6 Time-Management Tips
when working from home
From reduced costs to increased flexibility, working from home has amazing benefits. However, it can also present unique challenges. The most obvious change is the blurred line between your personal and your professional life and until you learn how to organise your time well, this can cause many issues.
For me, working project-based meant that I was compromising my personal life whenever I took on a writing job. I naturally work very well under tight deadlines or if I’m collaborating by an hourly/daily rate, but if a project-based deadline allowed me plenty of time, everything would become a mess: I tried to start early and would become a queen of procrastination.
Every little distraction held an incredible appeal. As the deadline approached, I finally managed to work efficiently again. The quality of my work wasn’t compromised, it was my personal life that took a hit. A writing job that normally took me 5 hours with a tight deadline would take me 3 days if I had enough time.
So how can you organise your time more efficiently if you’re like me? How can you make the most out of both your personal and professional time when you’re the one deciding when one starts and the other one finishes?
Here are some techniques that have worked for me:
1. Know your peak times & use that knowledge well
We all have our times during the day when our productivity peaks. Sometimes it’s not obvious; it took me several months to figure out when I do my best work, efficiently.
I thought I was more of a night owl, but it turns out I was wrong. To be efficient, I need to start working as soon as possible after waking up (not too late!). This means that my morning routine is very basic and short. The more I wait until starting work, the less productive I become.
Not everyone is at their most productive in the morning. Many people need several hours after waking up to get their mind sufficiently awake for becoming efficient. Many people work well in the afternoons or late evenings. Don’t force a productive morning if it’s not for you.
That being said, take advantage of the flexibility that comes with making your own schedule. For example, I recently wrote a 500-word article draft in a plane while waiting for take-off (in the afternoon). The inspiration burst just came to me and I took advantage of that otherwise wasted time.
2. Plan the night before
Being a remote freelance writer, each day is different and I don’t have a standard work routine. So I plan the night before.
Depending on my project, I take some time before going to sleep to set out a schedule for the following morning. Sometimes I need to prioritise a work project and other times it will be something for my personal life.
This has made a huge difference for me. I wake up knowing what I have to do, and I tend to do it.
3. Create the right ambiance
Create an environment that helps you stay in the flow. Try putting your phone away, closing your email, or putting some instrumental music in the background.
For me, nothing compares to the ‘Peaceful Piano’ playlist on Spotify when it comes to getting in the right mindset for working. The music is beautiful and perfect for creative work. Give it a go.
4. Learn what activities don’t serve you & eliminate them
A very useful way of ensuring I don’t waste too much time is by eliminating potential distractions and activities that don’t serve me. This is great both for when I’m working and for my free time.
Take social media for example. I’m sure a lot of people can relate to the frustration of realising you’ve just spent 20 minutes mindlessly scrolling when you didn’t even make a conscious decision to open the platform in the first place. Ugh…
I spent 1.5 years without social media and loved it. But there were also things I was missing out on, so now I’m using it again, controlling it strictly instead of letting it control me. I try to only go on social media several times a week for about 10 minutes to check notifications, events, etc.
Having a strict ‘policy’ regarding various distractions during work can really help you stay on track. In my personal life, eliminating activities that don’t serve me has given me more free time for activities that matter to me, such as physical exercise, reading, or meeting friends.
For people who are not natural procrastinators, this might sound silly or too restrictive. But this tip isn’t for them. My mum is naturally a very productive person and she has probably never wasted a second when she had something to do. But I’m not like my mum.
This tactic works pretty well for me.
5. Do the most important things first
Instead of keeping an endless, overwhelming to-do list, identify the 3 most important things to focus on, write them on a post-it note, and just do those things.
You’re going to feel like you’ve accomplished a lot (which would be true). Whether you then cross off more things from your list, at least you did the important stuff.
6. Take advantage of your personality
This may not be the typical ‘become productive’ advice, but get to know your strengths and use them to your advantage. Develop your time-management skills, but realise that the ability to work well under pressure or on short deadlines can also be a valuable strength.
For example, every month, I write all the content (blog articles and social media) for a health and fitness company. They give me the brief around 10 days in advance. I’ve been writing their content for a while and I know it only takes me around 4 days to finish the job. So I normally start 5 days in advance. I don’t start 10 days before because I know that it would be harder for me to be productive this way. I take other jobs in the meantime, or I enjoy some free time.
Important note: they don’t expect me to work 10 days, and they don’t mind when or how much I work, as long as they’re happy with the result. They pay per project, not time.
Needless to say, you should only take this approach if you’re confident about how much time you need for a job and always err on the side of caution. Otherwise, you might risk disappointing your client and losing your job.
All these techniques have really helped me with time management and I hope they help you too. Feel free to also share your own tips!
