As a freelancer to solve the problem a reasonable balance of life and work?

As attentive readers may remember "Layfhakera" I worked in the editorial staff of a large Ukrainian project on Internet business, and 80% of my work tasks has been associated with a team. In the summer of 2012 due to health problems, I left the project, leaving from November only freelancing as a tool of earnings. And here felt that the problem of procrastination during working hours and shift deadlines - indeed one of the major "evils" in my work. About a month I went to the construction of the optimal scheme to overcome the "lost time." I want to share the problems you found ways to combat the "creative crisis" and adaptations.

1. Start with planning paper. I really wanted to master the art paperless planning, conduct all the notes in the applications and programs... but it did not work out. If you are a long time enjoyed a unified system, "sharpened" under the command job, and then start to work for yourself, the first impulse - is to grasp at all the available tools and systems has not really determine how many projects you have and what kind of tasks they will have to track. To avoid confusion, take a blank sheet of A4, write on it all your existing customers / projects you are working with. Then write out each project range of tasks for the month and the expected cost of the time / income for each task / project. As soon as you will get a clear sight structure the relationship, it will be possible this structure to "transfer" in the format of electronic systems, "napominalok" and online planning tools (although I personally still bought a paper diary for 2013 th year, because initial plans and daily tasks easier for me written down on paper).
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2. Break the all time into segments of 25-30 minutes. I will not be back to tell you about the "tomato" planning (it 'Layfhaker "have already written quite a lot). Machinery division of the working day on 2 large and 3 small tasks, each of which is given not less than 2 segments for half an hour with breaks, really works. Moreover, for the sake of interest, I just put a stopwatch and while working on tasks throughout the day celebrated each time, how much time passed until I felt the slight fatigue and spontaneous desire to see the mail or visit the Twitter. Guess how much time passed since the start of work on a task to the desire to "switch"? That's right: 32 to 39 minutes. Draw your own conclusions.
3. Isolate itself from first messengers to 4 hours of. The first week in this mode is completed - and I am more than happy with the result. Scheduled tasks are performed on the day for the first 2 hours, followed by the smaller sub-problems and solutions to current issues. And no one distracts you "sudden idea" in the morning and "urgent matter" (which in 80% of cases will absolutely not urgent).
4. 1 Find the best mobile application for tracking time spent. To see where exactly you are wasting your time and what costs can be reduced. I tried to use the same "desktop" timers, and plug-ins for your browser, but it turned out to be the most convenient mobile Time Tracker: with it you can make a list of tasks being tracked even daily household affairs to notice where exactly are you wasting time. A specific tracker I will not recommend: mobile application stores a lot of them and everyone - for specific purposes. I now use Activitime for iPhone.
5. Use CRM for contacts and deals. Earlier this cope-mail, but now I see that the search through mountains of emails not enough for me. In one project, which is now consult assumed extensive work with the customer base. Keep all emails in inbox, negotiations - in the head, and the transaction - in notebooks and correspondence - is not the best way to monitor the financial performance of the project itself, and your personal performance in this project. Now I'm testing capabilities Base CRM to address these problems.
6. Set up alarms, timers, reminders, not just for work tasks. I and during the drafting process there was a problem of "immersion": it is when you're so passionate about performing a task or solution to the problem that for 3-4 hours does not get up from the chair, forgetting to eat, move, or at least for 10 minutes to rest your eyes and back. Result? Physical inactivity and associated extremely bad consequences for your back, eyes, hands, heart, pressure, stomach. By the way, some of these unfortunate consequences, I fully felt the last year. Now, to get out of this situation, I set the timers with reminders like "do 10 sit-ups," "go out for a walk at 1:00", "move at least 15 minutes." Sounds serious, but it helps not only to arrange short breaks between tasks (remember, above Council was about 25-30 minutes?), but also constantly changing types akivnosti without sinking into operation in abyss.
7. Get a desktop / wall calendar with fields for records. Remember "Bruce Almighty"? When he wanted to write all wishes on stickers Earthlings, it turned out to be plastered with stickers and all his house, and he did. Usually it is necessary to make the important 1-2 record for each day, for that grab a piece of paper / sticker / unlock service notes / Application notes / calendar... then everything is mixed together, something is lost, somewhere you forgot to put a reminder. Calendar hanging above the desk / on the wall of your office or room (as in my case) - the perfect solution to record important task exactly on the day when they should be performed. Even if they occurred spontaneously in correspondence or during a phone call.
8. Give up the multitasking. Multitasking - the most deadly and harmful myth that I personally was worth the plurality of power and led to the incessant stress, I even became worse sleep, because I was all the time interfered with the thought of how to properly / effectively solve the "that's the problem for the site" or better to write "here is the text." Do the tasks sequentially, it is not necessary to keep open just 4 window with texts and tasks you are working on at the same time. Do less, but better and more efficiently. Previously, in addition to the basic work I undertook for another set of third-party projects, try to get more for a minimum period, "broke up" their working day up to 10 hours (since 2009 I have been working remotely, allowing me to take on many projects at once and still operate efficiently and profitably - as I it seemed). Now the task is executed consecutively, the working day I have less than 5 hours, and the number of projects I cut in favor of the free time allotted to rest (but more on that below).
9. Work with customers / companies to acceptable conditions for themselves. "The chief is always right" + "customer is always right" - this formula come up with clever corporate "uncles and aunts" to squeeze the most out of their employees. Later, this same formula for some reason, small businesses have learned - and now we are ready to work "stronger, higher-faster" settle for sunken deadlines, underpaid wages, depressed prices, the lack of a fixed retainer and life as a such. Six years I have in one way or another made a living freelancing that taught me (at the cost of his own trial and error) a number of mandatory rules. Among them: Do not operate with the exchanges of freelancing; always listen to recommendations from previous partners / customers and to the company's reputation in the market ( "word of mouth" in 90% of cases does not lie). Always include specified financial expectations, working hours, payment scheme and the process of organizing your employment relationship (especially - if you are working with lots of different projects). And not to "BUY" award (applies not only freelancers, but also "the contract"): lack of sleep, lack of exercise and hidden stress is not worth any money (the philosophy of «Live fast, die young» Me by example once stopped like).
10. Reward yourself for made. Set a frame of the day, making it smaller than the corporate "8/5." During business hours, work, and do not make the visibility of the case. And in his spare time reward yourself for the perseverance and concentration: take a walk, stay in silence or listen to your favorite music, read fiction and business books, engage in self-education, listen to interesting and informative podcasts, work out, learn cooking (for a long time going, but the time did not exist in principle), treat yourself to something good from the material or spiritual, what you've been yourself denied. Finally - sleep: sleep - it is a reward for your body because it helps you to work.

I myself - only at the beginning of the road to change about their motivation and their health. I really hope that my little tips will be useful to you as a reminder. And if you happen to still have doubts about the need for change and reorganization of your work (again - is not just freelancers) - lo good (but alas, posthumously) opinion on this matter.