Distractions get in the way every day, keeping you from being as productive as you might like. These distractions come in many forms, from ringing doorbells and telephones, to emails and voicemails. It can be a real challenge to stay focused!
 
How do you go about disregarding all these disturbances to get any work done? It can be tough, but there are ways to reduce the interruptions.
 
Here are some strategies you can use to control your distractions:
 
Telephone Distractions 
Unless you're expecting an important call, turn off your ringers and direct your calls to voicemail. Then only check your voicemail once or twice a day.
Return the calls you must, but if you can reply via email, that's even better. When you send an email reply, you can keep the conversation succinct.  

Email Interruptions 
Unsubscribe from email lists you don't need and set up separate email accounts for business and pleasure. This way, when you're trying to work, you don't find yourself bombarded with jokes, videos, party invites, or Facebook messages.
Reduce the frequency emails are delivered to your inbox or set your email so you only receive emails when you go in and manually retrieve them in batches.  

The Internet Time Drain 
If you don't need the internet for your work, stay away from it. You'll save yourself a lot of wasted time.
Fully close web browsers so you eliminate the temptation to surf online.  

Co-Workers 
If you find that co-workers annoy you, try wearing headphones while you work to give the illusion you can't hear them. It might sound silly, but it eliminates being subjected to endless babble.
Another option is to post a Do Not Disturb sign outside of your workspace. Hopefully, your co-workers will know that you mean business and honor it.  

Work Space Clutter 
Get rid of any visual clutter - it's distracting and kills productivity. Seeing unfinished projects or pending work can cause unnecessary stress. This stress can have negative results, like making you unable to focus on the task at hand.
Put everything you don't need for your current project into a drawer or box out of sight if you have to. You can always sort it out carefully when you're less busy.  
The same should be said for computer clutter. Eliminate unneeded computer programs and icons to make your computer more efficient. The quicker you're able to find the file you need, the faster you'll be able to get back on track.  

Work-At-Home Distractions 
If you work from home, make sure friends and family respect the fact that you're truly working just like anyone who goes into an office. Some people may have a difficult time understanding this concept, but they'll comply if you explain it.
​Avoid doing household chores during your work time. Train your mind to think about these tasks when your work is finished.  
When distractions do arise, whether at home or at the office, make notes and deal with them at an appropriate time at the end of the day. If someone pops by to chat, stand up to let them know your chatting time is limited. Don't allow them to sit or get cozy.
 
Of course, you still need to set aside time to handle these distractions. You don't want to be so restrictive on yourself that you burn out. After all, everyone benefits from a little guilt-free downtime! It's okay to let your mind wander, browse the web, or do whatever appeals to you, just make sure it doesn't creep into your work time.
 
Follow these tips every day to make effective use of your time and energy. When you eliminate distractions, you'll find that you can get more done in half the time! 

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There are many reasons we procrastinate. One of the main reasons is that the task at hand seems too overwhelming or difficult. It's only a matter of getting started, but if a task seems too big and overwhelming, you don't know where to start. 
The way out of this situation is to break the task down into smaller pieces. This allows you to see that it's a process and it shows you exactly where you need to start first.

Milestones and Deadlines
In every big task, there are many milestones and deadlines. These can be further broken down into tasks that are achievable daily. With most big tasks, these small milestones need to be done in a certain order. This makes it easy for you because you can see the individual steps. Try to identify milestones and deadlines within the big tasks you have to tackle, and then break the big tasks down.

Cut Smaller
What if you break down a big task into smaller ones and you still can't get started? Again, you may be procrastinating because your small tasks aren't small enough. This means you need to break them down further. You really can't break down tasks too small. If a task is something that takes only a few minutes to do, you'll find it much easier to avoid procrastinating and get it done.

A Few Minutes of Your Time
If you're still having trouble getting started, try setting time limits. Even the biggest procrastinator on earth can take five minutes out of their day to work on a project. No matter how overwhelming or intimidating the project is, working on it for only five minutes is easy. It's much easier to work on a large-scale project when there's a time limit where you stop and work on other tasks.

Avoid Over-Planning
When you see how easy it is to break down big projects into small tasks, it's tempting to create a detailed plan with all the steps involved and a timeline for getting it done. Creating a detailed plan may help, but it may also hurt. You need to be flexible because at the beginning of a project there's no way to account for all the variables and things that may change along the way. 

