There are a few key things you can do to manage your workload more effectively as a freelancer.
- Use a project management software
This might sound obvious but having a rotating schedule for repetitive tasks is a game changer for saying bye-bye to the mental load of tasks.
Also projects can then be scheduled across weeks so you don’t over commit.
Depending what you use, you can link this to your calendar so you can see the tasks. physically on your calendar.
Why it’s helpful:
You don’t have to remember tasks. You feel more productive. You can track time spend on tasks. You can keep track of staff work. You can keep track of scope creep if it’s not on the original plan. Nothing can get missed. You know how you’re spending your time.
This is especially helpful when you … - Plan you day night before
Seriously, this will help you switch off at the end of the day AND be more productive when you start work. Knowing exactly what you need to get done, and when you’re doing it means you don;t waste any time flicking between tabs and emails trying to prioritise. You just get in and do it.
What this means too is that you can move around tasks that don’t make sense. You are ready to make moves as soon as you’re at your desk. You know what’s coming. You know how you need to be for the day. You can get in the zone with your morning routine.
When you do – you’ll find that your whole approach to your day is different. There’s very limited surprise, and you get to plan ahead with projects. You learn to say No more when your day is already scheduled out. It might feel super structured but this is what gives us freedom. - Don’t live in your inbox
Yes – I mean it. Do not have your inbox open all day. Choose ahead of time when you’re going to read and respond to emails.
For me – I check this when I get to my desk, skim my inbox, and make sure there are no fires. 95% of the time, there are no fires. Then I leave everything unread and wait until my designated EMAIL time to check and respond.
This is such a big mindset shift for people, but slowly I can see that this one is become more the norm. Last week in response to my weekly email to my list I got 5 replies that all said something like ..I only check my emails at certain times and will respond in due course. And I was sooo happy!
If we don;t take control of our schedules – we’re not taking control of our lives. That means, someone else is in control. And your inbox is everyone else’s demands for your time. Very little of your emails will be related to your own priorities for your day.
Which also brings me to staff communication. For maximum ease, the majority of staff comms should be through your project management software and a chat function like google chat or slack. - Time block and group like activities
This brings me back to our calendars. Time blocking is a game changer for your entire life.
For example, I like to group all my meetings. And I group my client work time, and my content time, and my creativity time, and my free time.
That way I’m not content switching. I can concentrate and get in the zone a lot quicker if I’m reviewing client deliverables, or checking all ad campaigns, than having to go in and out of programs and tabs and everything else.
In my personal life – I know when I’m going to the gym, doing my laundry, having date night, paying bills .. all the things. This week being to organised meant that my clothes from my weekend away – my suitcase – went unopened for 4 days. Until it annoyed me so much I put it on my calendar. Why? Because I had bookmarked every hour. And this was going to take me an hour to get sorted, and I didn’t want to sacrifice sleep or family time or anything else to do it. So it waited.
You don’t have to be this rigid but that’s what this week was, and I’m fine with it. Everyone’s fine, my work got done. The laundry got done. Happy days.
So that’s it – those are the 4 ways.
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