Time Management Tips for the Busy Freelance Designer
Staring blankly at a half completed design concept for a batch of new business cards is a freelance designer struggling with a major case of creativity block. Lost for ideas, the designer taps at the mouse, trying this colour and that font without any luck. Minutes drift by that soon spur into hours and in what seemed like a blink of an eye, the day draws to a close. While a lack of creativity may appear to be the cause of such an unproductive day, it is in fact not.
As designers, we spend many hours of our week in similar situations to the above freelancer struggling to come up with designs that we’re happy with. However, by introducing a well structured time management plan into our routine, we could take control of our days virtually overnight.
You’re probably thinking that managing your time is something that CEO’s and other bean counting schmucks need to be worrying about, however you couldn’t be more wrong. The success of any service provision type business is all about managing time as closely as possible to ensure that hours quoted are hours actually spent. Without tracking or managing your time, your days will quickly begin to blur and projects you quoted on will start costing you rather than your client.
Getting Some Rhythm
Organising your time is all about introducing some rhythm into your life. Our brains love working in patterns, so if we can start implementing some tasks that recur at regular intervals during our week, our brains will quickly snap into the right mode for the right task at the right time. This is the first step in establishing some structure to your week.
Each of us would have a set number of tasks that we have to complete each week to ensure our business runs smoothly. This could be marketing, sales, accounting or business development just to suggest a few. By defining these key tasks and working out when we will do these tasks each week, we instantly gain focus on what needs to be done and when. For example, if you decide that on Tuesday mornings, you will focus on marketing, each Tuesday morning, you’ll wake up and your brain will instantly click into marketing mode!
It’s important that once you define this rhythm, you never stray from it. If you get some ideas to market your business, write them down and keep them for your marketing time. If you think about an account that needs to be balanced, save that for your Accounting time. Doing this will actually motivate you more and will allow you to think about those ideas a little further before rushing into them.
Box That Time!
The second step in organising your time is to start boxing your time. Time boxing is all about working on a specific task for a set duration – no more and no less. David Cheong put it best when he said:
By fixing the amount of time we spend on a given set of tasks, we can focus on doing the things that matter, give us motivation to start, prevent overruns and use our “null” times effectively. In contrast, if we worked on things until completion in one sitting, we’re less likely to start on complex tasks, more likely to overrun on open ended tasks and ultimately it leaves us with less time and motivation to work on the next set of tasks.
Outside of our regular weekly tasks, many hours are spent completing work for clients. This is the perfect type of work that could be time boxed. For example, instead of spending an entire day finishing off that single website, split the portion of your day allocated to clients into 1-2 hour blocks. For smaller projects, stick to one hour and two hours for larger projects. Two hours is the perfect amount of time to get started, get focused and get motivated on those complex tasks.
Defining A Weekly Calendar
Now that we have a clear understanding of our week, we need to map it out. Having something that we can see in front of us reminding us of when we should be working on what is important to gaining structure and focus. This is especially important early on as we’re still trying to reprogram our minds into following such a strict timetable.
Your weekly calendar shouldn’t be focused on just work. It should include personal tasks and other goal related items to give us focus in both our work and personal lives. Here are some examples of what you could include in your calendar:
- Personal Development – Fitness & health, relaxing, reading/writing
- Business Development – Administration, business planning, marketing
- Relationships – Partner, family, friends
- General Work – Client work, emails, accounts
Once you’ve worked out all of the different types of tasks you need to complete each week, map out a chart that contains all of the hours in the day down the vertical axis and all of the days of the week along the horizontal axis. Now proceed to fill in all of the blanks in between with the various tasks you need to complete each week.
The following is an example of a fairly standard weekly calendar:
Visually Appealing
As freelancers, we’re all very visual people thus it is important that we relay this into our new time plan. The best way to do this is to associate colours to specific tasks from our weekly calendar and then follow through by colouring folders, files and other objects that relate to those tasks in similar colours.
We all know that colour is truly an amazing thing. By applying colour to our designs, we can trigger emotions and set moods instantly. Associating colours to key tasks acts in a similar fashion and can play a vital role in increasing our efficiency and motivation while also setting a positive mood for the work we have to complete that day.
