Being a freelance writer has its ups and downs. Make your
own schedule, get plenty of laundry done at the same time, and wear what you
want! The downside is that some days it’s hard to stay focused. People magazine arrive in the mail?
Better hide that before getting sucked into reading about the life of Brooke
Shields or Matthew McConaughey. Email arrive announcing a free webinar that
will suck up another hour of your time, but isn’t related to the current
assignment? Yet another time vacuum.
Here are five other things to stay away from when the
workday starts and ends 10 feet from the kitchen:
TV: Turning on
Netflix to watch “The Walking Dead” while on the treadmill is OK once in a
while. But when one episode morphs into three or four? Then you have a
productivity problem, which is not an excuse to give to the client, especially
when it relates to zombies.
Facebook. I try
to limit my Facebook time to breakfast, lunch, or after dinner. Or all three.
No matter, it’s just too darn hard to resist that cuddly cute kitten video
during the middle of the day. The cute video inevitably leads to checking up on
former co-workers who are slacking off during their salaried work day,
something I certainly NEVER did when gainfully employed.
Errands. It’s
great to hop in the car and not have a boss to report where you’re going. But
that one quick trip to the store without a set list or timeframe inevitably
leads to the 30-minute conversation with a school parent or childhood friend in
the produce aisle. And that is always when the media relations person who
you’ve been chasing for days returns your call — that’s the Murphy’s Law of
freelance writers.
Pets. Sure you
need to take the occasional break from the computer to attend to the four-legged
officemates. But when you find yourself upstairs spending a half hour looking
for the cat’s favorite fuzzy red ball, or letting the Jack Russell outside to
chase chipmunks, you’ve got a productivity problem. Keep the pet interruptions
at bay with a squirt gun — just don’t squirt the computer or cell phone in the
process.
DIY home improvement.
The holes in the drywall that were left by the mirror brackets that were
too small for the mirror can be filled at night or on the weekend.
Do-it-yourself projects save money, but they’re costing you more in lost fees
if you’re not meeting the deadline at hand. For the record, everyone survived
the mirror calamity with all digits intact.
Fiona Robinson is a full-time freelance writer and editor
who can be reached at fionarobinson200@gmail.com.
