6 Time Management Tips I Follow as a Freelance Illustrator
How do people get so much done in one day? It used to baffle me how other people managed to be so productive and I could hardly finish one task. There are only so many hours in a day and where do you even start? I would always ask these questions and still do some days. But now I have a process to guide me through the fog. Time management is tricky as a freelancer, you are the boss and the employee. So how can you be both without burning yourself out. In this post I'm going to be sharing my tips on how I stay on track while allowing myself time for rest and enjoyment.
Where To start?
Freelancers have to wear a lot of different hats. We are the creatives, the social media managers, marketing team, sales team, HR and so much more. With so many roles to fill, it’s difficult to remember everything that needs to get done. It may sound obvious but a to do list is a clear and simple way to organise your tasks.
What I like to do when I have a goal I want to achieve or an outcome I want to reach, I create a to-do list. I dump down everything that will help me to meet that outcome or goal. Taking it step by step from finding my sketchbook to sending an invoice.
If you don't have a specific outcome in mind but are juggling a lot of tasks, just start writing them down as they come to your head. Then you will have everything that was locked in your brain, down in writing for you to come back to. You are much less likely to forget a task or step, meaning you won’t waste time taking steps backwards. But the to-do list is not done yet!
Getting Your Priorities In Check!
Great! We know what our tasks are, but which do we start with? It’s time to work out which tasks take priority. I like to use the method known as the Eisenhower Matrix, yes it does sound fancy. There are a few ways this method can be applied. You can create a 2x2 table (image below), colour code or number your list. I like to colour code, here is an example of how
I prioritise my to do list:
Pink - Task is urgent and important
Yellow - Task is important but not urgent
Blue - Task is urgent but not important
Red - Task is neither urgent or important.
Your goal here is to filter out irrelevant tasks and order your list by importance and urgency. For you, number 1 may be urgent and important and 4 may be neither important nor urgent.
Or you could create a table like this and place each task in the relevant box.
To use my own example, here are the actions you would take:
Pink - Do (Get the task done! They are first on the list.)
Yellow - Plan (How and when will you complete this task? Second priority.)
Blue - Delegate or Plan (If you have the resources to delegate, get someone else working on that task while you focus on the important tasks. If like me you can’t, place these tasks with the pink or yellow.)
Red - Remove (You can completely scrap these tasks or if they are goals you would like to achieve but don't have time for, place these tasks to the side. You can come back to them when you are in the right place.)
This should help order your to do list, so you can start from the most urgent, important task and work your way through.
Calendar Your Way to Calm
Again, an obvious tip, but calendars have improved my productivity more than anything else! Tasks all have different timescales and deadlines, so scheduling is very important. As you may have gathered, I love colour coding, so when I glance at my calendar, I know where to focus my energy. I use different colours for client work, personal work and business work.
This is incredibly useful when working to deadlines but also to utilize the time when I have the most energy. You may be someone who is full of energy in the morning or maybe you're a night owl. Whichever you are, a calendar allows you to plan high energy tasks for when you are most productive and low energy tasks, such as admin, for when you struggle with concentration.
Managing your energy is so important to prevent burn out. While it might be exciting to plan all these tasks, it's crucial to place personal time in your calendar as well. These could be breaks, walks, workout, just going for a shower, meeting with friends and family and any trips or holidays. Here is a little view of how I would organise my calendar.
Be Prepared!
In the past I have wasted so much time trying to figure out what I need to do during the day. But if you take just 5 minutes each night (it could be while you're watching tv) and quickly plan what you want to achieve the next day and pop your tasks in your calendar. When you wake up, you wont need to worry about what to do because you have already planned it! Not only does it save time but so much anxiety and stress is taken away.
A Breath of Fresh Air
While all this planning and scheduling is great for efficiency. As I said earlier it is important to block out time for rest and enjoyment. If you are also creative, constantly working away with no break, can completely dampen your imagination. Often this can cause artist’s block and really damage motivation.
Be sure to plan time to see friends, family, see and do things that inspire you and bring you joy. And allow time to just lie down and stare at the ceiling if that's what you need to do (me too). Your calendar is not set in stone, most tasks are flexible. Life is unpredictable and out of our control, so don't let the calendar control your life. It is simply a guide, so that you feel a bit less lost in all of the mess.
The Little Wins
Celebrating, even just in a small way, can really boost motivation.
Personally I like to put a star in my calendar when I complete a task. It may seem pointless but when I look at what I achieved in a day, seeing the little stars is much more pleasing. Maybe you can play your favourite song after a task or eat your favourite snack, whatever gives you a bit of joy.
As a freelancer, you aren't surrounded by people to give you encouragement or praise. These little celebrations can help to keep you on track and most importantly make you happy.
Small Changes Make a Big Difference
Each of these techniques has improved my time management so much. Now when I reach the end of the day I have a sense of achievement that I didn’t have before. Sometimes when you see people around you and online seemingly achieving their goals overnight, it can feel overwhelming. But you don't see the small steps they made to get to that point.
If you have been struggling with time management, I hope this post gave you a few tips. Did this post help you? Let me know, I would love to hear from you. Do you have any time management tricks that you use?
Want to see what I achieve through these techniques? Hop over to my instagram @joelymaria_illustration. I post more tips and tricks, views of my process and other things that inspire me.