Start by colouring each of your tasks in your weekly calendar. Once you’re done, colour each of the documents, files, folders and other objects that relate to those tasks in the same colour. This way, next time you need to start focusing on a given task, you’ll instantly know what you’ll need to grab to get started!
Here is the same weekly calendar as shown above but with colour applied to it:
Track That Time!
So, after spending truckloads of time getting your weekly calendar in order, it’d be a shame to see it all go to waste because you never actually tracked your time. Time tracking is probably the most important part to this exercise as it provides us with a firm understanding of where our time is actually being spent. It also ensures that we’re sticking to our time plan and providing accurate quotes to our clients.
The easiest way to start tracking your time is to create a timesheet template which you can fill out each day. In the template, include fields for the project name, the client name, the date, the time you started on the work and the time you finished. At the end of the week, review your timesheets for each day and compare it to the work you completed and the quotes you provided to your clients. You’ll quickly start realising what took longer, what quotes you under quoted on and where all those hours really went. It no longer seems like such a blur does it?!
Stop Wasting Your Time!
Implementing a well thought out time plan to your week is the perfect solution when you’re feeling a little lost in your business. They provide structure, focus and motivation and really allow you to get a grasp on your priorities. No longer will you feel like you’re simply working in your business struggling to meet the constant demands of your clients. Start working on your business. Set your tasks, stick to them and you’ll be on time every time before you know it.
Jon Bergan is a passionate web designer and developer from the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. He is also the owner and founder of a small creative design firm named Bergan Blue. Follow him on Twitter
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Nice post. Time management is crucial when it comes to doing work. I think several of these carry over into the the world of all designers :) Thanks for sharing. “Stop wasting your time” is very crucial agree 100%
Between this and Smashing Magazine’s recent article (http://bit.ly/30TNOd) I’d say freelancers just got a whole lot more productive! Good read.
@chad @matt
Thanks guys! Glad you like the article!
When it comes to running your own business, time is of the essence. When we have no control over our time, our days begin to blur and we end up having no real idea where any of that time actually went. Hopefully my article will give FYC readers back the control they’re after!
Rgds,
JB
Thank you for the push, I’ll have my schedule done tonight!
I am new to setting my own schedule and it has definitely been a blurry couple of weeks. I was talking with my better-half last night about needing to divide up my day, so this post is very timely.
This is a wonderful article Jon! After I scheduled it to go up last night I sat down and created a schedule for myself. I already had one but it really wasn’t working well for me and I got a lot of great tips from your examples that I think really improved my schedule.
I’ve been using a combination of David Allen’s GTD and the Pomodoro method for the past couple of months which has upped my productivity quite a bit. Having a great schedule to go along with it should give me yet another boost.
Thanks for the tips, good article! I need to start getting in a proper ‘work’ routine. Just starting out I find it hard to focus, and still take breaks for lunch, and dinner, before I know it im squinting and realize its 9pm and I never had dinner.
A really good tool for tracking and logging your time is freshbooks. You can add your clients and projects, and what your doing exactly. There is also a widget to time you as well. Classifying as categories helps too…you can create. ex: design, research, meeting/emailing. BTW its free for up to 3 clients (but I just have one ‘client’ “web design” and I make the ‘projects’ my client names)
Excellent article, I really like the approach you layout here. I feel like I have a pretty good handle on time management when it comes managing the daily business and client work. Outside of that it tends to fall off a bit (wasting time is a habit), especially when it comes to personal projects that are for the most part business related. I think getting a bit more organized when it comes to overall scheduling and time management might be just what I need to focus on. Time to put it down on paper.
@Matt – I like that approach when it comes to Freshbooks. Been a long time user there myself and have been looking for a more accurate way to track projects that are not billed hourly. I think what you have describe might work. Thanks.
@Dan, It definitely helps. Gives you structure and focus and as busy freelancers, these are two things we desperately need to have! Hope it helps!
@Angie, thats fantastic news! Great to hear so many people diving in and implementing some of my suggestions. Its refreshing! So many people don’t take their time seriously. You’d be suprised where half of it goes! Hope your new schedule works out well for you :)
What you say is so right and positive. We all need structure to be productive!
great idea.