If you like to plan, make a detailed plan for the first few steps or tasks, and start working on those tasks. Plan for the next few tasks only as you move forward on the project. This gives you flexibility in case you need to make changes. Over-planning can be another form of procrastination!

When you set priorities, there are often outside factors involved. You may need help or resources in order to get tasks completed or move them forward. These outside factors may influence the level of priority that you give to certain tasks, so they need to be taken into account.

For example, imagine that you're an independent consultant. You have one job due in two days and one job due in one week. It makes sense to make the two-days job your first priority. But for the one-week job, you need the client's approval on something before you can move forward. In this case, you may want to make getting that client's approval a higher priority than the two-day job.
Or imagine that there's one part of the job where you need help. You have to hire an assistant to complete a specialized task. Since it takes time for you to assign this task to the assistant and then wait for the deliverables, you should bump this task up on your list of things to do.

Adjusting Your Priorities
Before prioritizing your list of things to do, you should consider what kinds of outside help you need for each and take this into account. You can then move your priorities accordingly. 
If it helps, write down the reason why a certain item is moved to the top of the list. Write down the action you're waiting for (response from the client, deliverable from your hired help) and a note to move the item back down the list when this step is completed.

Breaking Down Each Step
One simple way to handle this is to take each job and break it down into smaller steps. For example, sending the deliverables for the client's approval would be a task and be assigned a deadline, just like any other job. So, while the job's deadline is two weeks, the deadline for getting the client's approval might be three days.
For each job, sit down and identify any outside help you need and break the job up into phases. Then, set a deadline for each phase in addition to the overall job itself. Deadlines might include:

• Invoicing clients
• Waiting for approval
• Important communications that need to be made
• Resources that need to be gathered
• Research that needs to be done before you can start (for example, what software program to buy)

If you don't take these factors into account and include them in your plan, you may be stuck with having to do them at the last minute. Since outside factors are to some extent out of your control, this can push your overall deadline back and cause problems. For this reason, it's important to be flexible with your list of things to do and move priorities when necessary.

In his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey identifies two types of tasks - proactive and reactive. The difference between these types of tasks, he says, is crucial to how we set priorities. In order to run a business or organization smoothly, you need a mix of proactive and reactive tasks in your daily list of things to do.

Proactive Tasks
Proactive tasks are those that relate to the big picture. These are things that don't bring immediate results but rather long-term benefits, such as seeking out business opportunities, offering to help a colleague, updating your website, or posting content for backlinks. These are tasks you do regardless of outside circumstances or pressures.

Reactive Tasks
Reactive tasks are regular or routine tasks that need to be done. They're necessary for the smooth and efficient running of your business. They may be things you do for clients or customers. They don't bring long-term results, but they get the routine work done.
To state it as simply as possible, proactive tasks are those you want to do. Reactive tasks are those that other people want you to do, or that your business requires you to do. Reactive tasks come from outside of you.

Why It Matters
The reason it's important to consider proactive vs. reactive tasks is that both are needed. You need the long-term benefits proactive tasks bring as well as the reactive tasks' daily running of your operations. But when we get busy, the proactive tasks often get forgotten, and then their long-term benefits disappear.
Unlike reactive tasks, there are no negative consequences to not completing proactive tasks (at least not now). If you don't seek out any new business opportunities this week, you're not going to have an angry client or any other immediate problems as a result. Proactive tasks are easy to procrastinate because they don't feel urgent. They also require more critical thinking, which may make them challenging.

Getting It All Done
When we make prioritized lists, we often list items based on urgency or negative consequences. Tasks that are urgent or that will cause negative consequences if not done usually go at the top. But since proactive tasks don't fit this category, they often get forgotten.
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So, it's important to identify which tasks are proactive and which are reactive, and to make sure the proactive tasks are in your daily to-do lists. No matter how urgent certain tasks are, make sure that you devote some time each day to things that bring you long-term results.

Once you start setting priorities successfully, you'll see how helpful it is. You may even find that you have fun with it. But there might be a temptation to go list crazy and over-organize, setting too many priorities and making it impossible for yourself to get everything done.
In terms of big goals and major priorities, you can really only have a handful at one time. It's impossible to have everything at number one. You need to be careful about how many priorities you set and here are some ideas for doing that.

