Time-Management Tips For Freelancers: 5 Ways To Meet Deadlines

Have you been losing jobs due to time mismanagement?

Is meeting deadlines a challenging task for you?

I can help.

In this article, I will share 5 excellent tips to help. After learning them, you’ll meet your deadlines.

5 Ways Freelancers Can Meet Deadlines

Set Realistic Goals

To make your goals work for you, you should make them SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound.

To understand what SMART goals are all about, use the following questions as a guideline.

• Specific: What exactly do you want to achieve? Do you want to increase your income, work fewer hours weekly, get new clients every month, etc.?
• Measurable: Do you want to increase your income by 20%, 40%, or 50%? Do you want to work 40 or 50 hours per week?
• Attainable: Do you have the necessary resources to achieve your goals? Do you have enough time, equipment, skills, etc.?
• Realistic: If you set short-term goals, be reasonable and know how possible it is to achieve them shortly.
• Time-bound: When exactly do you plan to achieve this goal, this month, or three months, etc

Realistic goals help you identify what you want to do and what you can achieve.

Also, you create a schedule and focus on your goals.

Create a schedule and focus on your goals.

As a freelancer, you may have tons of tasks to do every day and still have many more on your to-do list. Scheduling and prioritizing is the best way to find out what to do next, as not all tasks have equal importance.

When creating a schedule, these points should be put into consideration:

• Outline all your tasks and projects.
• Assign a specific time for each.
• Be realistic about the time required for each task.
• Identify the most important goals and focus on them accordingly.
• Ensure your goals receive enough attention and effort.
• Break down larger projects into smaller tasks.

However, different tools can help achieve these goals. I discussed a few of them below.

Use Productivity tools and time-tracking tools

Freelancers can stay organized and productive with the right management tools.

Some tools offer features that help you stay on top of your workload.

Whether you are a writer, designer, developer, or any other freelancer, these tools can help you manage your tasks more efficiently and effectively;

• Todoist: it’s a productive tool that helps you organize your work and life.
• Asana: It’s a project management tool that helps teams manage projects and tasks in one place.
• Trello: A management tool that helps create boards and cards for freelancers and clients.
• Google Calendar: It makes it “easy” to schedule interviews, set deadline reminders, and keep track of everything else on your to-do list.
• ClickUp: The tool helps users manage and organize recurring tasks and projects.

Avoid distractions

Many freelancers face the problem of not paying attention at work, and having problems focusing. As a result, everything you work on takes longer than you planned.

Thankfully, you can avoid distractions using the following strategies:

• Create a dedicated workspace that’s free from disturbances
• Silence unnecessary notifications on devices
• Set specific work hours and boundaries
• Practice time management techniques
• Stay disciplined and hold yourself accountable

Maintain a healthy work lifestyle

Do you know how your work can affect your health and lifestyle to a great extent?

And being a freelancer, you should start living a healthy lifestyle. Doing so will keep you fresh and help you avoid writer’s block.

The following tips can help:

• Establishing a well-defined work schedule
• Take regular breaks to avoid burnout
• Combine exercise into your routine
• Get enough rest
• Stay hydrated and nourish your body with nutritious meals
• Maintain perfect posture, and never work from bed.

Final Thoughts

To meet deadlines as a freelancer, look at the resources listed in this article.

These strategies will help you manage your time effectively.

Set SMART goals, focus on them, and use time tracking and productive tools.

Also, avoid distractions and get enough rest. You are your boss and responsible for what you do with your time.

If you need help meeting deadlines, we can as well outsource to fellow freelancers. I can help.