Oooh, look shiny! Overcoming freelance distractionsÂ

Oooh, look shiny! Overcoming freelance distractions

The key to being a successful anything is focus. You don’t need a blog to tell you how to do that. But how do you find out where the focus should be? And how do you keep it?

You get tough. You build a wall around what you do. You learn the art of saying no.

The idea is to stop confusing urgent with important or mistaking presence for in need of attention.

Social media

How do you have effective social media without falling down the distraction rabbit hole? By working it the way that works for you, that’s how. I am going to share with you my process and it may not work for you, but it may help you get to where you need to.

Stuff that tempts you:

• I capture anything I care about for later. In an excel (not a shiny bookmark)

• As I manage my sites (soon to be 4) and many clients (too many to count), I use initials to let me know what site that is for

• I don’t read it then. I read it on a specific grazing and browsing day – commonly known as scheduling day

• I use a scheduler called Buffer. Community managers hate it when you admit this, but community managers spend their entire time within the realm of community. I don’t and my clients don’t, so it’s about being realistic

• I only read stuff as it goes into the scheduler and I give it 3 lines to blow me away before it’s deleted (unless it’s current news events- that gets read)

The summary:

1. Don’t read stuff as you see it so you know you actually care enough to read it

2. Don’t be afraid to give yourself time to indulge social media while you schedule it to share with your customers

3. Be brutal- there’s plenty of it out there

Stuff on a regular basis:

• I do not have notifications running on my mobile (and neither should you)

• I time box answering comments on my social media in 5 minute lots- morning, lunch, night

But they said I should answer the comments immediately at ZYX seminar!

No one has ever (since 1998) come back on an online forum to complain about the fact I didn’t answer their comment fresh from the oven. Such attention to other people’s social media is for community managers (because it’s their job) and people that don’t have time for a life (or are fans of themselves).

Even abusive users can be managed by not being too proactive. That silence deters them, it stops you from falling prone to reacting and gives you time to think, and your community may even come out in a reasoned defence in the meantime (or shout “don’t feed the troll”).

Choosing social media generally:

• I don’t advocate for using every channel- you should pick maybe 2 and stick to them

• Pick the social media based on two criteria- 1) you like using it and 2) so does your audience

• Investigate new ideas sparingly- it takes a certain type of crowd to switch to a new social media these days and it takes time to get it right (Yes Ello, I am looking at you, you half baked idea)

• Know what social media is up to. For example, GooglePlus isn’t a ghost town, it’s a place you can meet other professionals if you put in time to chat. Facebook isn’t the be all and end all as people are tired of it and tired of the changes and usually give you 3 seconds at the bus stop the once in a blue moon you show up in their feed

• Be strategic. Have a plan behind every comment you leave. It can be to show your knowledge, be a disruptor, bust a myth, make a friend, or whatever. But don’t let it become aimless and don’t let it substitute the human contact you used to get at a workplace

Exercise:

• Switch off notifications from social media for one week. Did it make you feel better?

• Pick your grazing day and start collecting your social media for consumption on your terms

• Pick 2 channels that match your temperament and aims

• Time box your usage and maintenance

• Invest in a scheduler- Buffer is only $12 a month for a beginner plan and is easy to use and completely tax deductible as part of your marketing. You can also use Hootsuite on the free plan (it’s just more complex).

Email

Poor old email gets a really rough trot these days. It really cops a beating. The trick with email is not to let it become instead of work. Use it to unblock things. If what is in your inbox isn’t that important, don’t get sucked in. If however it will fix a problem, get you work or do something positive for your day, don’t ignore it. Use your noodle to decide.

Some ways that really help are:

• Answer money related stuff quickly- but not in full.

“Hi Pete,
Thanks for thinking of me for your next project. I have a deadline today/this week, but I’ll get back to you properly on X day. The short answer is I should be able to help you with what you need.
Cheers,
Me”

OR...

“Hi Pete,
Yes, I can help you with that. I have space from next Tuesday and it’d be roughly $XXX to proceed. I’ll come back with some detailed questions on <day>. Let me know if that suits.
Cheers,
Me”

OR...