How Long Should Your List Be?
How long should your list of priorities be? This is hard to answer because it differs from one person to another. It depends on how much time you have and how good you are at managing your time. 
The best way to discover your own ideal number of priorities is to make a plan, follow it, and then see how it goes. Create a system for setting priorities and start using it to generate your daily to-do lists, and then put it into action. You'll know quickly whether you have too much on your plate, or whether there's room for more. 

Don't Get Over-Complicated
If you're using a complicated prioritizing system where you have categories like A1 or C4 for your tasks, you're definitely making things too difficult for yourself. Your system for prioritizing should be simple. There are many approaches such as ranking, rating and classifying, but whatever approach you choose should be quick and easy to implement. It should take you only minutes each day to plug in your to-do list items and prioritize. 

The Task That Never Goes Away
One easy way to see if you have too many things to do is if there's one item at the bottom that never goes away. If each day the same task is sitting on the bottom of your list un-crossed off, this is a sign that you have one too many.

Trim Your To-Do's
In a perfect world under perfect conditions, you'd get everything on your list done each day. But unfortunately, that's not the way it goes. This is why you should try whenever possible to trim your list. Don't just cut willy-nilly. For each item, ask yourself whether: 

• It really needs to get done
• There might be someone else who can do it for you
• You can automate the task somehow so you don't have to actually do it each day

If tasks really need to get done but you're struggling to accomplish them, never be afraid to ask for help. You don't have to do everything on your own.

What's the first thing you do each day when you sit down at your desk and get started? They say it matters because it sets the whole tone of your day. 'They' means productivity experts, freelancers, online entrepreneurs and other solo workers who need to make each minute count. Among them, it's a bit of common wisdom. 
Like setting priorities and managing time, this is something you should consider because by thinking about it, you can take control of it. What is the right way to get started? It differs from one person to another, but here are some ideas culled from the experts.

Communicating Time 
Many decide to start the day by checking email. They make the first few minutes at their desk communication time. This is useful because it helps you decide which tasks need to be done today and which are most urgent, but it can also become a time-waster that makes your whole day run late. Two ways to avoid this are to:

•  Deal with only communications that are work-related. Ignore personal emails for now or create a separate business email account if you don't already have one. 
• Save replies for later. When you check your email, you don't necessarily have to reply. Short replies are okay, but if you have a lengthy message you have to write, make this one of your daily tasks and prioritize accordingly.

It's probably best to stay off social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, even though those are communication channels. Since these can be distracting, it's better to create a separate social media time during your day.

Your List of Things to Do 
It makes sense to create a list of things to do and prioritize this list first. But that's not always the best approach. You may find it easier to sit down at the end of each day and create the next day's list of things to do. This way, you can get started on your list of tasks first thing, rather than have to create it.

Create a Starting Work Ritual 
As you sit down to work, you may want to create a ritual that gets you into the zone to be productive. Some freelancers call this 'preparing for battle.' The goal is to get you into the mindset for work. You can do this through meditation, music, a review of your work goals, a review of yesterday's achievements or anything else you think would motivate you and get you into the proper mood.
 
Give some thought to how you start your work day and ask yourself if there's anything you can do to make it smoother and more productive for you.

A bullet journal is a great way to stay productive at work, at home, or in school. Just about anyone can benefit from bullet journaling from college students to busy working moms. If you feel like you don’t have enough hours in the day to get everything done you want to accomplish, use a bullet journal to help you plan and prioritize

The Bullet Journal Makes You Plan Ahead 
As you make out your daily tasks lists, you have to think about what you should be working on. This makes you plan ahead and think things through instead of sitting at your desk doing busy work. A little bit of planning can help you make progress that much faster and it will boost your overall productivity. If you find daily to-do lists helpful, give bullet journaling a try as a way to get even more productive faster. 
Some people find it helpful to make out their next day’s task list at the end of the day. Others prefer to make out their list first thing in the morning, while they are drinking coffee and getting ready for the day. Both are valid approaches. Give both a try and see what works for you. 

