Great question, right? I thought so too, especially for people who freelance or work from home. My answer to the question is as follows:
1. The first thing you should do is create your own deadline for each assignment.
2. Express to your clients how important it is that they give you a deadline.
3. You definitely need to turn that mental list into a checklist. You can do this either by hand writing it on paper or type it up and print it out - checking off each item as you complete it.
4. Stick to it and when those "extremely important" distractions come up, finish those and get back to your checklist immediately.
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Read: The Procrastinator's Handbook: Mastering the Art of Doing It Now
