Freelancing and Time Management

Working on your own, you may or may not have come to know the word ‘procrastination.’ It could be from social networking, games, phone calls, family, or any other activities. Of course, you should never sacrifice any of those completely, but you should try to be more focused. Here are some ways you can manage your time better.

Make a General Schedule. While you might be one to like a little disorganization and possibly “go with the flow”, it is not ideal to your work cause. Making a scheduling will allow you to set the time aside for your work and for you to have your normal life. It is like studying and having a family. It is hard to do both, but you have to find the time to study for school if you want to succeed. In freelancing, you have to find the time or you lose money. When making a schedule aim to make your hours those that you are most creative. Whether creative in the early morning, midday, evening or late night, these are the hours you need because your are the most motivated then.

Make Daily To-Do Lists. While you do have a general schedule outlined, it does not cover the small things within each project you have to complete. A To-Do list or even a checklist will help guide you to completing your workload on time.

Prioritize Your Projects. You might prioritize your projects based on when you got the go ahead from the client to start. (For some this might mean 50% of the fee was paid.) You might depending on how big the project is. You really should try to space your projects evenly. While you might be on one project, you might get ideas going on another. It might be good to designate so much time towards one project, take a small break, and then go to the next. You can go back to the other anytime. This will make your workload less monotonous. However, never think one project is less than another. You are being paid, so always put your best foot forward.

These are merely a few ways to manage your time as a freelancer. Life becomes busy, but with a bit of time managment, you will succeed.

What other suggestions do you have for freelancers who are needing to manage their time better?