1. Create a Conducive Work Environment<\/h2>\n
As someone who is self-employed or working remotely, you likely work out of local coffee shops or from home. While this is undoubtedly a convenient commute, it can actually make time management more difficult, since there\u2019s no physical separation between what space is used for leisure, and which is designated for work.<\/p>\n
Not everyone has the luxury of having their own dedicated workstation at home or their own office space. You could get creative with this, however. Buy an affordable desk (even a used one) and try to find a place for it, along with an ergonomic chair. At the very least, try to choose a work-from-home space that\u2019s far away from your bed or couch. It\u2019s easier to be productive throughout the workday if you\u2019re sitting upright in a mess-free environment, without any nearby distractions such as a TV. Perhaps you\u2019ll place your desk near a window, and put some plants or other stress-relieving items near it.<\/p>\n
Do you have roommates or live with a partner who also works from home? Be sure to outline the boundaries of work and leisure time to your housemates. A seemingly harmless interruption can quickly break your focus while you\u2019re working, so you need to set clear expectations of when you\u2019re available and when you are trying to focus.<\/p>\n A big component of time management is learning how to be a productive planner. Planning your day is an art, and having a planned-out day is one of the tips for time management to remember. This doesn\u2019t mean stuffing as much into your schedule as humanly possible. Rather, this should equate to having a handful of major tasks you\u2019d like to complete that day, evenly spaced out over the course of your day.<\/p>\n Try writing out a to-do list for the following day each evening.<\/p>\n Also, be realistic about what works for you. If you like to take power naps during the workday,<\/a> so be it! Just make sure this is factored into your time budget. You\u2019ll want to add in some padding in between tasks. This way, it won\u2019t be a travesty if you\u2019re slightly behind schedule. As your own boss, building trust with yourself is just as important as it would be with any employee.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t just meet deadlines for your clients, do so to build a strong sense of reliability within yourself. It feels good to be organized and on top of things. It\u2019s good for your mental health.<\/p>\n Above all, the most important component of successfully managing your time is keeping the promises you make to yourself and others. For example, stick to your to-do list and get in the habit of sticking to it.<\/p>\n Find little ways to incentivize yourself to meet deadlines by rewarding yourself afterwards. Perhaps your reward is one of your favourite treats, an episode of your favourite show, a special weekend outing, or some extra relaxation time throughout the week.<\/p>\n Habits will form themselves whether you\u2019re intentionally forming them or not. In other words, the bad habit of ignoring your day\u2019s to-do list could become a habit that is strongly formed if you\u2019re not careful. If you\u2019re not sticking to your deadlines, it will become increasingly more difficult to break that cycle. Luckily, the converse is also true. By choosing to stick to the plan you set forth for yourself, you\u2019re making life easier for your future self and your employer or clients.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to get distracted throughout the day, especially if you don\u2019t have a traditional office space to keep you more focused. Self-employed individuals and remote workers also have the challenge of potentially juggling multiple clients at once. This can quickly deteriorate your focus if you\u2019re not careful.<\/p>\n To stay in the \u201czone\u201d and stay focused on your work, you\u2019ll have to master one of the best tips for time management: Removing distractions.<\/p>\n Try your best to turn off your smartphone notifications throughout the day and only check email, productivity apps, etc. at specific times. This way, you\u2019ll have uninterrupted chunks of time to help maintain focus while you work. It\u2019s also helpful to focus on 1 or 2 clients at a time so that your brain doesn\u2019t have to constantly switch from one project\u2019s parameters to another.<\/p>\n Some remote workers may appreciate on\/off methods like the popular Pomodoro technique<\/a>. In these methods, you\u2019re given a short amount of time to break on a regular basis so that you can maximize your focus without burning out too early in your day.<\/p>\n As a general rule, it\u2019s always a good idea to under-promise and over-deliver to your employer or clients. The same principle applies to yourself and your own time management techniques. Let\u2019s say you finish early one day\u2013 If you still have some juice, why not get a head start on tomorrow\u2019s to-do list?<\/p>\n Paying it forward for your future self is a great way to feel like you\u2019re in command of your schedule and you\u2019re overall satisfied with how smooth your workday flows. Also, build in some buffer with your deadlines by underpromising (telling your employer an ETA or deadline that you think you actually could beat.) This concept of underpromising and overdelivering pleasantly surprises your clients or employer, rather than letting them down.<\/p>\n You never know when a client will have unexpected edit requests, so make sure you stay on schedule and deliver things on time if not earlier as often as possible. In any situation, communication is key. Be clear about your work schedule\u2019s availability and don\u2019t take on what you know you can\u2019t currently handle or handle well. Oftentimes, saying \u201cNo\u201d as someone who is self-employed is just as important as saying \u201cYes\u201d.<\/p>\n Part of the reason you escaped the traditional 9-5 was to free yourself from unfavourable management. As part of your time management strategy, remember to schedule necessary breaks throughout your day and eat a nutritious snack every 2 hours if you can. You\u2019ll also want to make sure you\u2019re taking care of yourself outside of work.<\/p>\n This means exercising regularly,<\/a> eating a balanced diet, getting plenty of sleep and spending time with the people you love most. Self-employed burnout can be more common than burnout for a traditional 9 to 5 employee at an office. This is because self-employed individuals forget to set the necessary parameters for when their workday ends. Remote workers often work on and off all day and all night instead of setting boundaries of \u201coff the clock\u201d times of the day.<\/p>\n Protect your mental and physical health so that you can perform at your best and brightest when you are on the clock instead of spreading yourself thin.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re having trouble focusing and you feel you have poor time management skills that you\u2019re struggling to improve, there could be a few reasons why. For example, you might have brain fog<\/a> throughout the day for a variety of reasons, including poor diet or anxiety.<\/p>\n It\u2019s possible you suffer from anxiety or another mental health condition that you need to get counselling for. When your mental health improves, your capacity to improve your time management skills also improves.<\/p>\n![\"circlemagazine-circledna-tips-of-time-management\"](\"https:\/\/images.unsplash.com\/photo-1612405199545-e3b82ac2bd35?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8MjV8fGpvdXJuYWx8ZW58MHx8MHx8&w=1000&q=80\")
2. Write Down a Realistic To-Do List and Plan Your Day<\/h2>\n
3. Stick to The Plan<\/h2>\n
4. Protect Your \u201cZone\u201d and Focus<\/h2>\n
![\"circlemagazine-circledna-tips-of-time-management\"](\"https:\/\/images.unsplash.com\/photo-1577962917302-cd874c4e31d2?ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8MXx8Y29ycG9yYXRlfGVufDB8fDB8fA%3D%3D&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&w=1000&q=80\")
5. Underpromise and Overdeliver<\/h2>\n
6. Don\u2019t Neglect Your Mental and Physical Health<\/h2>\n
Having Trouble Focusing or Managing Your Time?<\/h2>\n