The appeal of freelance, contract work, and work-from-home careers is broad and deep, including the unlimited opportunity for financial growth, unfettered freedom, flexible schedules, the pursuit of personal goals, and the list goes on. And, while that's all as true as the day is long, so is the lack of structure and unmitigated personal accountability. For freelancers, time management is of the utmost importance. Without a strong commitment to making and keeping deadlines, responsibly managing workflow, and sticking to some sort of structured daily schedule, freelancing can spell personal and financial disaster.
Here are some of the best tricks of the trade for managing your time wisely to make the most of your career:
Visualize:
Keep your goals in sight. How can you know what to do if you don't know where you're going? Visualize your endgame and the steps to successfully realize that trajectory. What do you want your business to look like today, next year, and 10 years from now? How much do you want to make? And how many hours a week do you want to work? These are all critical questions when fleshing out a business plan, strategizing growth, and creating reasonable expectations for an average workday. Successful freelancers in holding patterns with a committed roster of clients may have very different time commitments than those just beginning a freelancing enterprise and needing to actively market to secure contracts. Know where you are and where you need to go. Create physical reminders; such as, digital sticky notes, physical affirmations or vision boards to help your brain conceptualize and solidify your goals.
Prioritize:
Freelancing means freedom - of pay, schedule, content, and delivery. But, with freedom, comes responsibility. One of the biggest mistakes new freelancers make is not prioritizing tasks appropriately or effectively. Maybe the job with lower compensation is a strategic move for your business. Or the paycheck from a one-off is worth passing up a regular monthly commitment. These choices become easier to make when you have visualized your business goals from the beginning.
Strategize:
Once you've visualized and prioritized your goals, create a calendar. Avoid procrastination-induced failure by defining deadlines for deliverables and backtracking a reasonable schedule with step-by-step goals. Allow adequate time for completion, while accounting for occasional setbacks and off days. Make status notes, check-off lists, or utilize whatever tools are the easiest and most helpful for you. There are countless online time and project management tools to help stay on top of each job.
Manifest:
Put your schedule to work and adhere to it. Limit distractions and focus on the tasks outlined for each day. If distractions are your downfall, create rules for your working time, like designating specific times for snacks and meals, or avoiding social media in your workspace.
Rest:
Freelancers tend to struggle with knowing when enough is enough. Whether your work suffers because you're overextended or your family suffers from your absence, nobody wins. Keep yourself mentally and physically healthy by including family downtime, exercise, meditation, and other self-care strategies in your master schedule. Learn how to say "no" and keep your eye on the goals you visualized at the onset.
After all, perhaps the greatest appeal of a freelance career is its unparalleled work-life balance.
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