Hands down, time management is one of the hardest parts of being a freelance writer. You don’t have a boss to hold you accountable, and it’s really easy to get to the end of the day and realize you didn’t accomplish anything meaningful.

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I thought I had pretty much mastered the art of time management, until COVID hit. COVID was the ultimate distraction for me, and accomplishing my daily work tasks felt next to impossible.

My assignments suddenly started taking three times as long as they normally did, and I felt frustrated and out of sorts. It’s only really been in the past month that I finally started to feel like myself again.

So all that to say, if time management is a struggle for you, I get it. It’s hard to manage work, parenting, life, and the distractions of all the craziness that’s going on in the world right now.

5 time management tips for freelancers

I’m no time management expert, but I have learned a lot about the topic over the years. So if you’re struggling right now, here are five time management tips that will help.

1. Prepare the night before

Everyone loves to talk about morning routines, but I don’t hear nearly as many people talk about developing a good evening routine. But the best way to set yourself up for success is by preparing the night before.

For instance, I wake up early to work out in the morning, so I always fill up my water bottle and set out my workout clothes the night before. That way, when my alarm goes off at 5:30, I’m not stumbling around in the dark trying to find everything I need.

I also make my breakfast the night before, and I have my kids make their lunches. It doesn’t take that much time to do, but it will save you a lot of frustration in the morning when you’re feeling pressed for time.

2. Take some time for yourself first

Is it possible to write an article on time management without talking about self-care? I’m not sure that it is!

I do think it’s important to take some time for yourself first thing in the morning.

You can call this a morning routine, but you don’t have to.

I don’t always like the way people talk about morning routines. If you want to spend two hours meditating, journaling, working out, repeating affirmations, etc. then by all means, go for it.

But I don’t think this is realistic for everyone, and I think it causes a lot of people to just give up on the idea altogether. Just take some time to do something you enjoy first thing in the morning.

Even if it’s just giving yourself 10 minutes to enjoy a cup of coffee before starting your day. I promise you, it will make a difference.

3. Make your days really boring

Here’s the thing -- if you want to be productive, then you’re going to have to accept a certain level of monotony to your days. I do the same things pretty much every day, guys.

I send at least three proposals and follow up with clients. I finish my client work for the day, which is usually between two to three articles. I answer emails, and work on this blog.

That’s it.

I pretty much always do the same things in the same order, and so I naturally become faster at doing these tasks. I also write for many of the same clients every month, so the work becomes easier over time.

One of the things I talk about in my freelance writing course is the importance of setting a schedule for yourself. When you have a schedule and always know what you’re going to be working on, you’ll get more accomplished in less time.

4. Prioritize your most important tasks first

One of the first things I do every day is send at least three proposals. I’ll also follow up with any clients or leads I haven’t spoken to in a while.

And every single day, I’m tempted to skip over this step or push it off until later.

Why? Because sending proposals is boring and tedious. I’m much more motivated to work on client work and start making progress on my daily income goals.

But here’s the thing -- if I stop sending proposals and looking for new work then eventually, my client work will drop off. I’ll lose a big client, or my current clients will just start assigning me less work.

And suddenly, I’ll find myself scrambling to find more work and stressing over how I’m going to pay my bills that month. So get in the habit of doing the boring but necessary tasks like sending proposals first.

5. Stop telling yourself you don’t have enough time

Okay, my final point is to stop telling yourself you don’t have enough time to get everything done.

Instead, I want you to ask yourself, “How can I get all of this done?”

I have no doubt that many of you are far busier than I am.

Some of you are parents of very young children.

Some of you have full-time jobs.

Some of you are going to school full-time.

I’m not trying to discount any of that. But if building a freelance writing business is important to you then you’ll find the time for it.

And here’s the thing -- the only thing you absolutely HAVE to do is send proposals and then complete the work. That’s it.

You don’t have to set up a WordPress website. You don’t have to start posting on social media every day. And you don’t have to do any cold outreach if you don’t want to -- you can just send proposals to jobs you find on job boards.

My point is, do what you can with where you’re at right now. But don’t tell yourself that you don’t have time and give yourself a reason to not even try.

Final thoughts on time management

If there’s one thing I want you to take from this blog post it’s that time management is a skill, and when you practice it, you will get better. It may not happen overnight, but if you’re consistent, then you’ll be amazed by what you can accomplish in a few years.

If you’re struggling to find the time to look for work, I highly recommend using Upwork. I got my start as a freelance writer on Upwork, and I still use it to this very day.

And you should definitely sign up for my free training How to Use Upwork as a Freelance Writer. It will teach you everything you need to know to use the platform to land high-paying clients.

You can learn more here:

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