Being a freelancer, you have the freedom to set your own schedule, but that flexibility comes with its own set of challenges.
On some days, you might complete most of your tasks by noon, while on others, the hours seem to vanish, leaving your to-do list barely touched by evening.
If you allow time to slip away, your business will suffer the consequences. It can disrupt your workflow, cause missed deadlines, force you into working at odd hours, and shoot up your stress levels. That’s why having a solid time management strategy is non-negotiable.
In this article, we’ll provide some practical tips (and helpful tools) to help you stay on top of your schedule and boost productivity. Get ready to take charge of your workday!
Time Management for Freelancers vs. Other Professionals: What’s the Difference?
Time management for freelancers is a whole different ballgame compared to traditional professionals. Here’s how:
- Flexibility vs. structure: Unlike employees with fixed 9-to-5 schedules, you have the freedom to set your own hours. While that flexibility is great, it also means you’re responsible for creating structure and staying disciplined. It’s up to you to decide when to work, when to stop, and how to balance work and personal time—something most traditional professionals don’t have to navigate as much
- Wearing many hats: In addition to your core work—whether you’re designing, writing, or photographing—you’re also managing all the admin tasks, from invoicing to marketing yourself to clients. Unlike someone in a structured role, you’re doing it all by yourself, which means your time management isn’t just about working on projects, but also keeping the business side of freelancing running smoothly
- Unpredictable workload: Your workload can fluctuate. One week could be packed with deadlines, while the next could be quieter. You need to manage your time to handle these ebbs and flows, stay productive during slower periods, and prevent burnout during busier times. The unpredictability calls for a more flexible approach to schedule planning, compared to the consistent routine found in traditional jobs
- Managing multiple clients: You likely work with multiple clients, each with their own deadlines, communication styles, and expectations. To manage time across multiple projects and keep each client happy, you have to be adaptable and organized. Juggling these client relationships while still producing high-quality work is an added layer that other professionals, who typically have one boss or a clear workflow, may not face
Also read: 7-Step Guide to Building the Perfect System for Your Freelance Business
Time Management Tips for Freelancers
With multiple clients, tight deadlines, and the need to stay creative, it’s challenging to balance everything. Here’s how you can improve your time management:
1. Set your priorities
Not all tasks are created equal. Start by listing out everything you need to do—whether it’s editing photos, working on client briefs, or managing social media. Prioritize tasks based on urgency and impact.
As a designer, for example, you might prioritize finishing a logo design for a big client over smaller tasks like updating your portfolio. The 80-20 rule (Pareto Principle) is helpful here—focus on the 20% of tasks that will generate 80% of your results.
2. Maintain a calendar (and stick to it)
Scheduling is everything when you’re working on multiple projects simultaneously. Use a tool like Bloom or Google Calendar to block out specific times for each task.
For instance, if you’re a photographer, you can set aside mornings for photoshoots and afternoons for editing.
Be realistic with your deadlines—overcommitting can lead to burnout and you might miss critical deadlines. Add buffers for unexpected issues (such as client revisions, tech hiccups, health issues) to keep your schedule on track.
Also read: 15 Best CRMs for Photographers [2024 Edition]
3. Explore time management techniques
Experiment with different time management methods and find what works for you:
- Pomodoro technique: If you’re a creative freelancer who needs to focus in short bursts, use the Pomodoro method—break down your work into 25-minute intervals with small breaks in between
- Monotasking: Multitasking might sound productive, but it can dilute your creative output. Monotasking encourages you to work on only one task at a time. For example, as a designer working on branding, here’s how you can monotask—focus on one element, like typography or color palette, before moving on to the next task
- Deep work: If you’re doing complex, high-level creative tasks—like designing a new website layout or creating a marketing strategy—block out four hours a day for deep work. Eliminate distractions (turn off notifications, clean unnecessary tabs on your computer, and keep your phone away) and solely focus on your work. These uninterrupted work times can lead to more creative breakthroughs and higher-quality of work
Once you’ve tried different techniques, take note of what’s working and what isn’t. Tools like Toggl or Clockify allow you to track how long tasks are taking. If you notice that certain tasks consistently take longer than expected, you can adjust your calendar to reflect more realistic timelines.
4. Use a project management tool and CRM
As you start to scale your freelance business, a big share of your working hours go into managing projects manually and handling client relationships. The good news is, you can quickly solve these issues with the right tech stack by your side, and save a lot of time.
But here’s the catch—most project management tools and customer relationship management (CRM) platforms are built for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and enterprises. They are not tailor-made for creative freelancers, so you might have a hard time getting a hang of the tools, setting up your workflow, or keeping up with their high expenses.
These won’t be a good fit for your business. Instead, you should look for a project management tool that doubles up as a CRM. This way, you can keep your tech stack slim, keep the expenses low, and save the manual hours spent on project management and customer handling.
Instead of the traditional tools, you can try Bloom’s Project Management CRM, especially made for creatives, freelancers, and solopreneurs. Here’s how it can help:
- Streamline task and document management: With Bloom, keeping track of your bookings and ongoing projects get a lot easier. From contacts, invoices, payments, questionnaires, notes, asset delivery, to project documents—you can organize everything in one place
Manage creative projects more efficiently and deliver stellar customer service with Bloom’s Project Management CRM tool
- Take care of client communication: Your clients will also love the simple interface of the client portal. They can easily keep up with deliverables, deadlines, and payments, and communicate with you directly using Bloom Messenger. No more switching between different tools or searching through long email threads!
