What are your daily distractions? I find I have to work in a place where I don’t have access to a fridge, the television, and neighborhood gossip. Keeping focused is one of my biggest challenges in this work from home life. Most days I can stay on task, but if the job is not so interesting I find myself looking for other things to do. To combat this, I use a reward system. After I finish an especially unattractive task I’ll allow myself a chapter or two from a good book, a gourmet cup of coffee, or another treat. It gives me a light at the end of the tunnel.
What are your distractions and how do you deal with them?
Leads…
- Freelance Writer - Mosquito Control – $50 – $75/article
- Letter of Recommendation Writer
- Educational Writer for Administrative Assistant
- Irish Stories & Poems - $50
- Freelance Writer with Legal Background
- Developmental Editor - Conde Nast – NYC
- Freelance Writer - Pittsburgh
- Freelance Copywriter - Auburn WA – In house
- Online Editor/Producer - Automobiles – U.S. News & World Report- Washington DC
- Freelance Writer to Rewrite Website for Credit Union
- Full Time Blogger – Telecommute Ok – 6 to 8 hours daily
- Experienced Freelance Writers
- Articles for Healthcare Website
- Cross Word and Word Find Creators
- Writer/Associate Editor for Eucalyptus Magazine – Los Gatos – Telecommute OK
- Writers Wanted for Two Las Vegas Sports Teams
- Freelance Copy Editors Needed
- New Online Magazine Needs Writers- Eugene OR
- Looking for a Writer/Researcher to Develop a Report on Early Learning
- Magazine Writer Needed ASAP - Detroit – $100 – $300
- Technical Writer – eCommerce Applications
- Writer/Journalist
- SEO/SEM Marketing Expert
- Hiking/Kayaking/Biking Writers
- Freelance Travel Writers
- Ex-Drug Kingpin Needs Writer
- Web Content/Copy Writer - Los Angeles
- Business Plan and Grant Writer
- Survey Writer/ Editor – $75/Section
- L.A. Based Freelance Writers – $10 – $30/post
- Grant writer
- Simple Proofread/Edit for Small Project
- Underground Soul & Hip Hop Writers – $25 – $50
- Web Content Writer Needed ASAP – Miami
- Sustainable Living Writer – $15/hour
- Freelance Writing for Legal Network – $20 – $40/hour
- Writer/Editor for CoverAwards.com – NYC/Telecommute OK
- Top Entertainment Website Seeks Online Associate Editor – Telecommute OK
- Gig for Ambitious Writer – $2500 – $4000
- Freelance Web Writer – $16 -$46
- Web Researcher – Italian Fluency Required
- Technical Blogger – $20/post
- Editor for Non-Fiction Book - NYC
- Grammar or Writing Instructor for Adults - NYC
- Layout Editor to Re-format a Manual
- Copywriter
- Grant Writer – Brooklyn
- Seeking a Successful Business Plan Writer - NYC
- Writer Wanted for Local Articles - Pottstown, PA – $10/article
- Blogger/content Writer - Phoenix Real Estate – $15/article
- Writer/Blogger/Social Networker – $15/hour
- Blogging Journalists – Seattle
- Creative Writer for Children’s Magazine
- Web Content/SEO Writer - Seattle
- Wiki Editor
- Freelance Writer Needed
Good luck and have a terrific weekend!
My main distractions are my two boys, 2 and 3. They pop in constantly, even though they are supposed to be watched by their father.
I don`t really mind that though, since the reason I work at home is to be with them! What`s the point if I can`t admire an amazing dandilion or a ladybug once in a while?
Other distractions include checking my email and Facebook. I really have to limit myself with those. I try to use the reqard system, too, where I will let myself play a round of a computer game if I work steadily for an hour, or finish five articles, etc. Or I will aim for a specific time to finish and take the kids to the park or something.
I’m with you, Genesis. Sort of.
I write part time at home. I pick up my 4 and 6 year old (and sometimes their friends) and am home working by 3:00.
Mom gets home by 7 or 8, so I get at least a couple real hours each day. If I’m too close to a dead-line (usually the case) I will park the kids in front of the Wii and work away, but usually I can work with them right under foot.
#11. Full Time Blogger
Does anybody know anything about this posting? It has been up before and I’ve noticed on the Ray Recruiting site they keep filling positions. What website is it, does anybody know?
Thanks, I appreciate the info.
Hey, Deb,
Where do you get those fabulous coffee pics??
My biggest distractions are Facebook and daytime TV. I still need to work on a way to combat them.
