You Need a Schedule

What did you do yesterday?

If you had a 9-5 job, the answer might be “Got up, ate breakfast, went to work, worked, had lunch, worked some more, went home…”

But when you’re a freelancer or run your business from home, the answer gets a little more complicated.

“Got up, had coffee, checked my email, checked my Twitter, sent some emails, ate breakfast, did some work, put on the laundry, made more coffee, went for a run, answered the phone when my mother called, sent another email, did some more work, put the laundry in the dryer, checked my Twitter again…”

Being your own boss is tough for many reasons…

…and one of those is the freedom.

Don’t get me wrong, I love being a freelancer. I love not having to rush off to work in the morning. I love deciding what I’m going to work on each day.

But “freedom” can easily turn into “wasting time” if I’m not careful.

When I don’t have a job to worry about being late to… when I don’t have an employer checking my browsing history… when my friends and family call at all hours of the day because they know I work from home…

It can be hard to get as much done as I need to. Pretty soon, it’s five o’clock, and the article I wanted to write never got done, so once dinner’s over I’m back on my computer instead of enjoying some time with my husband.

I need a schedule. And I bet you do too.

If you want to put together an effective schedule, there are four things you need to keep in mind

1. Know Yourself

When do you work best? In the morning? Late at night? When do you need time to just relax?

I like to get up early, but I don’t like to start working right away. So I’ll get up at 6:00 and take time to have my tea, go for a run, have my breakfast, check my blogs and email… Then, by 9:00 or 10:00, I’ll settle down and get cracking on my to-do list.

Once I know what major task I need to accomplish each day, I do that during my main working time (usually 10am-2pm). The rest of the day I block off into a micro schedule: when I check my email or my social media, eat, take phone calls, run errands, or work on personal projects.

2. Don’t let other people bully you

For a lot of people, “working at home” or “being your own boss” translates to not working – so they feel free to interrupt you. Don’t let them.

Being at home doesn’t make you obligated to pick up your neighbors kids, answer the phone whenever a friend calls, or clean the house before the rest of your family gets home. No one would expect you to do these things during the day if you had a regular 9-5 job, so don’t let them bully you now.

Schedule specific time in the day for errands, phone calls, and personal time. You’ll be more productive – and you’ll be able to give your family and friends your full attention when it’s their turn.

3. Don’t be fooled by “fake” productivity

There are a lot of things you need to get done in the day that aren’t exactly work: household chores, checking your email, managing your social media. All of these are important – but they can fool you into thinking you’ve accomplished more in a day than you have. So don’t be distracted by them.

Set aside specific times for checking social media or email accounts. Schedule all your phone calls in a row so you’re not sitting around waiting for the next one. Take a break in the middle of the day to do laundry or run to the grocery store, but only for a set amount of time.

And then make sure your main focus during working hours is on work – not on everything else.

4. Schedule an end to the work day.

Yes, you need a “clock-out” time – just because you’re your own boss doesn’t mean you always have to be working! Whether this is at 2:00 or 6:00, you need a time when you close the computer and are done for the day if you want to stay sane and actually have a life outside work.

So what about you – what does your schedule look like?