[amorphid]

Formerly self employed here. One trick that worked for me, which was inspired by some book w/ a tomato on the cover...

1. Set a timer for 25 minutes.

2. Work until the timer goes off.

3. Take a short break, 5 minutes or so.

4. Repeat :)

What I did was determine how many hours I wanted to work total, usually 40 hours. Then I'd shoot for 80% efficiency, so I'd try to work hardcore for 32 hours. Divide 32 hours by 25 minutes (32 * 60 / 25), and I'd work that many blocks of time.

I found it really helped me focus. It also helped me separate my work time from personal time. It also... well, it helped a lot.

You can play with the numbers to find a pattern that works best for you.