When I say I am ‘working’, what I actually mean is writing because that’s what I get paid for. However, there is so much more to being a freelancer than writing/designing/taking pictures. We have to juggle everything from chasing invoices and new work to keeping up to date with the latest skills and trends in our area.
Lately all I have done is write (and I am not complaining!) but the other aspects of running the show have gone by the wayside a bit. It’s a common problem for lots of freelancers and business owners I speak to. Most shrug it off as part and parcel of the job and that much I happily accept – I knew what I was signing up for. However, I’d be really interested to know how, on a practical level, other people manage these multiple demands on their time. How do you make time for the bits of running your business that aren’t your core activity?
It’s a tricky balancing act because I would be very hard pushed to turn down some writing work because I had some book-keeping to finish or felt I needed to catch up on industry news. I can never truly understand people who turn down something fun because they “have a pile of ironing at home” either, but I suppose that’s why my house looks “lived in” and perhaps there’s a lesson in that on the business front too!
These are the main things on my to-do list that I know are important but regularly don’t get ticked off because I am too busy writing:
- Book-keeping - Having an ‘I have until January’ mentality will not make for a happy Christmas break methinks.
- Researching new publications to write for
- Tweaking and streamlining processes
- Contacting new clients
- Catching up with old clients
- Industry reading
- Updating my portfolio
- Doing the marketing campaign I have had planned since…oh, six months ago
- Planning how I want to develop things (let alone putting that plan into action)
I know that these things are all really important – vital in fact - for moving my business forward, otherwise I could just carry on (quite happily) treading water. So, make the time I must. But how? What do you do? This week - a little multiple choice!
a) Stay up late, a lot, due to adding these tasks on after a working day
b) Build this time (and the money for it) into each job. Any tips?
c) Set aside blocks of time each week/month
d) Turn work down when you need to to make sure you get everything done
e) Something else (please, enlighten us!)
What non-core activities do you think are most important to keep up with? Any tips on managing the multiple tasks that a freelance has to do to keep business ticking over and moving forward?
Jun 24, 2009
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