When you hear the word 'freelancer,' it might remind you of a flexible and appealing way of working.
Four years ago, I started my graphic design studio initially as a side gig during the COVID-19 pandemic, and eventually transitioned into full-time freelancing.
However, since I had complete control over my work, I made plenty of mistakes with time management.
It’s only recently that I’ve found my rhythm and figured out how to manage my time more effectively.
Looking back on the challenges I faced as a new freelancer, I’d like to share some of my mistakes and the strategies I’ve developed over the years.
Why is Time Management Difficult for Freelancers?
Why do so many freelancers and self-employed individuals struggle with time management in the first place?
Unlike employees in a company, freelancers don’t have set working hours.
You could spend your morning lounging in bed, have a leisurely breakfast and only start working around midday.
As long as you meet your deadlines, no one will stop you.
While it may sound like a lack of self-discipline could lead to laziness, my experience as a freelancer taught me the opposite.
Instead of slacking off, I found myself working too much because I was overwhelmed with projects.
Mistakes as a New Freelancer: Taking on Too Much Work
When I first started freelancing, the experience of receiving job requests directly as an individual.... rather than as "one person in a company," felt exciting and fresh.
I said "YES" to any project that came my way.
Freelancing comes with the risk that work can dry up at any moment.
With that in mind, I thought "I should earn as much as I can while I have the chance!".
I worked nonstop, even on weekends whenever a job came in.
The more I worked, the more I earned and since I genuinely enjoyed design, time flew by.
But as this continued, I found myself unable to think about anything besides work. Even when I took a break to grab a meal or go shopping, my mind was constantly occupied with the next project.
Creating Space in Your Schedule
When you continue to work in a near-workaholic state, it inevitably affects your health. Long hours can dull your thinking and you may start to feel as if you're constantly "chasing something," which creates a sense of anxiety.
Especially in creative work like design, being in a constant state of output for client projects leaves little time for input—learning new skills or gathering fresh design ideas.
Without time for input, I found myself taking longer to complete my work, falling into a vicious cycle. It was almost like burnout.
It was only after reaching that point that I realized I had been working too much. That’s when I decided to start creating "space" in my day.
In order to create more space—meaning extra room in my schedule for rest or simply doing nothing—I developed four personal rules that I committed to following:
Visualize Time
Build in Buffer Time and Avoid Overloading with New Tasks Even If You Finish Early
Set and Announce my Days Off
It's okay to say "no"
By focusing on these four rules, not only have I improved my time management, but I’ve also learned how to use my time in a way that aligns with my ideal work-life balance.
1.Visualize Time
The most important starting point is visualizing your time.
I started to breaking down exactly how much I was working and how much time I was spending on different tasks. This step helped me see the bigger picture.
You can use any method that works best for you, but I started by creating a simple table in Google Sheets.
I tracked the project name (something that clearly described the task), the revenue for each project and the hours worked.
From there, I calculated my hourly rate. Below is an example of how that table looked:
Project | Sales | Work Time | Pay Per Hour |
PPT Design 10 Slides | $1000 | 8h | $125 |
Infographic | $100 | 2.5h | $40 |
This simple tracking system allowed me to visualize my time and understand how I was spending it.
After tracking this data for about six months, I started to notice averages, which was incredibly helpful when setting my rates—a common challenge for freelancers.
However, it’s important not to focus solely on the hourly rate.
While it's true that earning more for the same amount of time is efficient over time, your experience grows and so does your efficiency.
As a result, even for the same type of project, your hourly earnings may improve as you become faster and more skilled.
Even if a project has a lower hourly rate, if your focus is on gaining experience rather than money... it’s still valuable and precious opportunity.
These projects contribute to your growth, making them just as important as higher-paying ones.
Also I knew from the start that I wouldn’t stick to just one type of work.
I started with PowerPoint presentations, then moved on to flyer design, diagram and infographic design, motion graphics, video editing, animation and now I’m also working on 3D design.
I continue to explore various areas of work, keeping my career diverse and challenging.
Setting Sales Targets
Now that I’m in my fourth year as a freelancer, I’ve started setting monthly sales goals for myself.
For the more lucrative projects with a relatively higher hourly rate, I use them as my main source of income. I aim to cover about 60-70% of my monthly target with these jobs.