My kids, mainly. I’d rather spend time with them, especially since I’m acutely aware that the time they’re going to want to spend with me is swiftly coming to an end (my oldest is 12, and his sister’s not far behind at 9). They’re pretty good at letting Dad work, but in the summer especially, there’s always something they want to show me or tell me or play with me, and on deadline…well, Dad is occasionally grumpy.
There’s a myriad of other distractions, too, but they’re secondary trifles.
I don’t have any distractions – I consider them necessary breaks while I’m writing.
My brain multitasks and requires so much stimulation that I’ll often switch away for a second to look at a headline (literally about 10 seconds), then return back to my freelance writing work.
It also provides information about trends and news, and broadens my horizons. If I find I’m doing a lot of that, and deliberately not doing a difficult project, then I’ll set an hour limit or so to plow through as much work as possible, then take another news/chat/parental hug break
I’m new to Twitter and Facebook and realizing that I need to limit my time on them. Time-limits are also how I deal with distractions. I say to myself, “OK, I’m working on this for two hours. Then I can do something else.” The right music, fish oil supplements (no kidding!), ginkgo, and blue-green algae help (whatever works, and I can’t do caffeine anymore). Deadlines, I find, marvelously concentrate the mind.
I don’t know if I would call these distractions or priorities. My eight year old daughter loves to share interests. Usually, her imagination takes off and she plays or reads while I work. Sometimes we have to negotiate computer and DVDs. I try to keep her away from screen time but it is not always easy. Luckily, my husband gets her ready for bed and makes her lunches.
I have a pet project, forming a private school, that takes more time than I ever excepted; but feel it’s also a priority. Proper education of children is very important to me. I have great respect for excellent teachers, but our US educational system needs revamping.
Have a great weekend everyone!!! Happy Father’s Day!!!
Just a caveat to those searching the listings– #36 “Freelance Writing for Legal Network” states in their ad that the purpose of their advertised job is to provide legal advice to consumers on certain topics. This sounds benign, but it is actually highly illegal to give legal advice to anyone without being an attorney in good standing with the Bar.
Just thought I’d pass it along. I emailed the poster and flagged the ad as well.
What Brandon said.
It’s a constant battle between wanting to spend as much good time as possible with the kids and writing. We also co-homeschool our older child, and I’m distracted even when my husband is teaching (he keeps winding up back at the computer for 45 minutes on end while our son is petting the cats and generally doing bupkus).
Also distracting:
this blog
clutter and dirty clothes
my husband, with whom I share an office
details of daily life (setting up summer camp, vacations, dentists)
marketing. I don’t REALLY need to spend that much time reading through want ads every single day!!
Lisa
I don’t have a problem with distractions. I have an agenda, and I always get it done. But I also don’t just sit here and go balls-out all day long. Usually I’ll work for an hour, then take a 15 min break, then work another hour, take another 15, so on and so forth.
My work day is spread out over the course of the entire day, lately. It all depends on the project I have underway. Normally I get up, do my morning stuff, then write for an hour while I’m drinking my pot of coffee. Then I take a break to make myself a small breakfast, work for another hour, then I break to do my morning workout and shower, which takes about an hour. Then I do another hour’s worth of work, which usually wraps up my daily quota by noonish.
Then in the afternoon I do whatever I want. We walk to the park every day, head to the market every 2-3 days (we make sure to only buy fresh produce and small quantities of everything so we don’t waste), and we also watch several shows, read books, I work on my fiction writing, blogging, forum-whoring, etc.
We’ll see how July and August work out. I’ve been working part-time since December, with my highest work-load being the last week of May, when I bumped up to 5 hour days from 3. I just recently requested full-time work from my content provider, and my only goals for July and August are to work as many hours/articles as I possibly can in a month, with a minimum of 6-7 hours a day, and see how much money I can make in 2 months. I’m hoping I can break 8k, but we’ll see. It looks like it will work on paper, and the clients have the work lined up for me, so I think it will work out well.
My wife works 5-6 hour days at her job, so it’s perfect for me. I just do my work while she’s out. Then when she gets off, we do our walk, our shopping, then she gets home and we do a bit of crafting, cooking, gaming (LOTRO atm), and whatever else.
Hi,
Thanks for the job leads Deb. I appreciate all your work and this website very much!
As I am currently living in a different country to all my friends and family, my biggest distraction is chatting online . . . constantly! I also try the reward system, but unfortunately I will quite often reward myself the wrong way around, telling myself “just one more chat/game/tv show/etc and THEN I’ll do my work”. I don’t call it prochristination for nothing!