Activate your Bloom Messenger and it will be visible on your invoices, contracts, forms, client portal, Bloom portfolio, and any external sites where you’ve embedded it
- Save time: Bloom is super simple to use, so you don’t have to spend hours learning the ropes of how the tool functions. Moreover, with Bloom CRM taking care of your task management and client relationships, you can save time on admin tasks and focus more on the creative aspects of your job
Manage leads, multiple ongoing and upcoming projects, task statuses, and client communication with Bloom CRM
And to top it all, Bloom’s pricing starts only from $7/month. Choose a plan that works for you and start your free trial today!
| Freelancers across industries love how Bloom helps them manage their businesses: “The interface, the tools, the ease of use… Bloom is an excellent tool for managing clients, especially when it comes to getting paid on time for remote work. Really happy with the service, and have already recommended it to several other people who are using it and also love it!” Stephanie M. “I like how easy it was to get started and how many features they include with the free version. When starting my creative business I knew I wanted a CRM that was all inclusive rather than piecing together multiple services. Bloom provided that.”Cory L. |
Also read: How to Improve Client Experience As A Freelancer
5. Automate and delegate
As a freelancer, your time is precious, and you don’t have to do everything yourself. Look for ways to automate repetitive tasks or delegate them to free up your schedule for more creative, high-value work, whether that’s creating, strategizing, or growing your client base.
- Automation: Allow recurring tasks to run on auto-pilot. If you’re a social media marketer, tools like Hootsuite or Buffer can schedule and post social media content automatically, saving you time. Photographers might automate client communication using tools like Bloom, which allow you to send invoices, contracts, and follow-up emails without lifting a finger
- Delegation: If you’re struggling with projects with overlapping deadlines, hire a virtual assistant to handle administrative tasks or outsource smaller tasks that don’t require your expertise. Delegating certain tasks helps you focus on what you do best—your creative work
6. Schedule downtime
It might sound counterintuitive, but scheduling downtime is a smart move. For freelancers in creative fields, your ability to think outside the box is one of your biggest assets. But creativity can quickly fade if you’re working without breaks.
By consciously making room for breaks, you can allow your brain to rest and refresh, which will often lead to more innovative ideas and better problem-solving when you get back to work.
Downtime is also the key to maintaining a healthy work-life balance. It helps you work more efficiently and maintain your motivation over the long term.
Time Management Challenges for Freelancers and How to Overcome Them
1. Procrastination and lack of motivation
When you don’t have a boss keeping an eye on you, it’s easy to get distracted. Deadlines feel flexible, and the next thing you know, you’re scrolling through Instagram or doing laundry instead of working. Without that external push, motivation dwindles and procrastination creeps in.
Solution: One way to beat this is by having an accountability partner. It could be a fellow freelancer, a friend, or anyone you prefer. The idea is simple—they check in on your progress, and you check in on theirs. Knowing someone is going to ask, ‘Hey, did you finish that project?’ gives you that extra nudge to stay on track.
2. Overwork
One example of a work boundary is checking emails outside of work hours. The State of Remote Work study by Buffer says that 63% remote workers check their emails on weekends or days off, and 34% percent continue to do so while on vacation.
As a freelancer, it’s tempting to work nonstop—especially when you love what you do or want to take on every opportunity. The problem? Before you know it, you’re working all hours of the day, weekends, and maybe even burning yourself out. There’s no office to leave at 5 p.m., so your workday can easily blend into your personal time.
Solution: Set boundaries. Start by establishing clear working hours for yourself. For example, if you decide that you’re only going to work from 10 AM to 6 PM, stick to that. When 6 PM rolls around, shut the laptop, walk away, and enjoy your evening.
Creating a dedicated workspace, like a home office, also helps separate ‘work mode’ from ‘relax mode’. Don’t be afraid to inform clients of your working hours up front. Let them know when they can expect responses, so you don’t feel pressured to answer emails at midnight.
3. Ad hoc work
Sometimes, unexpected requests from clients might flow in at wee hours—whether it’s last-minute revisions, urgent meetings, or extra tasks. These can throw off your entire schedule and lead to stress, especially when you already have a lot on your plate.
Solution: Block specific time in your schedule for focused work. Also, remember that it’s okay to say no sometimes. When a client requests something that doesn’t fit into your schedule, politely decline or ask if it can wait. If you frequently get ad-hoc projects, reserve time in your weekly schedule for such tasks, if possible.
Save Time on the Mundane and Double Down on Creativity
Mastering time management as a freelancer goes beyond managing schedules and deadlines. You have to optimize every aspect of your workday to make room for what truly matters. And to do that, you need the right tool(s) to help you out.
Designed for creatives, Bloom can be your personal digital headquarter. Use it to automate lead management, project management, booking, scheduling, invoicing, portfolio management, and other routine tasks, and free up your valuable time. Get started with Bloom today!