Are You a Freelancer That Struggles With Managing Your Time?

For some reason, freelancers aren’t the best at time management. Sure, you set your own schedule and you get your work done, but often you probably spend hours surfing the internet or watching a favorite show. With no boss to keep you on task, it is important to learn to effectively manage your time. After all, time is money and every freelancer could always use a little more of both.

Set a Schedule
Everyone else works 9-5. Freelancers work whenever. Maybe a little in the morning and some more late at night. Some work after spending all day at their job. Others choose to work on weekends. To get the most of your freelancing efforts, set a schedule and stick to it. Determine the hours that you will work and try to work during these hours. People often assume that freelancers aren’t busy and can be available whenever. Let others know your work schedule so that you can actually get work done.
Work During Work Time
Freelancers are famously distracted. And for good reason. After all, you spend the majority of your time in front of a computer either working or looking for work. This leads to endless possibility for distraction. Successful freelancers learn to turn off the distractions and focus on work. Consider rewarding yourself with a short break after staying on task for several hours. Separate your work and your personal pursuits and complete both during the proper times.

Remember to Diversify
Freelancers have a lot of things to do. Part of learning to manage your time is being able to spend the right amount of time in each section. You need to find time to work, apply for jobs, complete bookkeeping and other financial tasks, shop for supplies and respond to correspondence and emails. Part of being a freelancer is learning to balance each of these tasks. Use a planner and create a schedule for each day. Make sure you do all of these tasks to avoid ending up in a mess down the road. Being a freelancer is more than just completing your tasks.

Make a commitment to work a little harder on your time management skills. It will lead to increased profits and a more successful freelancing business.

Places To Find Work For All Types of Freelancers

Elance – They have over 30,000 jobs posted. They also cover many different categories, almost any type of freelancer can find work here.

oDesk – With almost any set of skills you have, you should be able to find freelance work here. They have a wide variety of categories. This is a heavily posted website.

Share

Save