I especially love your use of the idea of rhythm in time management, as well as the visuals! I’ve linked to your post in my blog this morning and thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
Thank you, I will using these tips to work on my time management arrangements in time for the kids returning to school. Holidays are always a bit topsy turvey but I do need to get organised once they’re over.
Very practical tips you got there. And as we all know, the planning part is half the battle. If you track your time, you can compare what you planned on doing to what you actually did. For some, a simple spreadsheet would suffice. For others, a time tracking system could help . . . maybe even if it were on one’s phone? You can still have a pretty looking chart in the end. ;)
As an employee of a state company your article describes time management in a pretty easy to understand way. I like it!
This is something I should have done long ago, but haven’t. Thanks for the article and hopefully it will inspire me to get my time in order.
Wow! Thanks to everyone for their comments – I’m so glad you all loved the article. Hopefully you’ve all had a chance to sit down and review your weekly schedule! It can make a huge difference!
@David Structure and rhythm is key!
@Paula Thanks so much for the link! :) Rhythm plays a huge part when it comes to implementing a successful time management plan such as this.
@Jessica Time tracking definitely helps. It not only improves your quotes but it also allows you to see where your time is going. Still, I know for sure that half of us don’t track our time as much as we should, however if we all have some kind of schedule mentioned in my post, we’d still be better off!
@Nick Thats always the best way! Keep It Simple! Hell, my business plan is ONE PAGE!
@Gina I know you’ll get your schedule sorted! Once you do, you’ll feel like you’re in control of your business again :)
Thanks again to everyone for the comments. Its so great!
Rgds,
JB
I am not a designer, but these time management tips will help me.
I’m thinking about using google calendar, I don’t know how about coloring your tasks there, but you can have separate calendars with your needed things and attac or detach them from full view.
When you print your calendar (weekly or mothly) it look very simple and clearly.
This is just my opinion :)
@Tomas, I’ve actually used Google Calendar in the past for this and you can colour your time blocks quite easily! It will also email you as specific tasks are about to begin. Really great for accessing your schedule virtually anywhere or updating it as you’re out and about.
Good luck with it all!
Great post, thanks for taking the time to share.
This is a great post. I’m 5 days away from being free of the cube-farm corperate IT world and have roughly 4-6 months to make what I can of my time. I have a TON of ideas, projects, and personal aspirations that I’m hoping to fulfill and it already feels like I’m running out of time before it’s begun. The only possible way to accomplishing near as much as I want is to come up with a schedule of some kind – but let me pose this to you.
At the beginning of the article you make the assumption that ‘ our brains like we’re all wired like ‘this’….that we secretly love pattens and habits and such, so the rest of the suggestions are built upon that. I’m not so sure I agree with this, OR, perhaps there’s a phase in between that’s necessary for people like myself who very much do not adhere to patterns, routines, or habits. Put simply, I have a very random, chaotic method to all things creative and where many seem to work in linear progression from phase to phase it often feels like I seem to work in spiral (if that makes any sense ). Basically I have a heavily right brained means of going about things, with a very left brained ‘ perfectionist’ expectation and it often leaves me in the situation you illustrated at the very beginning; focusing, if not fixating, on the smallest details until it becomes what I envision.
Each step you present is great and I fully agree, but the same reason the GTD system didn’t work for me will likely be the downfall of your advice as well. GTD suggested making flow charts and lists. People like me dont make such things…it feels too constricting on the process…..if we do we don’t bother to reference them or let them guide us. (( I equate it to making a list for the store, then forgetting the list….doh )). The same mentality will likely sabotage your suggestions with things like a ’schedule blocked ‘ weekly calendar to abide by. I’m not saying it doesn’t make complete sense, but a lot of us won’t make it long enough to let something like that be of help.
So, I guess what I’d love to find is a ‘ survival guide for the first 30 days of becoming organized ‘. I know it needs to be done for the best result. I also know my own nature well enough to know that baby steps towards a lot of what you suggest will be necessary for there to be any chance of it sticking.
Thanks again for the contribution !
Very nice post, specially about setting your schedule in a nice visual way. It is really important to have all possible reminders in your face, at least when you are starting and really need to put some boundaries on your personal time in order to get somewhere.