The Bullet Journal Motivates You To Get Stuff Done 
Once you have your daily tasks recorded, you’ll be motivated to work on checking them off. This will greatly increase your productivity in several different ways. The first is that you know exactly what you should be working on. You won’t waste time figuring out what your next step is, or sit there and watch cat videos instead of doing something productive. 
The daily list of tasks will also make you push just a little harder to make sure everything gets done before you call it a day. Try it and see how much more you can get done in a day with a daily list in your bullet journal. 

The Bullet Journal Is A Great Record To Help You Reflect 
Last but not least, the bullet journal is a great record of what you’ve been doing on a daily basis. Set aside a little time to look through your notes at the end of the week or the month. Reflect on what’s working and what isn’t. Where do you need to work harder, what can you stop doing. Use the record your bullet journal gives you to improve your processes and tasks. It will make you better at your job, in school, and at home. Use it as a personal and professional improvement tool. 

Solopreneurs and small business owners are unique in that they don't have to answer to anyone for their time except the occasional hourly client. This gives you plenty of freedom and allows you to live your life on your own schedule. If you want to take a day off in the middle of the week, you can. If you want to spend a few hours at your favorite store, like Target or only work half a day so you can take your child to the dentist, you don’t have to ask anyone’s permission. You can simply go.
While this type of work freedom is exciting and enjoyable, it has a down side, too. It can be easier to procrastinate because no one’s looking over your shoulder, making sure you’re still on track with your projects.
If you’re prone to procrastination and you work as a solopreneur, you may need an accountability partner. By working together, you can keep each other focused and productive. Plus, an accountability partner will understand what it’s like to run an online business so you also have a business advisor you can turn to. But you shouldn’t just pick just anyone to be your accountability partner. There are certain things you want in a partner that you should keep in mind.

Work with someone that feels like a friend.
If you don’t like the other person, you’re not likely to make your partnership last very long. You need someone that you could be friends with. Maybe you’re both work at home mothers. Maybe you’re both committed to leveling up your businesses in the next year. Maybe you both have the same wacky sense of humor or the same taste in fabulous shoes. It doesn’t matter what bonds you. It just matters that you enjoy hanging out with your accountability partner.

Pick someone positive.
Your attitude affects every area of your life, including your business. If you choose accountability partner that always focuses on the negative, your own attitude will become negative, too. As a result, you’ll embrace a mindset that will prevent you from reaching the success you want.
When you’ve finished a conversation with one of your accountability partners, you should feel uplifted and encouraged. Obviously, not everyone can be positive all the time. But if you notice that more than 20% of your conversations are negative, then you may want to bring this up during your next meeting. If your accountability partner isn’t willing to stop the negativity, you may want to keep an eye out for someone more uplifting.

Choose someone you trust.
A big part of being accountability partners is sharing your hopes and dreams. That’s why you want to find someone that you trust and that believes in you. You don’t want to discover that your accountability partner has been talking about your business behind your back or find out she’s decided to use that awesome idea you shared in confidence.

Follow up regularly.
An accountability partnership will only help you if you commit to it. You and your partner should be following up with each other every week or every other week. It doesn’t matter if you opt to meet on Skype or if you have coffee together in person. The important thing is that you and your partner are intentional about meeting up.
Keep in mind that a partnership goes both ways. While you want to find someone that will support you, you also need to choose a partner that you believe in and are willing to support, even in the tough stuff. 

Find yourself procrastinating? Join our private Improving Every Day Facebook Group for daily tips, support and resources, including a FREE Beating Procrastination Workbook! 

Sometimes, procrastination is caused because your business isn’t organized. You put off starting a task because you can’t find the materials you need or you aren’t sure when that appointment was scheduled or when your next invoice is due to be sent.
As a solopreneur and small business owner, you may struggle to be organized. You spend the day spent bouncing from task to task with no billable hours completed. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can get organized with your projects so you spend more time growing your business and serving your community. Here are four quick tips to help cull the chaos and create systems that help you manage procrastination:
Store Your Ideas
You had an idea for your next Kindle book or discovered a topic you were fired up to share with your community. The only problem is you lost your note because you didn’t have a way to store it and easily find it again.
I use a program on my phone called OmniFocus. This is not the cheapest app you can get, but for me it is worth the price. You can email yourself items to add to your “to do” list, separate ideas into contexts or projects, and can even set a reminder to take action when you are near a location.