“Hi Pete,
Thanks for your new enquiry! To minimise the workload, I put all my proposals together on Mondays. So expect to hear from me then.

If your project is urgent, I recommend giving me a call on <phone>/I recommend a trusted freelance colleague of mine, Mary Jones- send her an email via mary@friend.com and let her know I sent you. Mary will look after you.
Cheers,
Me”

• Group your question stuff. Some clients will keep coming for more and more info. Don’t just answer questions as they come. Give them time to come through with more emails, answer them in a bunch. Take 40 mins out a day (20 in morning, 20 at night) if you can. And don’t be drawn into “is there anything else I can help you with?” email series races

One way to manage that is:
“Hey Jack,
I got your questions about giraffe farming and the right kind of food via email. I am currently in the middle of something and will get back properly when I can.
Considering giraffes weren’t part of the original scope, could you do me a favour and have a think about anything else you’d like to ask? That way, I can answer all your questions in one hit.
Thanks a lot,
Me”

If you need critical thinking time (most writers, designers, film makers etc do), close your email down when you work. It’s an easy way to not be bothered while letting the Inbox earn its keep. If someone is really in need of you, they’ll tweet or call.

Exercise:

• Think about your common emails and see what you can do towards making template responses

• Write those templates- tweak as you go

New ideas

I have some 40 odd journals full of new creative projects and wonderful business ideas. I go through those journals on occasion and pick an idea out to stick on a board to stare at me when I am at the printer.

But I don’t let those little monkeys anywhere near my TO DO LIST or even a MoSCoW entitled anything other than “dreams” until they are remotely cooked.

New ideas should be:

• Captured away from the actual work of the day so as not to drag down what you need to complete

• Kept until you think “what the hell was I thinking?” and throw them away

• Not new things until they are worthy of such attention

Exercise:

• Set up a safe capture place for new ideas away from your TO DO list

• Schedule a 3 or 6 month review of these ideas

• Clear out what is no longer useful

Networking and coffee meetings

I’m a firm believer in escaping meetings wherever possible. I feel the same about networking. Networking doesn’t really work because everyone is in “sell mode” when they network. You want the guys in “buy mode”.

Choose wisely.

How do you assess a worthwhile networking opportunity?

• Charge it at your work rate

• See how many leads you get

• See how much work those leads give you in 3 months

• Does it cover the cost of you going?

Friends, people, freelancers and phone calls

The hardest person to say no to is your partner, friend or new freelance BFF. They really know how to distract. But you need to teach them good habits. Here’s how:

• Have your desk away from the rest of the everyday life. This demarcation not only helps you not get distracted, it also stops work feel like it lives in the house

• Explain you are working, that you need to get something done- and stick to it

• Have a time-out that coincides with them coming home. If it’s partner or kids, it’s OK to take a half hour break and then push them into chores, homework or relaxing without you to reconvene an hour later. This is what Brook McCarthy calls ‘building resilience’ in her kids and partner. She’s not Mum until she has time to be Mum properly

• Don’t take calls at any hour. Let them leave a voice mail. When you speak to them, let them know you are busy and if appropriate, when a better time to catch you in future is

• If you’re lonely, go co-work. Invite a freelancer over to work side by side. But try to avoid the non-scheduled call. It’s tantalising but ultimately a time waster.

Exercise:

• Critically review your current regular meetings and past networking opportunities

• Attach a dollar figure to them

• Are they paying for themselves? Are they profitable? Get rid of the ones that are not

Overall

Some days, you’ll find it hard to work and you’ll need to push yourself to the desk. Some days are a complete write off that you can’t fight.

Picking your battles wisely works. Push yourself with small wins on days where social media, ideas, emails and people all look so tempting. If you are finding yourself on social media more and more, go take a break. Try and push back.
If you’re completely useless, it’s OK to give yourself a lazy day and just do admin or forget all about it. You won’t get as many public holidays and sick days as you used to, so this makes up for it in some small way.

But just remember, everyday you decide to lolly-gag, the next day could very well be harder still to get back into the groove. Don’t make excuses with yourself.