Hey folks!
Has this happened to you?
You’re busy beavering away. All of a sudden it gets to about 4 O’clock
in the afternoon and you wonder where the day has gone. You
realise you still have a chunk more work to do, before you complete your
projects. That awful *gulp* moment comes over you. I’m never going to
finish on time!
Meeting deadlines can be tricky. It can also consume you, if you don’t
develop a strategy for hitting them on time.
That’s why time management is so important.
Forget burning the midnight oil just to scrape the submissions in. Focus
on completing tasks with time to spare, allowing you to make last minute
changes and amends.
Here I’ve listed just some effective time management tips, worth
considering:
If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail
Or, in the words of Yogi Berra “If you don’t know where you’re going,
you’ll end up someplace else”.
Planning may seem elementary to you, but it’s vital and so effective for
making sure we stay on track. Any activity in life needs planning. Make sure
your (or your client’s) goal is clear, and write it down. Make lists, flow
charts, spider diagrams. Stick to them. Work through them and keep coming back
to them. Be sure to only include key criteria, and deadline driven issues.
Prioritise
I sometimes feel like I’m spinning plates and trying to keep them all
going at once isn’t easy. We’re constantly juggling our workload and tasks
throughout the day. Decide what needs to be done first. Focus on what is most
important, and necessary to move forward with the project. Start with the
heavier tasks and get those out of the way early on. Come back to smaller, less
import work later. Think about the amount of time you need to spend on
something and factor that into your day. Give yourself goals and timeframes for
completing stuff. Plot your key dates and milestones into your calendar, so
you’re always thinking ahead.
Don’t push it
Sometimes you need to be brave and turn down work, or say ‘no’ to a job.
I know that’s really hard when you’re self employed or freelance, and you never
really know where your next pay cheque is coming from. But, if you deliver
substandard quality cos you’re overstretched, chances are they won’t re-book
you anyway. Instead, give your best efforts and honour commitments you already
have, rather than drowning yourself in multiple briefs.
Don’t get obsessed
Analysis paralysis can be a massively debilitating and it’s happened to
us all, at some point. You’re squandering considerable amounts of time
over-thinking the project or the situation. Nothing gets done. You
overcomplicate it, there are too many detailed options, a choice is never made,
and you can’t find the perfect solution. We’re in the crushing grip of this
dreaded condition and we can’t see the end-zone… STOP! Listen to your gut. Ask
for a second opinion. Do a mental dry run. And then take the leap. Remember,
even if you commit now, it’s not 100% of the final outcome. You can always fine
tune later.
Reward yourself
Make working fun and enjoyable, by rewarding yourself when you do a good
job, or when you’ve completed something you didn’t like doing. Keep sweets in
your drawer. Go and make a herbal brew after each task. Try to choose projects
that you’re passionate about. This can help motivate you and help instil a
sense of urgency, which helps to get you over the finish line and helps to make
you feel that sense of achievement.
Being a freelance designer is a balancing act. But through good
time management it is possible to balance it all.
If you have tips of your own, feel free to add them to the comment
section below. Whilst you’re there, you might like to check out the following for new
freelance roles!
