How To... Manage Time

Yet another thing they don't teach us in school... let's learn how to be super organized and on top of our 💩 in terms of being your own boss.

0:44 Episode Introduction

1:03 Your "Normal" Work Skills

1:30 Calendars <3

3:46 Time Management & Projects/Services

6:59 Non Project Based Time Management

8:12 Non Worked Related Things

8:57 Recap

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Chapters

• 0:44 Episode Introduction
• 1:03 Your "Normal" Work Skills
• 1:30 Calendars <3
• 3:46 Time Management & Projects/Services
• 6:59 Non Project Based Time Management
• 8:12 Non Worked Related Things
• 8:57 Recap

Transcript

00:06
Catherine
Hello there. My name is Catherine and I am 23 years old, working as a full time freelancer in the media and entertainment industry. And welcome to the How I Diaries podcast. I'm here to debunk all your fears and doubts surrounding the topic of freelancing and more importantly, get you on your way to a happy and stress free lifestyle doing whatever creative passion it is that you love.

00:22
So if you find yourself stuck at a job you hate wondering how to get your dream started. You might have heard of freelancing before, but you're skeptical about what it entails. I'm sure everything I wish I knew earlier, and the tips and tricks I gain every day for my own freelance work. So today, time management. Such a huge skill a lot of people struggle with and honestly, something that can make or break you.

00:44
And this dream of freelancing that you might have. So today we're going to go over some tips to help you be in control of your work schedule and actual work so you don't suffer the consequences of being disorganized. Freelance is cool and you know, it's such a healthier way to live and work, but that doesn't mean it's, you know, quote unquote easy.

01:03
So to incorporate normal work skills you put in time and effort the same you would any other job. A big difference is that you are the one who has the control and you are doing something that feels, you know, if you're looking to freelance to find the easy way out, you must change that perspective because that's not going to lead to any success.

01:23
My first write off about Tip is get yourself a calendar. I don't care what or where or how you attain this. I personally don't have a physical one. I just use my iPhone calendar and that works out perfectly for me. Just get something that you can visually map out time with. I know there's a ton of different project management tools and apps out there to just find what works for you and what you're doing.

01:46
The things that you should be included on this calendar are but not limited to days and times you're working, even if you're on like soft holds or they're like just tentative things. I cannot tell you how many times I've put in something in my calendar and almost completely forgot about it while I was booking another one and just always assume that you will forget.

02:05
I don't know if that's just me in my way that my undiagnosed ADHD goes or whatever you want to call it. But people are forgetful and you don't have to, you know, just make it easier for yourself right now. You should put the start days and days for any specific projects that you're working on. It's always good to visually see how long you have to complete something, and then from there you can organize a plan for each of those days.

02:29
Down to the hour can literally never be to organize. I'd reminders to make and send invoices. I have a whole separate episode on in the works of depending when you're listening to this, I might be out it might not be on bookkeeping. I have a bookkeeping episode and a budgeting episode since I currently do all of it on my own and I don't pay for any, you know, services.

02:51
So if that interests you, go listen, either way, you still need to make invoices, send them, you know, follow up on them, etc.. Mark do dates for bills. I also plan to go over this in my bookkeeping episode and also I know this kind of seems weird, but add in your social activities. As you know, that's what the biggest perk is.

03:10
You make your own schedule. So if you want to go to the beach, one day market in or if you have set plans with other people, market it. So planning out a project or gig, you know, if you have obstacles or interferences in the way, basically anything that is going on in your life, I recommend just throwing it on the calendar.

03:26
That's why I like having it on my phone because it's just so easy and accessible and quick. Whatever works for you just make sure that you're doing it. Okay. So now for actual time management workflows, if you're just starting off, give yourself leeway and buffers. You should have a general idea of how fast you can get things done and your ability to get things done.

03:46
For example, I'm currently working on my next side hustle for podcast editing and producing and managing for other people. So there's two things that I'm thinking of when I'm making these prices, you know, and these services is how much time I need to do this quick and efficiently and what limitations I'm going to set so I can complete it quick and efficiently.

04:06
So again, for example, I came up with to start off with a 72 hour time window for episode. Some things I need to set limitations on, like the amount of raw audio I'm going to be dealing with and what certain things I will be targeting in my base service. I can then divide up what would be considered an add on and cost me more time.

04:26
I'm going to keep using this as an example. Hopefully it translates to whatever your craft is as well, but a good time frame that is reasonable, quick and efficient, and then set a base for what you will fit in that time frame, then section out your add ons. This overall helps you with standardizing your workflow, figuring out what works for you and doesn't screw over you or your clientele or whatever in the process.

