Contract Worker - Freelancing Experiences

8 Tips for Managing Your Time as a Freelancer

by Rico on April 22nd, 2008

By Heather Johnson

Like most freelance employees, you probably juggle several projects at once. For that reason, you really need to hone your time management skills. There are many “life hacking” articles floating around the Web, but they rarely apply to someone in your unique job situation. Alas, here are eight tips for managing your time as a freelancer.

Maintain a Professional Calendar – Don’t rely on the old noggin to remember things when you are already spinning too many plates. Instead, use a desktop calendar to maintain an ever changing “to do” list.

Know When to Turn Down Work – If you are a freelancer who is in high demand, you may be offered more work than you can handle. Yes, some of us only wish we struggled with this “problem,” but you really need to turn down work when you start to get backed up.

Work Where You Can Concentrate – If you work out of the home, for example, don’t set up your office in a noisy family room. Instead, scope a relaxing place out for yourself so you can really concentrate.

Eliminate Your Most Important Priorities First – In most freelance cases, this means you should work on what is due next or satisfy your biggest client first. You can’t please everyone all the time, but you need to make sure the hand that feeds you the most is happy.

Set Realistic Goals – Don’t tell yourself (or a client) that you can finish a huge project overnight. If you push yourself too hard, you will experience brain drain and proceed to burn out.

Reward Yourself for Milestones – One of the most important aspects of proper time management is keeping yourself motivated. You can do this by rewarding yourself with little things when you reach a milestone.

Stay Positive – The more you stress out about deadlines, the less productive you become. Your mind will, at some point, reject your work if you become too stressed out about it.

Set a Schedule and Stick to It – If you realistically need to work eight hours a day, make yourself do that. Many freelancers can set their own hours, which requires a lot of self-discipline.

Without a boss standing over your shoulder every day, you may find yourself getting easily distracted or backed up with unimportant tasks. However, it is essential that you learn how to properly multi-task and remain diligent when you are a contract employee.

Editors Note: Heather Johnson is a freelance business, finance and credit writer, as well as a regular contributor for Business Credit Cards, a site for comparing business credit cards. She welcomes questions, comments, and freelancing job inquiries at her email address heatherjohnson2323 [at] gmail.com.