I have a few clients in which the engagements are open-ended. This means helping them with their ongoing content work. As a result, it’s easy to let something drag on without completing it.
For example, a client may ask me to revise the Help documentation and write entries for blogs. Rather than just letting it sit, I prioritize them for the sake of motivating me.
Furthermore, freelancing offers a way for many of us to lead balanced and happy lives. Spend more time with kids, hobbies, volunteer work, whathaveyou.
1. Split Project into Small Tasks
Help documentation can easily take weeks. So I work with the client to split the Help into sections. Completing bite-sized tasks works faster than working on a giant project without any breakdowns. For blogging — set up an agreement with the client on the number of posts per week.
2. Set Rules for Your Own Activities
Having trouble updating your blog because of client work? Struggling to make marketing a regular activity? I used to blog five days a week, which became too much in recent months.
So I shoot for two to three a week. It’s not like readers don’t have other things to read. Two or three posts a week won’t hurt because the blog stays updated without overwhelming readers. Remember, blogging also counts as a marketing tool.
Marketing activities — one way to do it is set aside 10 to 30 minutes a day or some other time that works for you. I’m lucky to have a full plate, but I know things can disappear or take a long time before they materialize. So by the time I set up something with a new client, another project will have ended.
3. Allow One Hour of Non-Work Time Per Day
Exercise? Volunteering? Other things you wish you had more time for since you already eat lunch while you work? It’s OK to take one hour per day (with OCCASIONAL exceptions) to do something away from work. So what if something takes two hours (I have three doctor’s appointments this week — I guess I’ll do some work this weekend)? You’ll make it up the next day by taking a shorter break.
4. Schedule Work Time around Regular Activities
You could even calculate your work for the week WHILE considering the time you spend on exercise or another regular activity. For instance, I play on a tennis team that practices and plays matches during the week day (Saturday league won’t work due to kids’ weekend games).
Tennis triples as exercise, social interaction, and hobby (my love for playing sports). After all, isn’t freelancing about flexibility? It allows me to enjoy a well-balanced life. Sure, you’ll have some weeks where you only work 30 hours and others where you work 60. I believe it evens out in the long-run.
5. Make a Habit out of Regular Tasks
When it comes to a certain time of year, do you crave a specific food? I noticed that mint-flavored things usually appear everywhere in the winter and go away by spring. Is there an unwritten rule that we can’t eat mint-flavored food other times of the year? No, but we tend to associate them with winter and cold.
A regular schedule for tasks and activities helps you keep going at it. You can’t help but start the day reading e-mails, writing a blog entry, or however you want to start your day. On days I blog, it’s the first work thing I do. The first thing I do every morning is drink a cuppa Joe, read the newspaper (the print kind), and do the Sudoku puzzle in the newspaper.
