How to Effectively Manage Multiple Jobs as a Freelancer

 

The joy of every freelancer is to get engaged in multiple jobs or projects as it boosts their income. Nevertheless, if these jobs are accepted and they are not properly managed, this could result in a flop which would affect both parties (the freelancer and the client). Therefore, every freelancer who takes multiple jobs have a very significant role to play in maintaining a smooth sail in whatever they have to offer.

Although, everyone is different and what works for everyone is also different, but there are few things one must have in mind when handling multiple jobs as a freelancer. It is necessary that a few things are placed into consideration even when applying what would be further discussed.

1. Know Yourself

As earlier stated, it is very important every freelancer knows what would work for them. It is important to know when you are most productive and least productive so you can draw a great plan. Some people tend to be more productive in the day while some at night. In the same way, some people prefer doing all their work for a few days and chill for a lot of days. You also need to know if you can work with a task at a time or multitask effectively. Everyone knows how they love to do their things and how or when they are best effective. Therefore, it is necessary to look out for this before proceeding into making other plans.

2. Sort out your plan  

After knowing what works for you, the next thing to do is to sort out your plan or get organised. You need to know what exactly you want to do, how many clients you have to deliver your product to, what you need and how to achieve these projects, strategies that need to be put in place, when to communicate with clients, when to stop accepting projects and so on.

In this case, you can draft out a monthly or weekly plan which can be used to track your productivity and your time management.

3. Priotise your task based on deadlines

While planning, it is very much advisable that you Priotise based on deadlines. What project should be done first, what project should come last. Nevertheless, you should also consider working on the biggest project first as it can be a way of reducing pressure. Still, deadlines are very important to watch out for.

4.  Know when to chill and add a little spice

Too much work and no play will only make you zone out. Sometimes you need a break and you need inspiration.

You don't need to do an extravagant chilling, you just need to do what can make you happy and energetic again. It could be dancing, biking, music, cooking, or whatever but it is very needed to facilitate progress in your work. The brain gets tired and overworking it could result in a less quality work.

5. Make use of opportunity costs and delegate projects if possible

Sometimes you can't do everything and that is just the truth. You need to forgo one for another. You need to say NO sometimes and you need to delegate the project to someone else. It prevents you for being outsourced and burdened. It makes you focus and know what you are to give out without a mix up.  Remember that quality time provides quality work!

6. Eat your Frog

Almost every freelancer can relate to procrastination either at one point of their growth or even at the moment. Eating your frog simply means doing things at the most suitable time. Honestly, the key to managing multiple jobs as a freelancer is eating your frog. 

You will definitely make plans, you will surely write out what you are to do, you will surely want to meet up with deadlines; but what happens when all these doesn't get done. Procrastination steals time and can prevent productivity by harbouring distractions and laziness.

According to Brian Tracy, "the secret to success is action". Activating yourself to do the work at the designated time would also increase time management and productivity. Making use of project management tools like the Trello, Asana, Toggl, Monday, etc. could also help you eat your frog.  As emphasised in the context, you need to know what works for you and make use of some project management tools to achieve your results. A list of strict schedules might not work but one with breaks at intervals might be a lot helpful.  All these are to ensure you deliver the best quality out there and remain the best freelancer in whatever field of yours. 

Once upon a time, with just one job, people cater to 70% of their needs. So, there was little or no need for another job. But as time went on, the economy became somewhat unfriendly, calling for people to step up their economical games. This resulted in individuals taking up multiple jobs to meet ends meet. Among this set of individuals are freelancers, who have higher chances of taking up multiple jobs. But the major challenge lies in how they effectively manage these jobs.

If you are a freelancer who takes up different projects, then there are probably times when you feel overwhelmed because you have so much to do, so many deadlines to meet up with, and so many clients to please. Well, this is normal. It only shows you are human. However, there are ways you can manage how efficiently you go about your tasks. Below are a few tips to help you.

1. Time Management

How effective are you with time management? Are you one known for using the time allocated for a project for something else? Do you respect your schedules the way you would when you have a boss to supervise you? Time management involves working with time. Don't leave your schedules scattered or you end your day disorganized, achieving little or nothing at all.

2. Create a List According To Your Priorities

Projects that are urgent and important should always top your to-do list. It is up to you to carefully analyze categories of work that fit into the following:

• Urgent and Important
• Important but not urgent
• Urgent but not important
• Not urgent and not important
  

It is safe to always prioritize in a way that would save you from running into pressure. Always work on your projects in such a way that they won't become urgent and subject you to unnecessary pressure.

3. Delegate Some Projects

You don't want to lose that contract, so you can't say 'No' to that client. So what do you do? You delegate it to someone else. This way, you retain the client for yourself, as there would be times when you are free enough to work on his projects. Delegating projects zeros the chances of you getting overwhelmed, and subsequently, you channel your best to the other things.

4. Communicate With Your Clients Often

Sometimes, you need to have a means of keeping yourself on track. Asides from your alarms and to-do list, you need an external body to regulate your progress. When. You communicate with your clients constantly, it creates a constant feeling in your heart that you have a project to deliver. It increases your chance of keeping track of each project you are working on and ensuring that they meet up with your client's taste.

5) Avoid Distractions

Distractions can be of any kind. Social media serves as a huge source of distraction, especially for online workers. This can be managed by self-discipline and some online apps that inactivates social media apps for a while. Note that this only applies to freelancers who work outside the social media world. There are also home and environmental distractions. These include noise, house chores, etc. This can be managed partly by registering in a study center. Managing distraction is a deliberate and conscious effort, you have to be intentional about it.


The idea of multiple jobs is a good one, it shows how industrious you are. Nonetheless, you have to be sure that you are managing them well. After all, whatever is worth doing, is worth doing well.