’re jobs for everyone who has a way with words.
Distant work has many advantages. A flexible schedule is the best one. But it has its challenges, too. The main one is procrastination. Writing under deadlines may lead to stress, the decline of the content quality and losing clients.
For some writers, procrastination is a deeply ingrained habit they can’t change. In college, many students put their assignments off until the last minute. When they fail to complete them on time, paper writing service can help. When it comes to a job, you can’t shift your responsibilities to someone else. You have to change your habits.
1) Set goals before you start
It is important to know why you’re doing it. Otherwise, you’ll feel disappointed in yourself as a writer.
Find something meaningful about the article you struggle with. Ask yourself what is the goal you want to accomplish or a skill you want to develop. It boosts enthusiasm which is the main weapon against procrastination.
Let’s say you face difficulties when developing conclusions. If you don’t feel like writing an essay or a blog post, try to make an outline and focus on the conclusion first. Thus, you’ll determine a small and achievable goal of crafting a conclusion and take it as another opportunity to practice your writing skills. These will give you a motivation to complete writing tasks within the deadlines.
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2) Create a schedule
Procrastinators often have a poor understanding of how much time they really need and have. A timetable for your daily and work duties works perfectly well if you stick to it.
Make a list of the tasks you need to complete. Specify a time for doing them. Split up long-term projects into smaller, more manageable tasks. A timetable makes you realize the amount of work you need to do and the limited time frame you have to complete it. So, whenever you’re tempted to check your social networking account or e-mail, look at the schedule, understand that you don’t have time for that, and keep writing.
3) Create supportive files
Save positive feedback about the most challenging work. Read these encouraging comments when you have another boring task. But don’t overuse this technique. If you do it regularly, it will lose its motivating power.
Another great idea is to keep your “did-lists”. They will make you feel accomplished and enjoy your breaks more. Whenever you find yourself unable to cope with a workload, check the tasks you’ve already completed and make believe that you’re a capable writer.
4) Read productivity guides that appeal to your personality
I’ve recently read Gretchen Rubin’s “Better Than Before”. In her book, Gretchen describes four tendencies (also called personality types): an Upholder, a Questioner, a Rebel, and an Obliger. She explains how to find out your tendency and improve habit-formation according to it. For example, a Questioner needs well-grounded reasons for changing their habits, while an Upholder can do it by fulfilling a commitment to themselves or another person.
As Michael Martin, the Business Development Manager at EssayPro.com, stated, “Look for the books and other resources that provide effective techniques and methods suitable for your individual peculiarities. Thus, you’ll reach better results in a shorter time.”
5) Take breaks
Have you ever heard about The Pomodoro Technique? It implies taking 5-minute breaks after each 25-minute period of work. The technique is used to recharge the brain and increase the performance.
I share the belief that it can disrupt the creative flow. When I’m inspired, I write until I’m tired. I set a timer to remind me to have a break when I have to complete a boring order.
Writers usually procrastinate with the tasks they find unpleasant, non-engaging, or simply uninteresting. Brief mental breaks will help you stay focused on your work and improve your idea generation process.
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6) Block all distractions
It is very easy to get distracted from writing when you work at home. Freelancers tent do use social media, watch TV, or play games on their devices instead of working. Hours pass, nothing is done, and the deadline is approaching.
It is essential to stay focused on writing and avoid distractions. Of course, that’s difficult to avoid them while using a laptop and Internet for your writing tasks. But you can download special technology to keep you away from the websites that steal your attention. There’re some apps for that below.
7) Use technology
There’re numerous apps designed for those who want to improve productivity and avoid procrastination. Here’re several options:
- Procraster is a great procrastination-busting app.
- Strict Workflow brings the Pomodoro technique to your computer. It has a digital clock to track work sessions and breaks.
- Focuswriter offers a screen free of distractions.
- SelfControl, Freedom, and HeyFocus block distracting social media websites for a period of time.
- Todoist is a smart app for organizing, scheduling, maintaining and prioritizing tasks.
- Writer Pro and iA Writer are one of the best text editors. They can enhance your productivity at every stage of writing. Students use it to write all types of academic papers. Journalists use it to craft their articles. You can write anything you want with its help.
Writing is important. And it can be discouraging. But if others can do it and beat procrastination, so can you.
This article is written by Michelle Brooks. She is the educational blogger and content editor. She contributes to resources related to career, self-development, and freelance. In her spare time, Michelle writes short stories.