Make It Easy to Book Appointments
If you offer services for clients, then you need a simple way to book appointments. Otherwise, you’ll spend a lot of time going back and forth over email or chat, trying to find a time that works for both your client and you.
Instead, create a calendar with free time periods on it through a service like SimplyBook.me or YouCanBook.me. Clients can look at your schedule and see what appointment times that they’d like to book. You’ll get an email sent to you when anyone books time with you, so you don’t have to worry about missing important client meetings. 
Check out my online booking tool to get an idea of how this works on YouCanBook.me. 

Opt for a Project Management System
Project management systems can be useful if you're collaborating on a product with another solopreneur. You may also want to use one if you provide services for your clients. Use Trello or Asana to set up deadlines, assign tasks, check in on your project status, and share files as needed. 

Don’t Miss Follow Up Opportunities
Not following up with an affiliate or business partner can cause you to lose out on valuable opportunities. If you’d like to approach another solopreneur about creating a joint venture in a few months, go ahead and put a reminder on your calendar.
You can do the same with clients that you’d like to work with again. Simply put their name on your calendar so you remember to reach out to them again. If possible, have a digital reminder sent to your email so you know when it’s time to follow up.
Pay attention to the tasks that you tend to procrastinate on. Then look for apps and websites that can complete the task for you quickly and easily.
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Find yourself procrastinating? Join our private Improving Every Day Facebook Group for daily tips, support and resources, including a FREE Beating Procrastination Workbook! 

There are many reasons solopreneurs and business owners procrastinate. It could be due to perfectionism, overwhelm, or problems prioritizing. The key to overcoming procrastination is learning what your procrastination style is and how to deal with it. Once you’re armed with this information, you’ll find it easier to defeat procrastination and get back on track.

It’s Time to Put Down the Cape, Super Woman (or Super Man)
It would be an understatement to say you have a lot on your plate. You have so much to do that your plate is overflowing with tasks. Your to do lists are usually a mile long. You’re always in motion, bouncing between projects and deadlines. You take on too much and usually, you don’t realize that until it’s too late. You may procrastinate by avoiding your to do list or working on tasks that are necessary but in the long run, won’t make you money.
Your Struggle Is: Refusing to Delegate.
Take a deep breath and take a critical look at your to do list right now. Ask yourself what tasks are ones that only you can do, like coaching your clients or creating your new service package. But if a task doesn’t require your attention, consider delegating it. You can delegate by hiring a virtual assistant or taking on an intern that’s interested in your niche.

Stop Being a Perfectionist with Your Projects
Not only do you feel the pressure to get everything done on your to do list, you also feel pressure to have it done perfectly. You hate doing anything that you don’t deem your best work and you’re continually finding flaws in the finished project. You may procrastinate by telling yourself you’ll release your coaching program after you’ve polished your copy one last time or gotten two more testimonials.
Your Struggle Is: Failing to Launch.
Launching a new product or service is scary. You may find it helps to hire a coach that will encourage you to launch version 1.0 and upgrade your offering later on. You could also try setting a public deadline. Let the world know when they can expect your product and stick to that date, no matter what.

Being A People Pleaser Means Your Needs Are Ignored
Whenever someone presents you with a new idea or project, you jump on it. You’re enthusiastic and you love getting to say, “Yes”. The problem is if you say, “Yes” to everything, you end up saying, “No” to important things. You may procrastinate by taking on someone else’s workload instead of tackling your own. You tell yourself you’ll work on growing your business as soon as you finish this marketing task for a client.
Your Struggle Is: Failing to Prioritize.
You put others’ needs and wants before your own. In some cases, this is admirable and it comes from a good place. But if you want to succeed with your business, you have to become ruthless and willing to cut projects and clients that aren’t right for you. Stop trying to fit your work around everyone else’s needs. Instead, do your work first and if you have extra time and energy, you can invest in helping someone else.
Procrastination is not a diagnosis. Rather, it’s a symptom of something else that you need to address. Once you understand the root cause of your procrastination, you can begin to beat it and get back to being productive.

Find yourself procrastinating? Join our private Improving Every Day Facebook Group for daily tips, support and resources, including a FREE Beating Procrastination Worksheet!