On my LinkedIn poll, 53% of people said their time management skills could use some work, and 10% answered, "What's time management?" So let's make that 63%. 😂
To put this into perspective, I have four clients. That's 16 blogs, 4 YouTube script intros, and 4 newsletters in July, plus my own stuff, including this weekly newsletter.
And I'm sharing what helps me get everything done. Hopefully, you'll learn at least one thing:
Lists, lists, and more lists!
I use a tear-off weekly paper calendar. First, I add meetings and personal commitments. Then, I fill in the spaces with client work. I add to-dos as they come up and move tasks around if necessary. Being able to see my plan for the week on paper helps me prepare for the week.
The exact version I have is out of stock, but there's a similar one with a notepad for under $10!
Sometimes, I start thinking about what I want to get done the night before. So, when my day starts, I can easily list my "must-dos" for that day. These are tasks I hold myself accountable to, no matter what.
On a sticky note, I write a few tasks to focus on that day and some less pertinent to-dos I can start on if I have the energy. Most of the time, the must-dos are enough!
My mood is tied to my productivity, so the must-do list needs to be do-able. I try to keep low expectations so I feel good when I accomplish the tasks on my list.
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Time of day
When I started freelancing, it was difficult to switch my workday brain from having hard start and end times. I try to pay attention to how I'm feeling and work around that.
I've figured out when I do my best work: between 9 a.m. and noonish and then again from 2:30 or so until 5:30. During the school year, my husband and son get home around 5:30, so that's a perfect "end" to my work day.
I almost never work at night, and I avoid working on the weekends if I can. But the beauty of freelancing is that you can work nights and weekends if that's what works for you. I have a mom-friend who does her best work at night, and it works!
I usually tell myself to work until X time and then break, so I have a general idea of how I want my day to go. I usually use lunchtime as a mid-day "break," but sometimes I have to work and eat at the same time. On that note:
Taking breaks
I'm the worst at taking breaks, but I'm trying to do better because breaks can actually help us be more productive when returning to our work. If it's nice out, I might take my dog for a walk. My husband is home during the summer, so I'll talk to him, or we'll watch some TV together. Right now, we're on The Bear season 3—so good!
We got a visual timer to help my son with transitions, and I've used it a few times during my workday. It doesn't work great for me because if I'm in the middle of something, I ignore the beeping. I never force myself to take a break if I'm on a roll.
I ❤️ my Google calendar
I put all my appointments, meetings, and reminders on my Google calendar, which is the only digital task management/planning tool I use. I've tried Trello, Notion, and some other freelancer tools, but they just don't work for me. Simple is key...hence the paper weekly planner.
Accountability
Freelancing, or any work-from-home job, can be super lonely. Luckily for me, I get social interaction at my day job on Mondays and Tuesdays, and I'm an introvert, so working alone doesn't bother me all that much. In fact, it's kinda nice—I have a 7-year-old son...IYKYK. 🤪
I regularly check in with a few friends. We share what we're working on and our daily must-dos. Most of the time we don't need support, just someone to let us talk it out. But the support is there.
It's personal
My brain craves simplicity, but yours might be different. It's easy to get overwhelmed by all the task management tools available, but once you find a way that works, stick with it so you can focus your time and energy on the actual work. You got this! 😊
