How to Stay Focused as a Quarantined Freelance Writer

Staying productive at home and elsewhere as a freelance writer

Hello, fellow quarantined freelance writer.

Or I guess I should say, fellow social-distancing freelance writer. 

Here in Oregon things are starting to open up. 

We’re allowed to go to restaurants as long as social distancing is practiced.

Even the gym and dance classes are allowed as long as everyone keeps their hands to themselves! (Imagine that: first we all relearned how to wash their hands. Now we’ve got the ‘hands to yourself’ thing down too! World, well done, you! Everyone may now graduate from Preschool to Kindergarten. Virtually, of course).

As you can tell from the stylish picture up top (yes, my computer screen is always that dirty), I have been taking advantage of the fact that coffee shops are now open. Can I be very real with you for a moment?: I hated working from home. It really wasn’t my style. However, I did just that for three months as I’m sure many of you freelance writers did or are continuing to do now. 

I survived.

Working from home wasn’t my favorite, but I did it. 

But it did take some adjustment. I hold the firm belief–now more than ever–that a writer’s ‘atmosphere’ is of the utmost importance. The area in which we work affects both our productivity and our motivation to get the job done. 

This article is for you if you’re still working from home or are going out and are not sure what sort of conditions you require for optimal productivity even if you are leaving your house to work. Let me share with you a few of the most helpful tips I discovered while working from home. These not only helped me out when I had little change of scenery, but also have affected the sort of ‘atmosphere’ I create for myself when I go out as well. 

Finish all the chores first before writing

One of the main things people say about working from home is that they get distracted with all of the other things they could be doing. 

In quarantine

This was a big thing for me during quarantine. If I have to work from home, I don’t want to see the cat litter trail my cat just left on the floor every time I look up from my computer. It just bugs me! 

I eliminated this issue while working from home by getting all the chores that were likely to bother me while I was trying to write done before I sat down with my computer. 

Dishes washed? Floor swept? Laundry put away? Check, check, check. Time to work.

Out of quarantine

Things go better for me as a freelance writer if I also apply this distraction-eliminating method while I’m in my favorite coffee shop set on meeting my writing goal for the day. 

Raise your hand if you have ever stopped to check your bank account in the middle of a writing job (or even in the middle of a sentence. Eeek!). Keep your hand raised if you’ve done this more than once. 

Guilty. 

There’s bank accounts, LinkedIn, emails, and countless other little chores that we can easily “justify” stopping our work for. But the truth is that every time you draw your own attention away from a task it takes 23 minutes to get your focus back completely according to The Muse. Think of how much time we waste when we stop to check our emails!

Similar to completing the household chores before hopping onto my computer, I get the odds and ends squared away no matter where I’m working from now. 

Fuel

 I tend to think I can be fine without a proper meal most of the time. Basically, I underestimate the need for nutritious food in order to keep my brain running properly. 

However, food can be a distraction when the fridge is only a few feet away. I’m sure I’m not the only freelance writer out there who noticed this while working from home.

In quarantine

Working from home reiterated the importance of having healthy snacks around me. Planning healthy meals ahead of time was also a good move. This way I was far less likely to eat weird things that did my mental energy very little good. You know that feeling when you’ve eaten crackers, a Lean Cuisine, and some chocolate chips? Yeah, no good. 

Having healthy brain food available was vital for me as it kept me from unnecessary snacking when I just happened to look up and see the fridge, while also keeping me alert in a space that is already a bit difficult for me to concentrate in. 

You thought I was going to forget about coffee, didn’t you? 

Well, I’m not! 

I’m sure most of you have a writing drink of choice as most freelance writers do. Mine is coffee. Iced breve lattes to be precise. They’re fattening, I know, but life is short, right? 

In order to infuse some normalcy (not to mention motivation) into working from home, I took to making sure I was stocked up on espresso pods and coarsely ground beans for cold brew while working from home. 

I don’t know about you, but sitting down with a latte tells my brain “Let’s get to work.”

Out of quarantine

I hate when I head out to a coffee shop, grab my drink, and then sit down to a rumbling stomach. Yup, I skipped breakfast again. 

Once I’m up, I am eager to get the most out of my day and the hours that my coffee shop of choice is open (especially now when all coffee shops have cut their hours due to COVID! Definitely places me on a time-restraint). 

Being eager to get out often means that I skimp on breakfast. 

Not anymore! Taking just a few extra minutes to cook something filling that will keep you from being distracted by your stomach just when you’ve reached peak focus is key. 

Create a writing schedule

I like sleeping in. Due to my late night schedule related to my love of dance, sleeping far past the roosters is very attractive to me. 

Still, I’ve figured this out about myself: I have to start by a certain time or I risk wasting my day. 

