Top Ten Productivity Impediments

I had a really, really hard time being productive last week. No matter how many things I accomplished, it seemed like ten things popped up in their place, much like those troublesome tribbles aboard the Starship Enterprise. Ever one to place the blame on someone’s – anyone’s – shoulders, I did a little searching and found ten primary culprits for productivity loss.

• My Children – This is Freelance Parent, so no one knows better than we how utterly distracting having children at home can be. Whether you’re juggling a baby (poor Lorna), juggling a toddler (poor Tamara), or juggling kids of any age, it is your children’s inborn purpose to see you spend as little time on the computer as possible.

• My Spouse – My husband routinely works a second job to supplement our income and buy himself things like motorcycles and big screen televisions. Although I always sigh over the prospect of once again becoming a single parent, I actually get a lot more work done when he’s not around. The demands of a spouse who is home during the day are actually worse than those of a kid, since you can’t just make him/her take a nap or go play outside.

• Myself – Whether you’re a procrastinator, a follower of the elusive shiny penny, or simply no good at being productive, you are probably your biggest obstacle to success. Because honestly, no matter how much outside circumstances weigh on you, you’re responsible for your own fate.

• My Clutter – Nothing is more distracting to someone working from home than a home that is filled with piles of papers, dust bunnies, and dirty dishes. Most of the time, the clutter is really just a way for you to place your productivity blame elsewhere, but there’s no denying that a substantial mess contributes to general unhappiness and, therefore, loss of productivity.

• My Location – This includes the room in your home as well as your latitude and longitude. Do you work in a room with a door, or on a makeshift space at your dining room table? Do you live where the outdoors beckon, or are you happy simply staying indoors?

• My To-Do List – Because I love to cross things off my to-do list, I typically fill it with little things I know I can accomplish (and things I actually enjoy doing). Updating our company’s finances, sending out invoices, writing a really small article – if it takes less than 15 minutes, it’s on there. However, that doesn’t really do much to knock out the big projects, which is what really makes a difference. At the end of the day, I might have 20 things done but nothing really accomplished.

• My Clients – Some clients simply require more, well, handling than others. They want updates, emails, project agreements, quotes. All that stuff takes time, and it typically gets pushed ahead of all the stuff I should be doing.

• My Blog Reader – Ah, blogs. Information, community, business opportunities, and a whole lot of lost time. Don’t get me wrong – I love to read blogs (and I love that you read ours). However, these can really eat up into your day, especially if you’re already behind.

• My Family and Friends – If your family is anything like mine, they plan the best outings and activities when there is a deadline looming. Either that, or they need some sort of help when you least want to give it. When it comes to family members, it may be hard to say “no” or put them off for work at you know could technically be done another time.

• My Income – One of the least-discussed problems of the feast or famine aspect of freelancing is the lowered motivation when the money is good. If I’ve had a particularly profitable month, I have a hard time putting as much effort into finding more work than I normally would. After all, I’ve already reached my financial goals – so why should I be productive if I don’t absolutely have to?

As you can tell, almost all of these factors boil down to one common denominator: me. Take a look at what’s cutting into your productivity, and you might just find that fixing yourself is all it takes to fix everything else.