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Conventional wisdom has told us that working from 9 to 5 is how you support yourself and your family, build wealth, and save for retirement. But things have changed.<\/p>\n
Younger workers, especially millennials, are looking for more out of their occupations than a steady income and a 401k. People want work-life balance<\/a>, flexibility, and jobs that combine skill, passion, and purpose.<\/p>\n With the advent of digital nomadism and cloud-based systems, working when you want and where you want is more common than ever. In fact, by 2027<\/a>, freelancers are anticipated to make up a majority of the U.S. workforce (!)<\/p>\n In theory, freelancers have the ability to mold their own schedules, pursue their own clients, and work exactly where they want \u2014 whether that\u2019s on their living room couch, at a local coffee shop, or heck, at a downtown brewery.<\/p>\n That all sounds heavenly to us. But is it realistic to work as a freelancer, and still work fewer than 8 hours a day?<\/p>\n In this article, we\u2019re taking a look at how freelancers can use time tracking to help them shorten their working hours, while still achieving the same high-quality work and building careers they love. Before we dive into time-tracking, let\u2019s consider the burning question that some of you may be asking: Is working fewer than eight hours a day a good idea?<\/p>\n While a 40-hour workweek has long been accepted as the most logical way to accomplish a job productively, studies have shown us a different reality.<\/p>\n In fact, research has shown that over the course of an eight-hour workday, the average worker spends only two hours and 53 minutes<\/em><\/a> actually working. Yikes!<\/p>\n Other research shows that people who work for 35 hours a week are half as productive<\/strong><\/a> as people who work for 20 hours.<\/p>\n Conclusion? The 9-to-5 grind is far from being optimal for producing good, efficient work.<\/p>\n On the contrary, workers who have the freedom and flexibility to work when and where they want are potentially able to accomplish more than they ever could in an office \u2014 in fewer hours.<\/p>\n But in order to get to this sweet spot, freelancers need to be strategic with their most valuable resource: time.<\/p>\n What are the secrets to achieving a shorter, more flexible workweek?<\/p>\n The answer lies in increasing your productivity and efficiency, helping you to get the same amount of work done in less time \u2014 and to potentially make room for more profitable activities and income streams.<\/p>\n But in order to reach this goal, you\u2019ll need a tool to help you measure your time usage.<\/p>\n One of the most valuable aspects of a time-tracking tool is that it gives you accurate insight into how many hours and minutes you\u2019re actually spending on specific projects or clients. Time tracking also lets you know how long you really require to complete certain tasks.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say you are a freelance copywriter, and you create and deploy a weekly newsletter for one client. Your rough deadline is 5 PM on Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n By using time-tracking, you may notice that one week, the newsletter takes you the whole day to write, format, and deploy. But the next week, you\u2019ve spent the morning working on a different project, and you only have the afternoon to complete the newsletter.<\/p>\n And yet, you are still able to create killer copy and efficiently and effectively send that baby out.<\/p>\n This insight teaches a valuable lesson: The newsletter takes you as long as it needs to. If you have the whole day to work on something, you\u2019ll take the whole darn day. And you might be checking social media, email, and chatting with friends in between.<\/p>\n But if you\u2019ve only got the afternoon to complete a task, then you\u2019re going to remain laser-focused and hyper-efficient in order to get it done \u2014 and still deliver the excellent results your client expects.<\/p>\n Or, perhaps you\u2019re a social media manager. A time-tracking tool can help you to see that one particular client seems to drain a good portion of your workweek. Let\u2019s say that this client isn\u2019t particularly high-return (read: high pay). Is this client worth keeping? Alternatively, how can you reduce time spent on needless communication, or automate tasks required for this client?<\/p>\n Timing<\/a> is a time-tracking tool that gives you an end-of-day overview of exactly where you spent your minutes and hours, so that you can gain these kinds of valuable insights. Using Timing, you can even view your week, month, or year to give you a larger-scale picture of your time usage.<\/p>\n In any case, Timing can help you improve your speed or efficiency at certain tasks. With more time in your schedule, you can take on more clients, develop another income stream, or spend time on a hobby. Timing will also help you to see how your time usage for specific clients or projects stacks up against the related income, thus giving you deeper insight into how you might increase your overall revenue.<\/p>\n Timing will help you to see how productive you\u2019ve remained throughout your workday, in turn helping you to identify time frames where you are more susceptible to distraction.<\/p>\n Timing\u2019s Overview tab shows you the hours during which you were most productively engaged. In other words, you\u2019ll notice when you were focused on high-value tasks. For example, if you find that you are more productive in the mornings, then you may want to adjust your schedule and start working early. Doing so can ultimately help you get more done, more efficiently.<\/p>\n Using Timing, you can also view your most productive workdays. For example, if you find that you are most productive on Tuesdays \u2014 and less productive on Fridays \u2014 then you may want to choose Tuesdays to complete difficult tasks\u2026 and leave Fridays for rest and relaxation.<\/p>\n One less conventional usage of an automatic time-tracking tool like Timing is to use a start-and-stop timer for specific projects. Timing\u2019s \u201cCreate a Task<\/a>\u201d feature will allow you to set a timer for a new task, helping you to focus on the project at hand so that you can finish in a timely manner.<\/p>\n Finally, Timing helps you to remain focused and accountable because it tracks all of your hours and minutes. In other words, if you spend two hours catching up on the news instead of working, Timing won\u2019t let you forget about that misstep. When you check your \u201cOverview\u201d tab at the end of the day, you\u2019ll see your poor use of time displayed right alongside your more productive working hours.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say you are still a full-time office employee, but you\u2019re dying to work remotely (and potentially work fewer hours).<\/p>\n Good news! Time tracking is for you too.<\/p>\n Timing allows you to export your time usage in detailed reports that can be used as leverage with your management. Showing proof that you are working efficiently and productively can help you to make a fair case for working remotely. <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span> At the very least, your boss may allow you to go remote at least a few days a week.<\/p>\n Or, if you work at a company with more flexible hours, time-tracking can simply help you get your work done faster, so that you can leave earlier or come later.<\/p>\n [content_upgrade cu_id=”988″]Download \u201c5 Tips for Going Remote\u201d here!<\/strong>[content_upgrade_button]Click Here[\/content_upgrade_button][\/content_upgrade]<\/p>\n Regardless of where you work, time tracking can help you become significantly more productive and efficient<\/a>. By using this tool strategically, you\u2019ll maximize your effort, focus, and income-making ability, with the added perk of having more quality use of life\u2019s most precious commodity: time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Conventional wisdom has told us that working from 9 to 5 is how you support yourself and your family, build wealth, and save for retirement. But things have changed.<\/p>\n Younger workers, especially millennials, are looking for more out of their occupations than a steady income and a 401k. People want work-life balance<\/a>, flexibility, and jobs that combine skill, passion, and purpose.<\/p>\n
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\n[content_upgrade cu_id=”988″ preload=”1″]Free Download: 5 Tips for Going Remote<\/strong>[content_upgrade_button]Click Here[\/content_upgrade_button][\/content_upgrade]<\/p>\nThe Case for Working Fewer Hours<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nTime Tracking: The Key to Increased Productivity, Efficiency, and Freedom<\/h2>\n
Using Time Tracking to Gain Insight Into Your Time Usage<\/h3>\n
Time Tracking Can Help You to Monitor Your Personal Productivity<\/h3>\n
Time Tracking Can Help You To Stay on Task<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nTiming For Non-Freelancers<\/h2>\n
A Better Work-Life Balance and Higher Income<\/h2>\n
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