The remaining 30-40% comes from jobs that may not pay as much on an hourly basis but provide valuable experience.
By striking this balance, I’ve been able to steadily increase both my income and skillset.
Also if I can project that I’ll hit my target early in the month, it gives me peace of mind to slow down, focus on skill-building and reduce my workload during the latter half of the month.
Visualizing Your Daily Schedule: Tracking Time Beyond Work
It’s important to not only track work hours but also visualize the time spent outside of work.
I started doing this about a year ago and now I simply use my smartphone stopwatch to log everything, including:
Time spent working (client work)
Time spent working (non-client work)
Accounting
Skill Improvement
Time spent exercising
Here’s a breakdown of how I track these categories:
● Time Spent Working
I separate the time spent on client work from the time I invest in my own business.
Tasks like updating my blog, refreshing my portfolio or researching competitors fall into this non-client work category.
Although these activities don’t generate immediate income, I’ve found that prioritizing time to work on my own business is essential for long-term success.
Recently, I’ve also been exploring passive income streams like creating stock content for online platforms, which I log under this category.
● Accounting
As a freelancer, handling accounting is another key responsibility.
While I work with an accountant for tax filing, I still need to organize invoices and estimates on my own.
This takes more time than I initially expected. I use Misoca and XERO for accounting and I also manage my own software subscriptions like Adobe and stock material services.
Keeping an eye on business expenses is crucial for a sole proprietor.
● Skill Improvement
For designers and creators, investing time in personal projects and skill-building is indispensable.
Since not all client work can be showcased publicly, maintaining an updated portfolio is vital for securing future projects.
Ideally, I aim for a balance where time spent on skill development matches the time I work. This self-driven creative time is precious, allowing me to freely explore ideas and push my creative boundaries.
● Exercise
As a full-time remote freelance designer, I tend to stay stationary for long periods.
Most of the time, I sit cross-legged in my chair...lol
To avoid unhealthy habits, I try to squeeze in 5 to 15 minutes of movement before starting work in the morning.
While I’m not keen on intense workouts first thing, I typically do yoga or stretches while following YouTube videos.
On days when I feel I’ve been sitting too much or my body feels off, I set a timer after 3-4 hours of work and take a 10-15 minute break to do light exercise.
All these time entries are logged into an app on my smartphone, allowing me to generate graphs and visualize how I spend my day.
The choice of app for tracking time doesn’t really matter as long as it’s user-friendly for you. Personally, I use a free app called Studyplus.
By reflecting on my logged time, I’ve realized that depending on the month, I often don’t even work 40 hours a week!
It’s also helped me notice patterns like weeks where I’ve focused more on skill improvement, leaving me less stressed. (And of course, how little I actually exercise…)
If you’re a freelancer, start by making your time visible.
It’s the first step towards better time management!
Does Pomodoro Technique work for you?
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method that alternates between work and breaks.
For example, you work for 25 minutes, take a 5-minute break and repeat this cycle.
After four cycles, you take a longer break of about 30 minutes.
The idea is to improve productivity and focus through these "short bursts of concentration."
Personally, I don't think the Pomodoro Technique is well-suited for creative roles like designers. Once I get into a state of focus, I rarely lose concentration and time flies by—sometimes 3 to 4 hours at a stretch.
For tasks that are repetitive or more straightforward, the Pomodoro Technique might be effective.
However, for design work, sometimes inspiration strikes in 10 minutes and other times it can take hours to come up with an idea.
This type of "irregular, spontaneous energy release" makes timed breaks counterproductive.
If you're in the zone, taking a break every 25 minutes might actually disrupt your flow.
That's why I don’t use the Pomodoro Technique.
Instead, I stick to a style where I focus continuously when I can.
However, since sitting for long periods can be hard on my back, I make sure to take small breaks like getting up to make coffee or doing light exercises for 10 minutes once a day.
This is something that varies from person to person, so I recommend finding your own rhythm and taking breaks at intervals that feel right for you.
2.Build in Buffer Time and Avoid Overloading with New Tasks Even If You Finish Early
The second rule for time management is, "Don't overload yourself with new tasks, even if you finish early."
While it's common sense to create a schedule with some buffer time, I still find myself struggling with the tendency to pile on more work when I finish an ongoing project earlier than expected.
