3 Ways to Get The Job Done

by Monika Mundell @ The Writers Manifesto

When we commit to working on a job, we are often limited by deadlines and outside distractions. As a freelance writer on the mission to be one of the best freelance writers, I can only blame myself if I don’t get the job done on the due date and it is very tempting and easy to make excuses and kid ourselves.

But before we do this we should be aware that this is also the path of self destruction because if we do it once, we will do it again – over and over. In the end we will only kid ourselves to the extent of possibly loosing a great client.

Therefore it is very important to me to finish each job when it is due. Actually ideally it is to finish before the job is due since I found out after learning from mishaps in the past. Many things can go wrong before we are due to send in our work, including electrical storms that cut the power, normal power cuts, loss of Internet connection or even loss of data on our computer.

I’d like to think that those things don’t normally happen. But with increased business month by month I had to look for ways that are more productive to my work flow and the 3 ways to get the job done is what helps me to just do that:

• When I write I normally try to keep the days separated for each client. I find it much easier to focus and work productive plus this leaves me enough time to get all my blogs updated and my niche sites worked on.I work much better if I write about travel today, real estate tomorrow, SEO the day after and so on.With the amount of writing I do daily I need to focus on the topic, especially if it involves research and by separating those topics (clients) into different days I get much more done in the week.
• These days I couldn’t function without a diary. Therefore I need one to get the job done. I use a simple two pages to a week diary because it lets me see the week ahead in a glance without having to turn lots of pages (there is nothing like saving time when you are busy). In there I write my clients deadlines which will help me to stay on track.I also use the incorporated expense sheet to write down my earnings and expenses. This gives me an updated overview at where I’m at and whether I need to apply for more work to get more money. (I haven’t had to do this for the last two month, which is great)
• Concentration is another important part of the equation when I write. With two birds and a husband that needs attention it can sometimes be quite challenging to stay focused. I’m sure you agree if you have kids too. When I write I normally put on some soothing or upbeat music and I find this relaxes me immensely and helps me to concentrate.I also try to incorporate plenty of breaks to get up and move around. I also never finish a days work these days without having roughly planned the next in my head.

A note: I tried writing detailed plans to help me stay on task but have found that I don’t work well with things that are planned into detail. I loose my creativity when I do this so I rather just know what has to be done the next day and focus on that.

These are the three most important things I have to consider to make my writing life a little easier and stay on track.

Are there things you do different to keep deadlines? Perhaps you have a special trick you like to share with me and my readers.