Freelance 101: Manage Your Time LIKE A BOSS!

1. Introduction: are you a freelancer who has been in business for many years, or just starting out? It can be very hard to stay organized and focused with life's responsibilities composed distractions robbing you productive mindset. In this class, students will learn fundamental tips and tricks to stay on schedule and set manageable, reachable goals all while keeping clients happy and keeping the joy that first comes from starting a business. Students of all categories of experience are encouraged to join, since the tips outlined in the class could be applied to any business and a virtually any skill set. That's right, if you're a freelancer and either you've been in the business for a while or you're just starting out. But you're finding it hard to stay organized and stay on task. This classes for you. So go ahead and sign up and I'll see you in lessons 2. The Importance of Organization: first question one address is. Why is it so important to stay organized in a manage your time wisely? Honestly, as with anything in life, the biggest way to be successful is make sure that you're organized. If you're organized, you're not distracted. Your mind is able to focus easily, and you're not getting confused on what's priority and what is it. The biggest estate that could make us freelancers is putting so much on our plate that we don't really put it in spots or slots in our life. Instead, we just agreed to all types of projects and all types of different things in our business. But we haven't really given much thought to the timing of everything or how things are gonna work together. The biggest way to get rid of that problem altogether is to be organized. Sometimes we can actually be stifling our ability to achieve our goals, not because we're not doing anything or lazy, but instead because we have so much on our plate and we don't have everything fit into a schedule or any type of organisation, and we just assume always will get done. And while that's true, lots of things will get done. We can usually put a lot into our schedule. No matter how busy we are, we can force things in right. But the problem is, when we do that, we're not really focusing enough time on the things that we should be. So when it comes to the bigger task, the bigger priorities, sometimes we could put those off and it will get done. But we won't put as much effort as we want to end to those projects. And once that happens, our work starts to suffer. Clients start to see it, and maybe they're not going to tell you. But they definitely wouldn't be as happy as if you put in the extra effort the extra time that it takes just to get that right and just to prepare or even just to put your all in and it does translate into your work. So that's a really good reason why we're going to talk about staying organized and staying neatly arranged mentally because that's kind of where it all starts. So now that we've talked about the importance and why it is important to stay organized and have your time managed, we're going to talk about some ways to do it. 3. How to Prioritize: So now I like to talk to all of you guys about how to prioritize your tasks, mainly how to pick, take all of the bigger ones and make them into smaller ones. And a really easy way to do that is on paper now. A lot of us were going electronic these days, so it can be easy to just jump to a nap Before you do that. I just like to suggest Grab a notebook and let's do this together. So the biggest and easiest way to do this is just grab a notebook and write down, say, your biggest projects or your biggest task that you need to get done within the next month . Now, once you do that, you'll see pretty clear on paper that you could be pretty busy. This is also really telling way to know how they overextended myself, or what can I do better next month? Such things is that, but another thing this will help you to do is if you write down all your bigger task on a piece of paper, we're gonna be able to break these down into smaller chunks, so I'd like you to set aside the sheet that you've made with your bigger tasks to the side . And now I want you to take the very first task and think about what goes into that task, one of the smaller things that have to achieve if I want to succeed at that top task. So, for the purpose of this example will use since I'm a photographer. Wedding photography. Let's say the clients names are Josh and Amy, so I need to photograph Josh's and Amy's wedding, as you can see on my bigger task list. But when we break it down over here, let's see what I need to do to do that. Now let's break it down into smaller tasks that goes into that big waiting shoot. So first of all, I'm gonna write down. I need to plan the wedding. On top of that, I need to have a consultation. I need to make a shot list. I need to go to the venue ahead of time and also meet with the wedding plans that on top of that, I'm gonna have to take the photos. I'll need to edit the photos on lead to order prints and then I'll need to deliver to the client. So now you can see already I have a list of things in that first task so I can start planning now. When it comes to adding this task of this wedding to my calendar, I'm going to split that up into several different pieces. So, for example, I can set the consultation on a certain day at that to the calendar. I can add it going to the venue another day, making the shot list. I can probably start that pretty early, but probably after the consultations will add that to another day on the calendar. As you see, we're already getting organized as far as that task owes, that's one big task. But instead of waiting to the end, and obviously I'd have a consultation with the client. But splitting it down into