This is something I still need to improve on.
For freelancers, it’s a common situation: you finish a project sooner than anticipated, take on additional work and suddenly that new project drags on, leaving you no time to rest.
Before you know it, you've been working nonstop for a month.
Leaving "free time" as actual downtime and consciously preserving it can lead to better time management.
It’s important to resist the temptation to fill every gap in your schedule and instead allow that space to remain empty.
3.Set and Announce my Days Off
As a freelancer, you can take time off on weekdays if you want, so many people don't have a set day off and take breaks irregularly.
I also sometimes spend an entire weekday playing video games and work on Sundays... but setting a "fixed day off" even just once a week can force you to disconnect from work and refresh.
What’s important is to announce your fixed day off.
If you're dealing with regular companies, they typically have weekends and holidays off so you can align your own days off with theirs.
However, when working on project teams or with other freelancers, it's not uncommon for people to work regardless of weekends or holidays.
While flexibility is one of the strengths of freelancing, the idea that freelancers can work anytime can lead to situations where, if you don't clearly state your days off, you'll get work-related messages or have schedules set up for you even on your rest days.
I usually take weekends and New Zealand's public holidays as my days off, so I make sure to tell new clients upfront.
Especially for long-term projects or those involving multiple people, I make a point of sharing my working hours at the start of the project due to time zone differences.
Since I’m based in New Zealand, it’s easy to coordinate meeting times with clients from Asia or Australia as there’s little time difference.
However, for clients in the U.S. or Europe, I always check their time zone and avoid contacting them during late-night or early-morning hours.
最後のルールは「断る勇気と潔さ」と持つことです。
The last rule is "It's okay to say no."
Receiving job offer from clients is always greatly appreciated and I always want to respond to their needs as much as possible.
Whether you're a freelancer or working within a company, being responsible for quality control in your deliverables is a fundamental aspect of doing business.
It's important to carefully assess whether you can deliver your best performance and meet the expected quality within the client's proposed deadlines and budget.
If it's genuinely difficult to achieve this due to scheduling or budget constraints, don't be afraid to choose to decline the project.
If something feels off, take a moment to pause and reflect calmly
It's also important to trust your intuition and respectfully decline a project if something feels off, even before discussing issues related to budget or schedule.
For me personally, I tend to turn down requests when:
The inquiry clearly seems to be a templated message sent to multiple companies for price comparisons.
The person insists on having a meeting without providing detailed information upfront.
The reason I avoid these situations is because meetings can lead to miscommunications or disputes about what was said and they often require a time commitment without any compensation.
Even if the meeting is recorded, going back to review the footage is highly inefficient.
I prefer to handle all essential details—such as project requirements and costs—through written communication.
This not only leaves a record but also helps both parties clarify their thoughts and expectations.
For initial introductions or to explain complex aspects that are difficult to express in writing, I’ll agree to a meeting.
However, most communication is handled through text.
Once I've established a solid working relationship with a client, I’m open to short online meetings (5-15 minutes) to quickly align and start the project.
The key is to be flexible based on the complexity of the project and the relationship with the client.
Sometimes you may also receive inquiries from people who haven't read the information you provide about your services and pricing.
(To be honest, this might be more common in the Japanese market, where subcontracting culture and low wages are often seen as issues:( )
If the requested project or budget significantly deviates from what you offer, you can politely say "No" early in the conversation to avoid wasting time for both of us.
Saying “no” when necessary is crucial for effective time management.
It allows you to protect your well-being and focus on delivering quality work.
This is especially important for freelancers, who may feel pressure to take on every job to gain experience or secure income.
However, overcommitting can lead to stress, miscommunication, and strained relationships with other clients.
By respectfully say "No" when your schedule is already full or the project doesn't align with your expertise, you can better manage your time and ensure the quality of your deliverables.
It's also important for maintaining long-term relationships with clients.
Even if you're new to freelancing and eager to take on as much work as possible, it's worth remembering that saying “no” at the right time can prevent problems down the line.
Time Management for Freelancers:
So here are the four personal rules I follow to manage my time as a freelancer.
Do you have any challenge or tips with managing your time as a freelancer?
Feel free to comment or reach out anytime! :)
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