Once I started to make them smaller, more bite sized and especially more focused on what needs to get done, it worked. Since then I get 90% of my work done every day and feel great when I go to sleep.

@ Michael: Thank you. You raised a good point. For freelancers like me, clients needs do come first. This is why my list is always populated with my client work before my other long term stuff like building niches,etc.

@ Gustafson: You seem to have your method down pat. It sounds like a great way to keep on top of your schedule. One thing I never managed and never will is working with time slots. Believe me, I tried….and then tried some more…and more again, but nothing.

In the end, we have to find ways to work our schedule with methods that suit our personalities and behavior. Thank you for sharing though. I’m sure some of our readers can take this and run with it.

On a day to day hour by hour basis, I keep a pad of paper handing and I write down the current task. As I am doing that task a few others will pop up and I will add it to the list. When I am done with the current task, I cross it off and move to the next.

The important part of this is that each task is tiny. often a 10 minute activity. Every few days I go over what hasn’t been completed and either add that to the over strategic list or I get rid of it all together. Then I start over on the daily list.

I find this approach works well for me because I feel accomplished at the end of the day when I have 20 or 30 items done. I also get distracted constantly; since my current activity is written down I look to the list as a reminder of what I was working on and jump right back into it instead of trying to spend little chunks of time here and there trying to figure out what to do next.
—Gustafson
http://www.TheViewFromHome.com

Well, it doesn’t matter that you are operating from home, what matters most to your clients’ is the end result. What you can do for them, what solutions you can provide for them so that they can seek your services.

And these things can only be achieved by proper scheduling your day.

Michael Taylor

I think scheduling your day is very important for successfully working from home. Also, to remain productive it’s good to limit the number of times you check your email, and the amount of time you let other distractions from ruining your productivity.