Being out of bed by 9am is a good rule of thumb for me. This gives me enough time to eat breakfast, work out, and still get to work before 11am. Just like Cinderella at the ball, my bewitching hour is 12. But it’s 12 noon instead of midnight. Once the clock strikes noon, I inevitably start running from my computer instead of the ball, losing my focus instead of my glass slipper. You get the point–if I don’t start before 12, it’s likely I won’t or I’ll hate myself the entire time I do end up working.

I have found that a dry erase calendar goes a long way in making sure I complete all of my planned tasks for the day. It it far easier to make corrections on than a regular one or a planner. Plus, it’s oh-so-satisfying to check off all of those completed tasks!

In quarantine

I’ll be honest with you: I slacked during the first part of being home bound. I think everyone was a little depressed about the whole situation. 

However, I didn’t realize how much a “quarantine mindset” affected my productivity as a freelance writer until a few weeks down the road. That’s when I knew I needed to step it up and be as structured as I would have been if I weren’t working from home.

I started getting up earlier, made sure to take a shower and get dressed, eat a good, nutritious breakfast, make my coffee, and get going. 

The distractions that inherently come with being at home were still there, but this schedule still did a world of good for my mindset.

Out of quarantine

Keeping a schedule out of quarantine looked much the same as in quarantine except I was leaving the house before the bewitching hour of 12 noon instead of sitting down on my bed to write at that time. No need to repeat it all, eh?

Atmosphere

For me, atmosphere is everything. Maybe it’s because I’m an enneagram 4. If you don’t know what the enneagram is, get with the program and check it out. But don’t do it while you’re supposed to be focused, of course.

Anyway, atmosphere is key for keeping me in a productive zone as a freelance writer. 

In quarantine

So there are ways to get rid of some of the distractions from home. One element that locks me into the ‘now it’s time to write’ mode apart from coffee is music. 

I know, there are going to be people who say ‘gosh, I could never write with music!” What works for you as a freelance writer is going to be different than what works for me. If quiet, a sound machine, or a big ‘ol fan that creates white noise is more your style, have at it. But finding something that sets your focus so that you’re not pulled in by every passing noise can be a great way to make sure you stay productive.

Out of quarantine

Music is key to my productivity when I’m working out of the house as well. Once again, locks in the fact that it’s time to work. Instrumental is generally my style. Interested in some new instrumental music? Have a look at the playlists I’ve compiled on Spotify: Upbeat Instrumental and Writing Mood.

If you’re interested in a few more work from home ideas for freelance writers and others trying to stay productive in house, check out this article by Dream Host. I’ve touched on some of these suggestions (some you’ll see I have a similar opinion on, some not). Like I said, different for everyone, so it’s important to figure out what keeps you productive.

How did the Greats of writing stay productive?

Okay, ready to have a little fun now? Let’s look at a few of the greats who did things in order to produce their notable works?

The points I mentioned above are what worked for me, but as you’ll soon see, this list proves that nothing is off limits as long as it contributes to your productivity. I guess that’s what it proves…. You be the judge. 

It’ll be fun, regardless of what it proves. This peek into the atmospheres and tactics chosen by notable artists is brought to you from the book “Daily Rituals: How Artists Work” by Mason Currey.

Here it goes. Let’s look at a few elements of the method to a few artists’ madness.

Francis Bacon (Painter)

•  Atmosphere: Cluttered. Apparently, “more agreeable interiors stifled his creativity.” Books and art supplies covered the floor along with busted furniture.
• Schedule: Partied all night but always painted first thing in the morning until noon when he would get back to partying hard. 
• Drink of choice: Alcohol, alcohol, and more alcohol
• Food of choice: “multiple rich meals a day.”

Voltaire (Writer and Philosopher) 

• Atmosphere: Worked from his bed. His secretary took dictation.
• Schedule: Worked until noon (there really must be something to that bewitching hour, eh?) at which time he got dressed to accept social visits or continue with his work. 
• Drink of choice: coffee.
• Food of choice: chocolate, no lunch, and dinner (no particulars specified).

Ernest Hemingway (Writer)

• Atmosphere: Wrote standing up with his typewriter sitting atop a short bookshelf. 
• Schedule: Began as soon after morning light as possible even if he drank heavily the night before. Apparently, he never showed signs of a hangover.
• Drink of choice: Alcohol it seems, though there was no mention of consumption while actually writing.

Jane Austen (Writer)

• Atmosphere: Family sitting room where a squeaky door hinge alerted her to anyone entering the room so that she might hide 
• Schedule: Woke before her family to play the piano before seeing to it that breakfast was on the table. Dinner was at 3pm or 4pm and after dinner she would read what she’d written to her family.

Your turn, fellow freelance writer! Let’s spill our productivity secrets.

A couple questions I’d love to hear your answers to: 

1. Do you agree with saving household chores for later or do you focus better once they’re out of the way? 
2. What are some peculiar habits that help you write and why do you think this is? 
3. Have you learned any new tips while working from home during quarantine that have made you more productive?