Not only are we juggling projects, we’re juggling several clients and simultaneously trying to find new work.
Here are some time management strategies freelancers and small business owners should have in their arsenal.
Although getting into a consistent work groove may be harder, however, it’s not impossible.
Choose Your Clients Carefully
When you first start freelancing, your main concern will probably befinding clients.
Small projects take as much administrative worklegal setup, invoicing, general back and forth communicationsas big projects do.
I likethe 80/20 rule(orhara hachi buprinciple) that encourages setting aside enough time for the unforeseen.
It’s the “Time Treadmill.”
Time keeps going by, you keep working, but you never get anywhere.
[…]
Instead of asking yourself “how much should I charge per hour?”
You have to start asking yourself “how much is what I’m doing really worth to this client?
The other main part is simply scheduling.
Keep in mind also that deadlines, whileultimately inspiring, are often negotiable with clients.
Deadlinesdon’t have to be so stressfulthat they paralyze you.
Multitasking like thatsabotages our brains.
You might prefer toblock out your time on a calendar.
These are our picks forWindows,Mac OS X,iPhone, andAndroid.
-@samdunsiger
Schedule snacks and breaks, and ensure you don’t work through them.
-@NerdHusbandry
Never underestimate what you can get done in as little as 15 min.
Over the course of a day/week, it really adds up.
Manage your energy: “When struggling, start with small and simple.
When energized, tackle big assignments.
Wetalkabout procrastinationquitea biton Lifehacker, but some additional tips apply particularly to freelancers.
Helped light a fire under my ass.”
Last, but not least, don’t work too much.
Photos byViktoria Kazakova(Shutterstock),Ovchinnkov Vladimir(Shutterstock),renaissancechambara,gfpeck,yourrate.co.
