Working as a freelance translator or, as many of us have had to recently for all too obvious reasons, from home, can have its challenges. There are always other things that seem to be much more interesting than finishing translating that instruction manual for vacuum cleaners.
Here are some tips to overcome that urge to spring clean your whole wardrobe or finally keep up your correspondence. First of all, it is very important that your desk(top) and work area are tidy and clean. Make sure to remove all temptations such as phones and clutter and close these tabs. If you are into plants, you can also put one on your desk to visually brighten up your workspace.
Once you have eliminated these external distractions, move onto core strategies. You should figure out when you are the most productive: there is no point in trying to get that text done by midnight if you are a morning person. Set yourself daily goals and be consequent about it. If you did not meet your 500-word target, don’t curl up in front of your favourite TV show tonight. And do check out popular time-management techniques. The Pomodoro technique for example does not only have a cute name reminiscent of Pokémon but also allows you to work in small 25-minute chunks and reward yourself with 5 to 15-minute breaks. Take this time to rest your eyes from the screen and get yourself a well-deserved snack or a nice cuppa.