HOW TO AVOID IT?
FREELANCING this kind of work does not come without its challenges and one of mine is distractions. When you work from home, there are some things to get your attention especially during this pandemic season. Here are some of my reasons for eliminating those distractions and boosting productivity.
There is always a house chore
No matter what happens, cleaning the house, finishing that laundry, cooking, washing the dishes and also buying groceries with endless repetition. If you’re a mother, give your child daily chores, teach responsibility while making sure the job gets done. And when they learn it your endless chore becomes manageable. If you are independent person, renting an apartment or living in a condominium and no one to help your house chores. Make sure you don’t make any mess, set your laundry schedule for the week, buy groceries twice a month or enough stock for the week.
Feeling sleepy due to lack of sleep,
Especially on siesta time after you eat your lunch or maybe you also have a client that is on EST time zone. One of my reasons for staying awake at night is watching Netflix and KDramas myflixerhd movie website etc. and I make a self-discipline for watching, I prepare a list of movies I want to watch and then if I have free time or weekends it’s my time for movie marathon. If you have sleep deprivation stay away from caffeine, sugar and alcohol in the four to six hours before bedtime.
Do not do your task in bed, find a comfortable workspace or separate area so you can focus on your job don’t forget a correct your posture. It is important to sit straight for the sake of your back and to keep your spine and head straight.
Background noise, of course it’s legit.
When you’re in Zoom meeting with your client and suddenly your dog barks out of nowhere or a neighbor's cat is fighting on your roof and your room is not soundproof it is so distracting.
Another one of my distractions is neighbors who're singing karaoke out of tune. I know it’s one of Filipino fun but this crucial pandemic many employees and freelancers are working at home. Having fun party time is okay but try to be considerate when you are in the same place. Of course, we have technology to reduce unwanted sound or noise reduction. You can buy noise-cancelling headphones and mic or try to have music with lower volume play in the background while you work. You can also make DIY soundproofing solutions in your workspace or ask those in your household to respect your work hours so you can concentrate.
Internet Connection & Power Interruption
Sluggish internet connection may change your focus, you have a certain time to check your phone while waiting for the loading of work, checking your Facebook accounts notifications of your favorite YouTube Vlogger.
You can contact your internet provider to ask about other options. Some internet providers may offer faster speeds at higher prices to upgrade your networking gear.
If you are here in the Philippines you will experience power interruption without prior advisory and for you to not be interrupted you must provide a power bank with full charge and portable Wi-Fi to continue your work. You can use your smartphone’s hotspot feature which turns the device’s cellular connection into Wi-Fi. Make sure your laptop is always full charge and if your using computer use ups (Uninterruptible Power Supply) this is also a reminder that you should always have a back-up plan.
Delivery man or rider of your food delivery.
Of course, you have to reward yourself like for me, lipstick and make-up is number one on my online shopping list. Same as you order grab food or food panda when you’re craving for milk tea and pizza.
When the delivery man is at your doorstep and looking for you and you are expecting to receive parcel this might cause your distraction especially when you’re starving.
Make sure you receive that after your working hours, when you purchase it online there is a selection of date and time to receive your parcel. Or assigned a household to receive it when you are still on your task or job.
Here are some tips to improve your skills when you’re working at home and to be more productive;
1. This academy is highly recommended for freelancing course, there are some courses on how to convince others that you're worth hiring.
2. If you don’t have skills yet you should try my In-demand services offered.
3. Your social media sites must be active so your client can contact you anytime.
4. Improvised materials you need like upgrading laptop, mouse, mic or headphones.
And me being a freelancer here in the Philippines is really a great experience, before I was employed as a Sales Chief and I used all my experience and skills. Working freelance doesn’t necessarily mean working from home but due to pandemic most of my tasks right now are Virtual Assistance, Data Entry Management and Social Media Coordinator. I will make more blogs to keep you updated on my freelance journey. For now please visit my website for more information.
If you have any question or suggestion please feel free to contact me