Good article from FreelanceSwitch. I especially like the approach of bunching distractions together. I think that could work well.

Amplify’d from freelanceswitch.com

Most readers of this blog provide creative services of some kind, largely as designers or as writers. And if you are contemplating a switch to the freelance life, you may be wondering about your own creativity, about your ability to constantly come up with new and better ways to do things for your clients.

What’s the Cure?

Frankly, some people never get past this phase. But while successful freelancers may not be completely free of these afflictions, they eventually learn to manage them, to hold these distractions down to a level where they do a little less damage to their productivity:

Start with patience. If you are new at freelancing, you are facing a whole new lifestyle and “workstyle.” It takes time to adapt, so don’t expect to apply a heavy dose of “will power” or “self-discipline” and suddenly make everything better.

Bunch your distractions together. Check mail (e- or other) at specific times, and deal with it in a few set time periods, instead of constantly throughout the day. Get those office supplies, and all those other errands you have discovered, done on a single day in the week, instead of running out the door repeatedly.

Earn your distractions. Get those software updates only when you complete your work quota for the morning. Recognize these activities as the breaks they are, and use them as rewards.

Generally, outwitting these time wasting maneuvers works better than trying to eliminate them through some kind of brute force effort. And when you have that occasional relapse — as you will – forget all the guilt. Just have a laugh at yourself, and accept time wasters as part of the freelance life. Read more at freelanceswitch.com