What’s on the iPod: No News by Lonestar
Head over to the Productive Writers blog to see John Soares’ interview with Anne Wayman and yours truly. Thanks, John!
Bit of a blur yesterday in terms of getting work done or anything remotely associated with marketing. I did have contact with three potential clients — the helpful kind of contact. I’ll be meeting these people at the conference, so I’m happy to be of some help to them.
Today’s tasks include some product summaries and a bit more waiting for word on not one, but three different projects. Possibly four, but I’m sure of three. While I’m at it, I thought I’d make good use of the spare time on personal projects.
Good use of time: John Soares said last week that it was one of the attributes of a freelance mindset. So what does that take exactly?
Discipline. Hands off the Facebook games and the Angry Birds! If you find yourself distracted more oftehn than you’re working, you could use some self-imposed discipline. Pretend you have a loud, angry boss looming over your shoulder, or turn off your Internet connection and simply work on your projects without constant email or surfing interruptions.
Regular work hours. Don’t get excited. I don’t mean you have to work 9-to-5 hours (unless you want to). I mean good time management includes a regular routine. If you love working Wednesday through Saturday, go for it. Are evenings better for you? Again, your choice. Just know that regular helps keep you aligned with all those deadlines. Know also that your time is yours to command. If you’re able to work well on a more sporadic schedule, it’s your call. If you’re just starting out, try designating how many hours per day you’ll devote to your business.
Organization. I’m the queen of punctuality, and sometimes that translates into organizing my work days. But organizing is tough — you have to know how much time you need for each job, and you need to be realistic about what you can accomplish. Try writing down your to-do list on paper, then prioritize it by what has to happen first. Keep yourself on track with daily to-do lists you prepare the night before or the week before.
Flexibility. Projects don’t come in at regular intervals, nor do clients patiently wait their turn while you finish projects in front of theirs. Learn to expect the unexpected, and leave enough space in your day so you can tackle those quick-turnaround projects that have to be done yesterday.
Selfishness. Yes, I’m promoting selfishness — you have to guard your work time selfishly. That means your sister’s calls go to voice mail and you can’t lunch with a friend just because she has a day off. Say no more often, especially when you know you should.
What is part of your time management practice?
As you know, Lori, I took on my 1st retainer arrangement with a client. Because I have never done that kind of arrangement before, I decided to track my time for their projects. I'm not reporting them. It was for my information to ensure I am pricing them correctly.
It's been an eye-opener. Although for many of us, tracking hours is the last thing we want to do as a freelancer, I still think it's not a bad idea to do for a couple of reasons.
1) It helps focus you and discourages distraction when you know you're on the clock. So, if you have a project that you are easily distracted from (and we all have them), try going on the clock to focus.
2) It gives you a reality check on your fees and pricing projects. I think it's a good idea to periodically go on the clock for some of the projects you do on a regular basis to assess your fees.
I'm using Toggl (which Anne Wayman suggested in a post) and it works fine. It's behind the scene and has reports. It's not perfect, but meets my needs
Time management is tricky for the easily distracted types like me. I don't do Facebook and don't know what Angry Birds is all about, but I'm distracted by things like, oh…the fact that my house is still a mess after Easter. The tablecloth needs laundering, the folding table and chairs need to be put away, and all of the paint chips and dust that blew inside during the window trim scrape-a-thon need to be cleaned. I'm also fighting the urge to go out and paint the new porch rail and whatever trim I can reach – thankfully it's a bit too chilly today for that. And in the back of my mind I keep reminding myself to finish the taxes, write the check that will drain my account, and mail that sucker in by the 15th.
That said, yesterday I really buckled down and knocked out a column and did the bulk of work on two small projects that are due today. No Twitter. No LinkedIn. My breaks were limited to reading a little e-mail and checking Lori's blog, of course!
I do set regular hours, usually about 10-6, but I will start early or work late to make up time if I run an errand or get distracted by chores.
As for tracking time, that's also good for gauging how per-word rates really break down. One client pays only 20-cents per word, but their assignments are simple, quick, usually no transcribing, and they pay at the first of every month. At first I was hesitant to accept such a low per-word rate, but I went for it, tracked my hours and realized the hourly rate is decent.
I don't play computer games, so that's not a distraction.
Flexibility is the biggest thing. Mother Nature needs certain things done certain times. If it's going to rain for X days, and I need to work in the yard when it's sunny, I'll work during daylight hours and then work on the computer instead at night.
My biggest thing is: always keep your most creative time for your most creative projects. I write my first 1K of the day first thing in the morning, when I'm freshest and most in tune with that type of writing.
Writing for others — even contracted — comes AFTER I've done my first 1K of the day.
I just started using a time organizer, (in fact that is my post for Wed.) and really like the outcome. I get more done when I write it down and hold myself accountable. Working from home makes it easy to put projects off. When I am at school I'm held by time constraints, but at home it feels like I have extra time.
Cathy, it's amazing also how much time you think you've spent on something versus how long you actually have, isn't it? I've had projects that were faster than I anticipated and some that just went on and on… If I hadn't timed it, I wouldn't have known.
You're right that it keeps you on track. Hard to hop on Facebook or LinkedIn when you know the clock should be ticking.
Paula, I find the distractions go away whenever the clock is running. It's so easy to get in the habit of sticking to it when you know someone is paying for those minutes.
Devon, great point about flexibility. I've spent a few days outside weeding too — for the same reason. The rain is absent (too absent) and the weeds that aren't dying are choking out everything.
Wade, I'm eager to read your post! It's always neat to see how something so simple can make such a huge impact.
Lori – sounds like Wade has discovered why we love our lists. We might not be tracking time with the lists, but they make us accountable. It feels great to cross something off the list, but when something doesn't get completed it's still on that list, taunting us and holding us accountable.