PRESENTED BY CORINNE MCKAY, CT [email protected] CTA ANNUAL CONFERENCE: MAY 4, 2013 Time...
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PRESENTED BY CORINNE MCKAY, CT [email protected] CTA ANNUAL CONFERENCE: MAY 4, 2013 Time Management for Freelancers
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Transcript of PRESENTED BY CORINNE MCKAY, CT [email protected] CTA ANNUAL CONFERENCE: MAY 4, 2013 Time...
PRESENTED BY CORINNE MCKAY, [email protected]
CTA ANNUAL CONFERENCE: MAY 4 , 2013
Time Management for Freelancers
TO HELP YOU DETERMINE HOW TO MANAGE YOUR TIME
NOT TO TELL YOU HOW TO MANAGE YOUR TIME
The Goal!
BECAUSE EVERYONE’S CHALLENGES ARE DIFFERENT:
• AVAILABLE AMOUNT OF TIME• RESPONSIBILITIES OUTSIDE WORK
• PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT• FINANCIAL NEEDS• CLIENT NEEDS
• PERSONALITY/PREFERENCES
Why?
Some basic truths:
Time management isn’t just about time. It’s about managing mindset, physical space and priorities.
Many tasks expand to fill the available time.The Internet will take as much time as you
give it.More hours in the chair does not necessarily
mean more productivity You need to have a specific goal in order to
improve your time management.
• TIME MANAGEMENT SURVEY RESULTS• TOP TIPS FOR REGAINING CONTROL
• WHAT A PRODUCTIVE SPACE LOOKS LIKE• MAKING A PLAN!
We’ll cover:
What’s the problem? It’s not just you!
“Always on” business environmentClients in different time zonesWork creeps into home life, home creeps into
workToo much to check: e-mail, multiple phones,
texts, IM, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blog…
Fear: not having enough work, not making enough money, losing a client, not being available when an important message arrives.
Passion for work (not a bad thing!)
Time management survey results
Most common time management challenges:
Procrastinating (64%)Easily distracted (56%)Can’t say no (44%)Lots of responsibilities outside work (42%)
Repercussions of poor time management:
Working late at night or early in the morning (72%)
Not enough time for non-work interests (64%)
Feeling stressed about work/life balance (63%)
Feeling stressed about work (51%)Finishing projects at the last minute (50%)
Goals of better time management:
Feel less stressed about work (61%)Pursue non-work interests (57%)Feel less stressed about work/life balance
(54%)Earn more money (52%)Get more done (50%)
Already tried:
Using a to-do list (66%)Prioritizing tasks (54%)Stress reduction (exercise, meditation, etc.)
(44%)Breaking work into blocks of time (44%)Doing “must dos” before “want to dos” (42%)Thinking about work during down time (42%)
Top tips for regaining control
Taming your e-mail
Read the “Inbox Zero” series on 43folders.comRespond immediately whenever possibleUse e-mail templates for common responsesMercilessly unsubscribe, filter and batchMaybe check e-mail less often (try once an hour)Send fewer and shorter e-mails (a good idea
anyway)Fear not the delete button; especially when the
message is a request for your timeAnswer e-mail when other people are not online, so
that the inbox doesn’t refill faster than you empty it
Taming communications in general
Steer clients and colleagues toward e-mail: avoid phone/IM/text if at all possible (interruptions/hard to archive)
Realistically assess whether a mobile device helps or hurts (the “half on” phenomenon)
Don’t be afraid to put a time limit on phone calls (“I’ve got about 5 minutes, or feel free to shoot me an e-mail”)
Avoiding procrastination
Actively seek out work that you enjoy; don’t just take what lands in the inbox
Keep an “as time allows” list in front of your face
Earmark “mindless entertainment” timeWhen you are no longer productive, stop
workingConsider outsourcing tasks you hateConsider blocking time-sucking websitesForce yourself to do unpleasant tasks first;
just get it over with
Focusing
When a task pops into your head, don’t do it: write it down
Set very short-term goals: make it a good hour, not a good year
Keep your work space as distraction-free as possible
Set a timer for 55 minutes, then do something physical for 5 minutes, then repeat
Don’t be afraid to get radical: rent an office outside the house, put up a Do Not Disturb sign, don’t answer the door or the phone, etc.
Managing non-work responsibilities
The rule of 1 (1 hour a day; 1 responsibility per association, school, etc.)
Don’t feel powerless: who said yes?Take at least one computer-free vacation per yearDon’t be a 150%’er about everything; pick
something to be mediocre atSet personal priorities just as you do work prioritiesGet more efficient about household tasksWhen you feel overwhelmed, say no to all new
requests for your time for a week (month, etc.)
Designing a workspace where you can actually
work
Here?
Or here?
• IDENTIFY A GOAL• IDENTIFY THE CURRENT OBSTACLES• IDENTIFY A PATH TO THE GOAL
Making your plan
Identify a very specific goal
“At least 3 days a week, I would like to stop working at 5:00 and not think about work until the next morning.”
“I would like to work 10 fewer hours per week and earn the same amount of money.”
“I would like to be completely offline from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon.”
“I would like to exercise an hour a day without working overtime to make up for it.”
Identify the current obstacles
“I work in the evenings because I waste too much time during the day.”
“I can’t take a real vacation because I don’t have enough savings.”
“I’m afraid to leave my desk for a minute because a client might call or e-mail.”
“I procrastinate because I don’t look forward to my work”
Identify some potential paths around the obstacle
Give yourself 15 minutes on social media, then close/block those sites
Have a reward waiting: an evening off, money to spend on whatever you want, etc.
Create a completely dedicated workspace: like an insomniac’s bed!
Avoid excuses, blaming and regret: they are wasted emotions
Borrow from other sources: sports, authors you admire, etc.
