As a self-employed individual and freelance writer, you’re often tasked with juggling several projects at once. When each project is in a different phase (research, transcribing, writing, editing, rewriting), how do you manage your time?
You’ll need a couple of different tools to organize your days and months, and it’s best to have specific tasks listed for each day so you have a plan of attack. While everyone works differently, there are certain tactics that every freelancer can use to make a schedule that works.
Use a Calendar System
Get a calendar system to highlight all of your deadlines and any events you’re covering. Your calendar on your computer should synch to your phone so you have it on you at all times. Google calendar, for example, transfers your information from your online calendar to your phone’s calendar.
Schedule Your Day
You need to treat every day as a work day, even if you’re working at home. Set a start time and end time for the day. Start working at the start time—no procrastinating. Organize your day to give yourself a certain amount of time for each project. Make a to do list of the project you need to get done in that work day. You can use an online to do list such as Todoist.com. Figure out which tasks are important to complete first. For example, if you need to make phone calls to set up interviews as soon as possible, do that first so that you leave time for your sources to call you back if you can’t reach them right away. Then, get started on the next project.
Estimate Time for Each Project
If you can, estimate how much time you’ll need for each project, and then focus on that project only. For example, you know you’ll need two hours to work on writing on piece, so schedule that in. Then, you know it will take you about an hour to transcribe that other piece. By giving yourself an order of tasks, you’ll feel good when you finish one off, and can move on to the next.
Work During Work Hours
Don’t do laundry. Don’t do the dishes. When it’s your scheduled work time, you need to work. You aren’t in your home (even if you are)—you’re at your office, and need to avoid domestic distractions when you can.
Listen to Your Body
Use the time of day when you’re most productive to get the toughest project done. Tasks such as transcribing are more “mindless” and should be left for when you’re in a less productive state. And make sure to take breaks for lunch. Just schedule a reasonable time for lunch or an afternoon break, and stick to it. Don’t let your lunch break stretch into three hours because there’s a Real Housewives marathon on TV.
Plan for the next day
At the end of the day, figure out the order for your work the next day. What task should you do first? By having a plan ahead of time, you will be more willing to get moving quickly in the morning.