these little tasks helps me to achieve everything I want to do along every step of the way. And that's the easiest way to make sure you get everything done in the time frame you want . This is the best way to ensure that you're not losing any productivity in the meantime, so this is basically the easiest way to do it. on paper. Now I'm gonna show you a really great app that I use to do it on your phone. Okay, so now I'd like to show you a digital way to prioritize your task and just to make a list of things that you concede in front of you at all times So you can use this on your iPhone on your iPad. And I think there might also be an android. APA's well, so the one I want to show you first is minimalist, as you'll see on the left side of my screen there, that one with the white icon with the black check mark. So let's go ahead. Doping it out. And the reason I really like this is because it's so simple to use. So I don't want to show you is how easy it is to add your tasks. So what you're gonna do is swipe your finger from the top to the bottom of the screen and it says, pulled down to add notice. Now you can start typing, so let's go ahead and add the task that I had from my larger tests notebook. So the 1st 1 was Josh and Amy wedding, and now all I have to do is either hit done on the bottom right or just tap in the middle of the screen, and that will save my task. So there it is, simple enough. Let's go ahead and add a couple more. So had business taxes on there, and then we'll add one more. Say, find a studio. Okay, now the great thing about this app is how easy it is to mark task off or to add a reminder . And so here's how you do that. First of all, if you want to edit something that you made, go ahead and swipe left on top of the text and it'll show these options on the right. You can either edit it or delete it, but now let me show you how to make reminders for your tasks. So if you swipe left on your task and then you hit edit notice on the bottom right, there's something that looks like timeframe. Hit that, and now you'll notice that you'll get a reminder as to when you should do it, and you can also make this task weekly. Daily monthly custom eso It's set mind for say, October 1st at 9 a.m. And then he confirmed notice. It's gonna give you a reminder straight from this app not only when you're supposed to have this task by, but it will tell you in advance. Hey, have you done this? And then once you wanted completed tasks, it's also easy. Go ahead and swipe right on your task and they will check it off, but also move it to the bottom of the list. So this is great for a sense of accomplishment, because once you start swiping things off, you'll notice Oh, hey, check it out. I've done a lot. So now that we've talked about hotter prioritize our tasks, using digital or just paper methods, we're now going to talk about scheduling tools, mostly digitally. 4. Digital Schedule Tools: digital scheduled tools. Thes could be really, really useful when it comes down to you, making sure you get everything done on time, no matter how hard we try. It could be really easy to get off task because we have so many things going on in our busy lives and as a freelancer. That's not something you want to let happen to your projects. When it comes to things in your business, when it comes to projects you have to focus on, you don't want to push him into the background, because if you got of all things you don't want to forget. But then, on top of that, you want to make sure that your priority items get done in a timely fashion as well. Now I'm gonna show you one useful tool that I found on my iPhone and out that will help you stay on schedule, along with making sure your task prioritized and fresh in mind. Minimalist is the app I used for the bigger task. But once I split those up in a smaller task and I want reminders, I usually use sorted, so notice EDS on the right side of my screen. Let's go ahead and open it up. So what it does? Is it split thes task by the day that you set them? So today, September 21st Thursday and you'll notice the date on the bottom. Let's go ahead and add a smaller task for the wedding. So I've got find a venue on there, find a venue I've got, have a consultation. And finally, let's just add take photos. I want to set different time frames for these tasks. I want to set them for different days in different times, and that's super easy to do. Slide left on your task and on the bottom hit date. Now you can choose whatever date you need for that task. Let's go ahead and hit the 30th and now it's moved to that day. Let's say I want to do that for both of the tasks up there. Slide left, Slight left. Assigned a date, say, tomorrow and now they're both moved to tomorrow. You can swipe over to move to the next day. Now, on top of that, say you want to set a different time for it. Slide left on the task and now slide up or down on this ruler looking icon on the left. Let's say I want the consultation to be 1 p.m. I'll just keep sliding till I get toe one and then I can just hit in the middle of the screen and it'll save. I really hope that you guys able to use that tool because it's really a great way to make sure that you don't forget what's important and that you're on task for every big and smaller item that's in your business. Next, I'd like to talk to you guys about the power of to do this. 5. Importance of TO DO lists: as a freelancer, I want to highlight how important I find it and how highly I value having a to do list. And I don't want to take a lot of time on this. But just like we saw when we wrote down all are bigger tasks and even the smaller tasks that go along with that it helps us to visualize what we've got going on in our business and also in our life, what needs to be rearranged to