5 Quick Tips To Make The Most Of Your Time As A Freelancer
When you started out as a freelancer you may have been excited for the relaxed and flexible working life but are you controlling your time as well as you could be? In this guide I have noted a few ideas to help you manage your time effectively.
Plan Little But Often
Start each day by planning your time ahead, get yourself mentally prepared for meetings, deadlines and appointments. If you know what you want to be doing and when it’ll help you to stay focused and reach your goals. But don’t over plan and set yourself unrealistic targets, if you’re not feeling it one day then set reasonable targets but remember you’ll need to make this time up later on.
Write Lists
Everyone works differently but if using lists works for you then they’re a great way of seeing all your work in one place. As you complete tasks make sure to mark them as completed to boost your sense of accomplishment and keep you on track
Prioritize Tasks
Categorize your tasks into the following 4 sections, your priorities list will be a work in progress so keep it close and refer back as much as you can.
Important and urgent — Plan these tasks into your day and get them done swiftly, keep it simple and focus on 1 task at a time.
Important but not urgent — Plan these tasks for when you have a little spare time in your day or when they become more urgent.
Urgent but not important — Normally you’d delegate these tasks but as a freelancer you’ll likely be working alone. Put these a little lower down your priorities list but don’t dismiss them.
Not urgent and not important — Don’t fill gaps with tasks that won’t help towards self improvement but if you do have these then do them as and when you have some spare time.
Minimize Distractions
This is probably the easiest to implement but the hardest to master, try not to spend 8 hours in the office if only 3 of them are productive. Remove all unnecessary distractions from your environment and knuckle down to reap the benefits. The biggest distraction in the working world at the moment is undoubtedly phones. We’ve all got them but do we all need them? If you don’t rely on your phone to get the job done then pop it in your draw and check it at lunch.
Remember Why You’re Working Freelance
Finally, don’t loose sight of your goals and remember why you chose to become a freelancer. Take time out to do the things you love and don’t feel guilty for it. If you plan your time well you should be able to get your work done and live the life you desire.
Learning what time management skills work best for you will enable you to become the best version of yourself you can be. Mastering these skills will help you stay focused, get work done well and effectively.