Set up that weekly schedule like back in the school times! ;)
Awesome article. :)
@h1brd, Agreed! I almost feel like I’m walking around school with my timetable now… Ugh! Although it is a good thing. :)
@Zak Morris, thanks for the comment! I know what you mean though. My life often feels the same – so much going on. It almost feels like it would be impossible to try and structure it or set those boundaries, however they are important.
Whether or not you’d like to believe it or not, our brains do thrive on patterns. They work better when there is some structure. They click into “Marketing” mode before you even wake up if they know marketing is that morning. A lot of research has gone into how patterns effect our minds and our brain and studies have shown that if we work to patterns, we are generally more motivated and focused. Give it a try anyway. Even if you only apply it to one or two things such as your marketing and your business development. It may prove worthwhile!
@Marnie B, you’re just saying that because you’re married to me. ;)
Thanks again guys for the comments! LOVE the feedback!
JB
Thank you for this. My refridgerator is soon to be adorned with a time schedule for my week.
I know I’m late to jump in but I really wanted to say this is a fantastic article Jon!
My name is Lisa… and I am a Time Addict! It’s true – I can’t get enough of it, some days I could kill for it! Ok so maybe not literally, but I’m sure you know what I mean!
This is pretty much the method I use, and in reference to Zac’s comments, I use this method BECAUSE I’m very abstract and have absolutely no perception of time! I do have a fantastic little arsenal of tools these days to counteract my ‘creative quirks’. I use a paper diary/planner because I absorb much more when I write things down. I handwrite/sketch client briefs when I’m interviewing a client as it helps me generate ideas. I use billings software which has an integrated time tracker and I also time my iTunes playlist for my less fave administrative and accounts jobs. I love the fact that the design community is a fantastic resource, however, it’s a double-edged sword for me, in that while connecting with other designers keeps me up to date with the latest and greatest, it also chews up a lot of my time – for example my interaction on twitter/facebook is also ’scheduled’ as of this week.
I have also found that having a set schedule helps me say ‘no’ a little more often than I used to be able to. I would often agree to do client jobs, usually at the expense of my family time, in order to not disappoint a client. I’ve been able to set and generally stick to fairly regular work hours, and if one of my kids has a sports carnival I can block out that time and make it up over a night or two beforehand.
@ Zac Morris. You can definitely loosen the example Jon’s given to fit how you like to work – but the key here is to block out time “to get things done” and get them done in the most efficient way possible for you. The rebel in me wanted to fight against the constraints of a schedule (part of the initial appeal of having my own business) but realistically, and this is just my opinion, to make it in business long term there HAS to be some tiny thread of structure for you to start from otherwise your creative chaos will become overwhelming.
Thanks again for a great read Jon!
Nice post! There realy are times that I have a lot to do and simple don’t know where to start…
Next week I wil start with my first weekly calendar.
Thanks!
I really like the idea of setting up a weekly schedule. I have all these tasks on a daily list in my desktop planner, but so many of them get pushed to the next day or are so time-consuming that I’m not even getting started on them until I have a huge block of time available, which rarely happens. The one thing that I think would help most is more structure – I’ll be trying the schedule idea as of next week.
I’m still struggling to get my head around being a freelancer and not in a bigger company. There are so many differences that I wasn’t prepared for. Thanks for this, it has been very interesting.
@Lisa, fantastic comments and I couldn’t agree more. With all of our creative juices flying this way and that, it is important to have some level of structure behind everything we do. Especially as business owners.
It’s great to see someone utilising a similar system to me. Lisa here is living proof that such a system can work for you regardless of how crazy your life is.
@Gert, be sure to let me know how you go with this!!
@Debbie, if it wasn’t for tomorrow, we’d never get anything done! That funny business quote is definitely a true one. Try throwing some structure together in a weekly calendar and hopefully your days will start running smoothly.
@Identity Design, nice name ;-) Hopefully that works out for you SEO wise! Haha. But yes, you’re right! There is a HUGE difference when jumping from a full-time job in a large design firm to a freelancer. Nothing will ever be the same for you again, however I hope you enjoy the ride!
Thanks again everyone. Loving all of this feedback!
JB
Time tracking is one of the toughest things for me to do, but a 2010 resolution for my business. If you haven’t used Freshbooks.com and need a tool for invoicing, it also has a timer that you can record your time while you work.
I recently found out MYOB let’s you track time too. A good tip for those who never knew it was there! :)