Work freelance? Here’s how to say, “I’m working, GO AWAY!”

Time to read: 2 minutes

Freelance digital marketing pro, Simona Cotta Ramusino advises managing interruptions when you work from home.

Nothing to see here, folks! Just someone trying to work for a living…

Before working freelance, I spent over 10 years in various PR agencies where timekeeping was essential.

You often had to juggle:

• More than one client at once
• More than one task a day
• A certain amount of hours each day

I have always prided myself on being a good timekeeper, able to multi-task and deliver work on time. But things changed a little bit when I took the plunge into freelancing, not through any fault of mine!

I want to share this with you – freelancers and freelancers-to-be – because you will experience this, particularly at the beginning of your new career.

People don’t realise freelance work is real work

Time management as a freelancer becomes more difficult because people (mainly friends and family) don’t think you’re working. They don’t really know what you do, just that you’re at the computer for a couple of hours in between housework, food shopping, or the gym.

Sound familiar? This misconception leads them to ask if you can grab a coffee in the afternoon, babysit, or call in for a mid-morning chat.

So, although I may have a strict work routine to be at my desk at 9.00, have a lunch break, and be finished at 18.00, other people don’t. That’s how my time management goes out of the window, and ‘external sources’ disrupt my day.

Because they are family or friends, it’s hard to say, “I’m working, go away” without sounding rude. But you have to. The sooner you do, the better. And stick to it. You will be resented for a while, but it will be your saving grace in the long run.

What if your partner works from home, too?

I have the added challenge that my husband also often works from home. I must admit that we had a few ‘discussions’ when I started freelancing. We’ve now got to a stage where we close our office door if we don’t want to be disturbed.

I know we both mean well when we interrupt each other, but I don’t want to spend an hour on the same sentence when I am writing something and get interrupted many times (“What do you want for lunch?” “When do you want lunch?” “What should we do for dinner?”…etc.).

One could say that if you were in an office, you would get interrupted anyway. However, a colleague wouldn’t come near you if they saw you madly typing on your laptop. If they did, you can ask them to return later, and they wouldn’t think that was rude. And so should your family and friends.

So, I advise treating your freelance work time as if you were in an office. Be diligent and respectful with your time; your family and friends will be too. Whether you work from 7.00 to 15.00, 10.00 to 18.00, or 12.00 to 19.00, that is business time.

Like any agency, your timesheets should show how hard you worked that day.