Time management tips for online freelancers
Working online can be very demanding and can also take up a lot of time in a freelancer’s day. Therefore, it is important for freelancers working online to have better control over their time. In this article we look at some of the ways that freelancers can use to stay on top of their time and work. The tips we are giving you in this article will empower you to be achieve higher results as an online freelancer by maximizing your time.
In this article we will cover the following areas:
- Track Your Time.
- Take Breaks.
- Give Yourself Set Working Hours.
- Use a Strong Project Management System
- Prioritize Your Tasks
- Consider Hiring Others to Help You.
- Get Rid of Distractions.
- Eat Meals for 30 to 60 Minutes As You Would in an office
- Focus on RESULTS over Activities
- Set Intervals to Review and adjust your routines
Track Your Time.
While working it is easy to lose track of your time and this can be potentially a danger when you have several tasks to do and end up doing only a few. To avoid this, keep track of your time. This can be done by assigning each task you have a time and setting up alarms or reminders that keep you on track.
Having reminders or alarms help you to stay on track to ensure that you do not spend too much time on one task. This allows you to not only finish your tasks on time but also maximize time.
The added advantage to this is that it allows you to account for your time at the end of each day.
Take Breaks.
As an online freelancer it is easy to get caught up in work especially when deadlines are short on work. Most freelancers sit for hours and hardly take breaks. There are studies which show that breaks during work help increase productivity.
It is important to schedule time for breaks as you work. Not only this increase productivity but also allow you to have new ideas.
Give Yourself Set Working Hours.
Like taking breaks, it is important for freelancers to set working hours for themselves. This will allow the freelancers to work without getting a burn out. Having working hours also allows the freelancer to have balance.
Having a work-life balance allows for online freelancers to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It also helps to reduce depression and stress that comes from work. Remember being a freelancer sometimes means working on a project alone without a team. This can make a freelancer lonely if they work alone for long periods of time, without taking time to socialize.
Working hours also allow the freelancer to create healthy boundaries with their clients and team.
Use a Strong Project Management System
Project management system allows for online freelancers to keep track of projects that they have. This increases the efficiency in their work as they keep track of the progress of each project assigned. It also allows for effective team management in a project.
It is possible to find software that help to manage projects effectively. The alternative is to create your own individual system. This can be achieved using simple tools like excel sheets and reminders to keep you on track.
Whichever way you choose to go with managing your projects, the key here is to ensure everything is well coordinated and on track.
Prioritize Your Tasks
As a freelancer you can be bombarded by several orders and work. To stay on top of all these tasks, it is important to prioritize them. Prioritization helps you know which tasks to do first. One way to determine this, is by keeping in mind the goals. By aligning tasks according to relevance of the goals, assists in achieving the goals.
Tasks can also be prioritized according to the level of importance, time it will take to do or deadline. Prioritize your work to be able to deliver quality on time.
Consider Hiring Others to Help You.
Sometimes a freelancer can get a lot of work all at once. One option is to reduce the work by rejecting some orders. The other option is to hire people to help with the work. Hiring other people to help allows the freelancer to get more orders and make more money.
This also allows for people to make money and gives the freelancer the opportunity to scale up their online business. However, if you do choose to hire other people to help ensure they are good at what they do. Check out reviews or previous work they have done to avoid issues with clients. Oversee their projects to ensure they are well done before delivering to the client.
Get Rid of Distractions.
We covered distractions as one of the challenges of working online in one of our previous articles. Getting rid of distractions can increase the productivity levels of the freelancers. Distractions can be reduced by finding a quiet place to work from and closing all social media channels while working.
Reduction of distractions also allows for tasks to get done in the shortest time possible with accuracy. Doing exercises to increase focus also help to improve the levels of productivity. Meditation is a good exercise that teaches one to reduce internal distractions by improving focus.
Eat Meals for 30 to 60 Minutes As You Would in an office
Working as a freelancer means you have full control over your time. Some freelancers fail to make time for their meals. Planning for your meals is important to ensure that you remain productive.
Assigning about 30-60 min per day for your meals like you were working in an office allows you to remain productive and full of energy. Plan your meals earlier before you start working to cut down on the cooking time. You can also cook your food earlier and simply warm your food when it is time to eat.
Focus on RESULTS over Activities
It does not matter how many things you do if you do not get the desired outcome. When it comes to freelancing your results matter. Results will increase your clients and therefore your income.
Therefore, it is important to look at the results and measure them. Analyze your results and investigate the process you use. This will allow you to come up with a n effective strategy that works. It can also help you with scaling your work.
Set Intervals to Review and adjust your routines
This is an important step that allows you as an online freelancer to reflect on your work. By reflecting on your work, it allows you to correct errors and improve on your work. By having regular intervals for consistent improvement on work done.
This article has covered just a few tips that can help online freelancers to manage their time better. Better time management leads to growth of your online freelancing business. If you have any trouble with any of the tips above, feel free to reach out to us. To get more tips like these ones and more follow us on social media.
