How to manage your work week more efficiently
<p><em>When you first decided to become a freelancer or a self-employed worker, you might have had only a few projects or clients. It was easier to manage. Now that you work on many things at the same time, how can you organize everything? In this article, we will give you a few tips on how to manage your work week more effectively.</em></p>
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<h3>Have your boundaries in mind</h3>
<p>Before you start working, here is a friendly tip: always have your boundaries in mind when you organize your work week. Why? Simply because if you have decided to work 35 hours per week and always end up doing 40, there might be an issue. Same thing if you always need to work in the evenings and weekends. It is possible once in a while, but if you have decided to become a freelancer, it is likely because you want a better life quality. If needed, take the time to <a href="https://www.momenteo.com/blog/freelance-life-how-to-set-boundaries-" target="_blank">define your boundaries</a>, and plan your work week accordingly. </p>
<h3>Know your natural schedule</h3>
<p>Are you a morning person or someone more productive in the evenings? Knowing when you are the most effective can help you use your time to your advantage. For example, some people are more creative than others after lunch. Consequently, they will do administrative tasks like invoicing in the morning. Furthermore, more and more women say that their menstrual cycle impacts their productivity over the month. To be followed! </p>
<h3>Keep a moment for your administrative tasks</h3>
<p>Did you plan a specific time in your schedule for administrative work? When you become a freelancer or a self-employed worker, you must manage all tasks like prospecting, meeting clients, invoicing, accounting, etc. Consequently, we suggest you keep a specific time in your week to deal with all the administrative tasks. It will allow you to avoid forgetting to send an invoice or contacting back a client. Also, when you <a href="https://www.momenteo.com/blog/how-to-come-up-with-a-winning-quote" target="_blank">create an estimate</a>, consider including this work time in your prices. </p>
<h3>Make a list of priorities</h3>
<p>When you plan your weekly schedule, take a moment to make a list of priorities. You could use time blocks for tasks requiring more hours and then arrange them by order of importance or deadline. For example, let us say that you are a translator and need to work on three texts this week. Why not start with the most challenging one? The remaining work will then be more effortless. As Mark Twain said, ‘’eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.’’ </p>
<h3>Focus on one task at a time</h3>
<p>It is vital to mention that multitasking will harm your productivity instead of helping it. Indeed, when you stop everything to read an email or complete a small task, each time, you lose a few precious minutes to understand what it is about. Instead, think about focusing and completing one task at a time. If needed, remove notifications to avoid being distracted or use the Pomodoro technique, which consists of working for 25 minutes on something and taking a 5-minute break after. </p>
<h3>Have everything you need before starting to work</h3>
<p>Another way to manage your work week more effectively is to have everything you need before starting your work. How many times did you leave your desk because you forgot your coffee mug or phone in another room? In the same vein, do not start a project before you have received all the necessary information or materials. Besides avoiding beginning all over again, you will avoid the frustration of always being stopped. Plan your tasks accordingly.</p>
<h3>Keep time for the unexpected</h3>
<p>A frequent mistake made by freelancers and self-employed workers is to fill their work schedule at its maximum capacity because they are worried about lacking money or saying no to their clients. Unfortunately, emergencies and unexpected things are frequent. You may also fall sick or are less productive than expected. Consequently, why not keep some extra time for the unexpected in your schedule? For example, as with the Pomodoro technique, consider keeping 30 minutes daily to face unexpected challenges. Your unplanned events will then be planned!</p>
<h3>Prepare the next day</h3>
<p>When you finish your work week, why not take a moment to prepare the next day? Since you already know where you are, it will be easier to plan what is left to do. Moreover, when you start working, you will keep some precious time because you will know what you need to do first. It is even more important if you are a morning person. Many tools, whether paper or online, can help you manage your work week. </p>
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<p>In conclusion, it will be easier to plan your work week more efficiently if you take the time to organize everything. Indeed, manage your workload according to your boundaries, natural schedule, and the type of work you need to do. Then, do not forget to add time for your administrative work and unexpected events. If you do not manage to do everything you want, it might be relevant to <a href="https://www.momenteo.com/blog/should-i-delegate-my-tasks-if-so-which-ones-and-how-" target="_blank">delegate some tasks</a>. Good luck!</p>