make sure that we get the priorities done. And so I really wanted just stress how important it can be to have a to do list in your business. Now you can use a white board. You can use an app. You can use your paper a lot of times. Paper can be a great way to jot things down, and you can even take a picture that with your phone, so that you can stand it in there and have wherever you need to be, so that you can just check on it once in a while. Like where my act all this to do list And so I just want to focus really well on this point because I don't want you to underestimate how powerful that tool really can be, and it takes some extra time and take some of extra effort to try to make that list. And sometimes you have to sit down and just jot down each and every task. But it could be really, really rewarding. So that's really what I wanted to highlight in this video. 6. Benefits of a morning routine: Now we're gonna talk about the benefits of a morning routine, and the questions that can arise are okay. What kind of morning routine do I really need? Is that really going to improve? My lifestyle is a freelancer. Is that really going to help me to achieve my goals? Sometimes my projects air up and down as far as the timing. Or sometimes I'm just too busy to get, you know, some sort of morning routine set. And that's true. Ah, lot of us. You know, our schedules aren't perfect. Our schedules aren't the same, especially as a freelancer. Your business can run on time frames that you can't just decide ahead of time. But when you do have a morning routine and consistency, it can help you to stay in the right frame of mind. And here's what I'm talking about. Since our brains are basically creatures of habit, it can be really easy to fall into a rut where you have bad warnings and it sets off your day in a bad way. Now, if you want to be really productive, you're gonna have to hack your brain into thinking No, this is how we work. So we're not talking morning routine. I'm not really talking about big things that you have to go and do each morning, but something as simple as kind of like what you do before bed. Usually, you'll either hang out on your phone or your you'll eat a snack or possibly read a book, Whatever be, and then you'll start getting relaxed. Well, the same thing can happen. Conversely, when you wake up as freelancers, we want to set ourselves up for the best day possible at work from home at the minute we wake up those air very crucial moments in the day. What you do in those first few moments can kind of set the stage for the rest of the entire day. So to be ableto hack your day, so to speak, you're gonna want to start that early in advance as faras being productive. A really great way to do that is to just follow the exact same routine in the morning. So say you're a type of person that gets up at different times throughout the day. Maybe you get it at 6 a.m. today. The next day you get up at nine the next day at five. Whatever time you want to get up, try to do the exact same thing each and every day. Follow over team. That's good enough, but easy enough that you're not putting too much effort into it. The key here is really just the consistency, the consistency of the tasks. And once you do that, especially on your work days, you'll see that you're gonna get in the right frame of mind. You're gonna have a consistent feel throughout the day, and the next time you have to go to work, you're gonna be ready to go. Some ideas and some suggestions for morning routines would be check your calendar and mark off the day that came before this one. Take a look at your bigger tasks and smaller tasks to do list. Take a look at your calendar app as well. Grab a cup of morning, Joe. If you like coffee and maybe just take a few moments for yourself to sit and think about what you want this day to accomplish. As you can see, it doesn't have to be really complicated. It could be a simple as those few steps, but if you do this every single day, and especially the days that you're working. You'll start to get in the same frame of mind each time and you'll be more and more productive each and every day you have to go to work. 7. Wrap Up & Class Project: Well, I'd like to wrap up the class here and say I really, really hope that you enjoyed this class and that you can use it for your free backs business and really understand how important it is to stay organized, how important it is to manage your time wisely when we're not organized. Sometimes it could be really difficult to stay on task and to make sure we get everything done in a timely fashion or everything that we envision ourselves doing for the day or for the month for the project. And that's really what we're going to avoid this freelancing because that's really the whole reason that we came into this. That's really the whole reason we tried to work for ourselves or make ourselves a business because you wanted to enjoy it. And you're not gonna find a lot of enjoyment when you're overly stressed when you're super super overwhelmed with all the things you've got going on. And the easiest way to get rid of that is to find ways to manage your time and to organize yourself so you never have any surprises, at least not things that you can't adjust for. So if you did enjoy the class. Feel free to check out any of my other classes. And on top of that, I also like to see you make a class project giving a screenshot or a photo or some other way of sharing your to do list. Or maybe a task that you broke down from big into smaller ones and give us an idea what you're working on. Maybe we can give you a couple tips and give us a couple suggestions. All of us in this community are here for each other. So thank you so much for watching, and I'll see you in the next one.