{"id":1642,"date":"2021-04-05T16:00:33","date_gmt":"2021-04-05T14:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timingapp.com\/blog\/?p=1642"},"modified":"2026-01-09T20:46:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T19:46:26","slug":"8-tips-for-better-time-management-for-freelancers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timingapp.com\/blog\/8-tips-for-better-time-management-for-freelancers\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Tips for Better Time Management for Freelancers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Time<\/p>\n

As a freelancer, your time is everything. The faster you can complete projects (without sacrificing the quality of the work), the more money you can make. \u201cTime is money,\u201d as they say.<\/p>\n

Adding hours to your day isn\u2019t the only way to make more money. If you can complete projects faster without wasting precious time, you can schedule<\/em> more projects, and thus make more money. If you waste time, therefore, you\u2019re actually throwing money out the window. So it\u2019s critical that you take time management seriously.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I work for myself,\u201d you might be thinking. \u201cI want freedom and flexibility. I don\u2019t want a boss standing over my shoulder making sure I\u2019m working diligently, so why would I do that to myself?\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a fair sentiment, but good time management doesn\u2019t mean putting yourself under a lot of stress. It doesn\u2019t necessarily mean working extra hard, either. It just means working smartly<\/em>.<\/p>\n

So how do you improve your time management and truly optimize your workday as much as possible? In this article, we\u2019ll explain how with a collection of time management tips for freelancers.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Table of Contents<\/h2>\n

TOC<\/p>\nAs a freelancer, your time is everything. The faster you can complete projects, the more money you can make. <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n

Time Management Tips for Freelancers<\/h2>\n

Whether you\u2019re just getting started as a freelancer or you\u2019ve been doing it for a long time, it\u2019s important to make your workday as productive as possible. These time management tips for freelancers will help.<\/p>\n

1. Track Your Time<\/h3>\n

The first tip is the most obvious but also the most important. This tip will make all of the other tips on this list more effective. Frankly, if you aren’t tracking your time, you\u2019re leaving a lot of money on the table.<\/p>\n

Time tracking is the only<\/em> way to find challenges and inefficiencies in your workday. You can\u2019t review your performance to find ways to improve your time management if you don\u2019t really know how that time was spent. This means you need a time tracking app that not only tracks how long you\u2019ve been working, but what<\/em> you\u2019ve been working on.<\/p>\n

Timing<\/a> is a powerful time tracking app that automatically tracks everything you do, including every app you use and browser tab you open. You can see how you spent your time and how productive you were. There\u2019s no need to click \u201cstart\u201d or \u201cstop\u201d buttons to engage and disengage the timer. It\u2019s always working for you.<\/p>\n

\"Time<\/p>\n

Timing\u2019s dashboard gives you an overview of how your time is distributed across your projects. It even shows when you are most productive, so you know when you do your best work. You can look through your analytics at any time to measure your performance.<\/p>\n

For instance, after completing a project, you could go back and examine how you spent your time. Did you work on tasks efficiently? Did you complete tasks in the wrong order? Did you allow other projects to interrupt your workflow? These factors – and others – are only identifiable with quality time tracking software.<\/p>\n

Grab your free trial of Timing now.<\/a><\/p>\n

2. Use the Pomodoro Technique<\/h3>\n

The Pomodoro Technique<\/a> was developed in the late 1980s by Francesco Cirillo. Cirillo was feeling overwhelmed by his studies and assignments, so committed to just 10 minutes of focused work by using a tomato-shaped kitchen timer to track his time. (Tomato is \u201cpomodoro\u201d in Italian…;later, he wrote a full book on his technique<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

The Pomodoro Technique is a handy time management method to focus during work time. It uses sprints of work with frequent short breaks to limit distractions and sustain your concentration. It also helps avoid mental fatigue (that feeling you might get at the end of the day when you don\u2019t want to use your brain anymore).<\/p>\n

This method is especially useful if you constantly find yourself working past the point of productivity, if you are often beset by little distractions that take you off course, or if you have lots of open-ended work that could take unknown amount of time to complete (like brainstorming ideas or conducting research)<\/p>\n

The technique is quite simple. It works like this:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Pick a task.<\/li>\n
  2. Set a 25-minute timer.<\/li>\n
  3. Work on the task until the timer expires.<\/li>\n
  4. Take a five-minute break.<\/li>\n
  5. Repeat steps one through four.<\/li>\n
  6. After four cycles, take a longer 15-30 minute break.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Additionally, there are three rules to follow:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Break down big projects into smaller projects. If the project requires more than four pomodoro cycles, it should be broken into smaller components. This way you are always making progress on your projects.<\/li>\n
    2. Group small tasks together. If a task requires less than one pomodoro cycle, combine it with other tasks. Ideally, these tasks should be as similar as possible. For example, creating and sending invoices are separate tasks, but they can all happen during the same pomodoro cycle.<\/li>\n
    3. A pomodoro cycle can not be broken. Once you start the timer, do not stop working until it rings or you finish all of the scheduled tasks. Further, do not deviate from your task list. Don’t check your text messages, emails, or Slack channels. Any new tasks or ideas that pop up should be noted to be added to a later pomodoro cycle.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      The Pomodoro Technique isn\u2019t for everyone, but it\u2019s a powerful tool for anyone who struggles with focus and staying productive. If you give a try, use it for at least eight cycles (about a full work day) before giving up.<\/p>\n

      3. Use the Eisenhower Method<\/h3>\n

      \"Time<\/p>\n

      The Eisenhower Method (also called the Eisenhower Technique or the Eisenhower Prioritization Matrix) was reportedly used by President Dwight Eisenhower. It\u2019s a useful tool to focus your work on what\u2019s important. It prevents you from spending time on tasks that don\u2019t add much value to your work and clients.<\/p>\n

      Using the matrix is simple. Start by plotting your tasks to each quadrant.<\/p>\n