04:47
So I have my base service editing a podcast which is editing a podcast episode of up to one hour of raw audio. I will do X, Y or Z pertaining to editing in 72 hours. If it's over that one hour of raw audio is going to cost more and it potentially might add extra time. I then have another premium service that includes the same limitations and x, y, z as the base.

05:12
But I've added some other popular things people ask for, but that I know will take me more time to do, which contributes to the change in price and time frame. Does that make sense? So like for me, it would be like if people wanted transcriptions of their podcasts or if they wanted me to do show notes or if they wanted me to add in ads and intros and outros or make them for them, you know, those sorts of things.

05:34
You want it to be as clear as possible for yourself and for your client next, add the start, date and time to the calendar and the end day. Divide the work up over how many days you have to complete it and slot out time frames. Personally, my brain works very algorithmically, so I like to do entire processes at once and move forward like that.

05:55
It really depends on what you prefer and what exactly you're working on, but I try and divide things up thinking of things as processes, as processes instead of just blocks of time. For example, the first 24 hours on working on an episode, I will remove filler words, long pauses and mistake. I'm not going to touch the mixing or mastering or adding in the ads or, you know, whatever it may be or doing transcriptions and stuff like that.

06:23
I'm going to focus on specific things and that instead of that, I will work on everything at once just for a set amount of time. I feel like doing things this way will help you figure out how long it really takes for you to do certain things, and you'll find it less stressful too. It's also a huge habit of mine to use the Pomodoro technique in my day to day life.

06:43
If you don't know what that is, I ten out of ten recommended I'll link a resource to it in the show notes and a quick little blurb. It's if you have an hour of time, you can block it into work for 15 minutes, take a five minute break, work for 15 minutes, take a five minute break, you know, like that sort of thing.

06:59
Now, if you're someone whose work isn't project based, then your time management will work a bit differently, similar to a regular job. But again, you have to think for yourself and freelance. So you're going to have to map out location, travel, times and things you will need to take with you. I know it seems silly, but think about it.

07:17
We don't normally have to think of these things in a 9 to 5 because we're doing the same thing every single day and have a routine. So in freelance you need routine cell but more of like a bag of tricks that just pull from one to when you need something very specific. For example, the night before I'm going to production job, I usually think about what time I'm waking up, what I'm wearing, if I need to bring any paperwork, is lunch provided?

07:40
Do I need to find parking, you know, etc. etc. Sometimes what also helps me is I envision the whole day and go through the motions of what I think the day might entail, and that helps jog my memory. Then I'll write things down because I know I will forget or I'll place them near my door so I see them before I leave again.

07:58
This is just how I've dealt with my own little quirks and habits, and you can never just be too organized. These things really do help me. So another thing is you have to map out your social life and other needs as a human. Like we were saying before, when are you grocery shopping? When are you doing your laundry?

08:14
When are you cleaning and tidying up your apartment or wherever you're living? When are you taking your dog for a walk or hiring somebody to, you know, care for your animals? When are you going to go see that movie? When are you going lunch or dinner or meal prepping, you know, those sorts of things. I know that may seem very overwhelming at first, but remember when I said it wasn't that easy and I'm not saying it's the hardest thing in the world.

08:38
Half of these things you do in your day to day, it's just you have to put a little bit more effort into it. It's just a different kind of workflow. But I will still argue that it's way more desirable than working anywhere else, but most of the time this stuff will eventually become habitual. It's just starting this habit and letting your body adapt to this freeing lifestyle.

08:57
So just a quick little recap since we just went through a lot, get a calendar physical if you want, but definitely have one on your phone just so you can access it quickly and easily. But anything and everything in your calendar, color coded in a way that makes sense to you, figure out your workflows. This is probably the hardest part, but give some room for buffer at first and then test things out.

09:19
The important thing is to try something and adapt from there and be as organized as possible going into it. Then divide up work into processes, not just blocks of time. Our brain, like specific, helps us see the end results clearer and be proactive and have a bag full of routines you can work with. According to your days and weeks and put them into practice.

09:39
And last but not least, map out your social life and other non-work related needs. So that is it for this episode. And this reaches you and you have any burning questions or stories. I'd be happy to use this as an outlet to connect and build a community. How well do you think you manage your time and what techniques are helping you or not helping you?

09:59
Send me a DM. I'd be happy to chat about it. Follow me on Instagram at how I diaries and yeah, let's talk about it. So in the meantime, go binge all my other episodes for various other topics relating on how to get started, doing what you love and please any episode recommendations I'd also be happy to hear. Let me know what your particular struggles are.

10:19
Probably not alone. And last but not least, please subscribe to this podcast to stay up to date. When I post the next batch, give it a rating share with a friend who also needs to listen. I post five new episodes at the end of each month, so stay tuned and thank you for listening.