As a freelancer, staying focused may seem like an insurmountable challenge, especially if you’re working in an unstructured environment.

Without the usual boundaries and tight deadlines, it can be challenging to avoid distractions and maintain a sense of productive flow for extended periods. However, the ability to focus is essential if you want to crush your to-do list and drive satisfaction from your work. Thankfully, there are some creative tips you can use to improve your concentration skills without sacrificing work-life balance. Let’s take a closer look at valuable techniques that you can adopt to increase your focus levels as a freelancer.

6 Tips For Freelancers: How to Increase Your Focus While Working

1. Set up a Designated Workspace

Creating a set workspace can have a major impact on your productivity and quality of work. By defining a specific area dedicated to work-related activities, your brain can enter a state of flow, that will allow you to burst through your to-do list way faster. Additionally, an established workspace helps reduce common distractions of home and everyday life. It is optional to have a formal office or expensive furniture set up in this space, although a comfortable desk and chair are a must. Be mindful to keep this workspace clean, neat, and well-organized to ensure maximum benefit and effectiveness. Get a proper desk, beautiful green plants, a lamp that gives of comfortable amounts of light, a cozy chair, and some motivational posters or print-outs. Your workspace should be so good, that you can’t help but fall in love with it, coming back again and again to get your daily fill of feel-good productivity.

2. Organize Your Tasks and Break Them Down

Efficient time management is central to achieving your personal and professional success. Optimal productivity can only be achieved if your tasks are organized and prioritized correctly. Before beginning your day, it’s great to take a few moments to map out the tasks ahead and determine which tasks are most urgent. By ranking your duties in order of importance, you’ll be able to stay focused on achieving your goals and maximizing productivity. To ease the process of task categorization and management, there are helpful tools available like Trello, Asana, Notion, Evernote, or my favorite: Click-Up. These apps boast an array of features, such as setting deadlines, subtasks, and reminders, making task completion easier and more efficient. By using these helpful resources, you’ll be one step closer to maximizing productivity and overall success. Remember: break your project into bite-sized parts and then chew them off one by one.

3. Minimize Distractions

When working from home, it can be challenging to stay focused amidst domestic distractions, such as external noise or household chores. One of the most effective approaches is to eliminate outside noise by investing in a white noise machine or noise-canceling headphones. These devices create a calm and peaceful environment, ideal for concentration and focus. Additionally, it is essential to turn off your cell phone or leave it in another room to avoid temptation and minimize distractions. With a well-organized workspace, minimal distractions, and the right tools, it is possible to achieve optimal productivity levels while working from home. My favorite music app is Brain.fm as it only contains concentration-boosting tracks that help me stay focused. I also put my phone in a designated “phone jar” during my focus sessions so it doesn’t tempt me with its endless stream of mindless distractions.

4. Set a Regular Schedule

As a freelancer, you are fortunate enough to enjoy the autonomy of determining your work schedule. However, embracing this flexibility may make it quite challenging to remain focused and avoid distractions that can interfere with work. That’s why it is crucial to establish a regular schedule that works best for you in managing your workload and striking a healthy balance between work and leisure time. Apart from ensuring optimal productivity through structure and consistency, setting a schedule can also help you optimize your time, prioritize tasks, and stay accountable to yourself and your clients. Indeed, the benefits of setting a schedule far outweigh the ephemeral advantages that come with a lack of routine. My favorite scheduling app is Google Calendar, but there are many other options out there.

5. Take Regular Breaks

The human brain can only clear on a single task for a limited time before it starts losing focus. It’s crucial to return to work rejuvenated by taking regular breaks. Taking a 10-15-minute walk, standing up, stretching, or even just closing your eyes for a minute can help refresh the mind. Breaks also provide an opportunity to recharge your mental batteries, prevent burnout, and increase overall productivity. My personal system is to take a 15-minute break every 60 minutes. I use it for stretching and getting some fresh coffee or matcha tea.

6. Focus on Your Work With Nootropics

As a freelancer, you often face challenges in maintaining focus during your work hours. Amidst various strategies, some individuals have found success in incorporating CBD gummies into their routine. These gummies, infused with the non-psychoactive compound cannabidiol (CBD), are known for their potential to promote relaxation and alleviate stress. Freelancers have to explore personalized methods to enhance concentration, and for some, CBD gummies might offer a natural and effective solution. Of course, it’s important to consult with a healthcare professional before choosing any new supplement to your routine to check it aligns with your specific needs and health conditions. For me, CBD capsules/gummies actually made a big difference. They help me stay calm and get into the zone once I put on my noise-canceling earphones.

Conclusion

Staying focused is essential if you want to meet deadlines, maintain a healthy work-life balance, stay productive, and drive satisfaction from your work. By creating a designated workspace, organizing tasks, minimizing distractions, setting a schedule, and taking regular breaks, you can significantly improve your focus while working. This in turn will help you be more in control of your workload, manage stress, and work smarter instead of harder. It’s time to take charge of your work-life balance by improving your focus and productivity! Next up, you may want to explore a guide on how to focus without music.