At the end of this module, you will be able to:
 

On one hand, the very great advantage of a freelancer and independent workers is the full autonomy and complete capacity to manage for his/herself daily schedule and workload.

On the other, it is also true that independent and autonomous self-employed workers are responsible for the full stream of work activities of their business, hence the time that they have available is split among many different things, to-dos and responsibilities.

With very little or no support, self-employed people need to slalom through lots of tasks and activities that can easily accumulate, overlap and hinder each other's. 

Time management is NOT about how long people work, but it is about the use that people do of this time to be productive, grow their business, and process their action list without penalising the quality of their work.

In that sense, time management is about taking decisions about how to arrange the agenda so that: 

• all deadlines are met
• the end recipients of the work are satisfied with the results provided
   

As we saw already, although it is true that self-employed people have full control over their time and workload, it is also true that compared to traditional employees, independent and autonomous worker have on their shoulders a much greater number of roles and responsibilities to fill in, for instance (and not limited to):

• Managing clients and their demands
• Organising logistics and coordination with suppliers/distributors
• Promoting their brand
• Keeping under check finances and accounting

Common issues that can weaken the productivity of an independent and autonomous worker are linked also to other factors, such as:

• Sense of overwhelm, procrastination and general fatigue to keep up with work duties
• Lack of work structure to process clients’ orders 
• Misalignment between operational capacity of the business and work to be done
   

The prioritisation of tasks is instrumental to help independent and autonomous workers in setting a work schedule, to do-list and precise agenda. 

These elements are of fundamental importance for time management, and to allocate energies and focus where needed at any given time. The work schedule can be prepared on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, depending on needs  and preferences. 

Normally, it is better to have:

• A to-do list for the whole month
• A weekly agenda with indication of daily actions

In the phase of definition of the schedule, it is important to keep in mind: 

• Average rhythm of execution and processing of projects
• Energy level (some periods of the year might be more energy demanding than others)
• Actual deadlines that might be agreed on with clients and partners

It is always recommended to keep the agenda as flexible as possible to promptly react to sudden events of unpredictable importance and urgency.
 

In the early stages of business development, multitasking is an inevitable compromise for independent and autonomous workers. 

Per se, the capacity of multi-tasking and juggling among many different responsibilities and roles is a distinctive skills and competence and freelancer and self-employed workers.

With no person in their support, self-employed people have no other chance than relying on themselves.

Nonetheless, the capacity to multitask should be considerate and thoughtful…

Multitasking does not mean doing at the same time as many things as possible, multitasking means:

• Being able to put the agenda in order
• Prioritise task and responsibilities
• Assign to each task and actions the dedicate resources (time, focus and energies)

Otherwise, being in one too many places at the same time can easily backfire, lead to errors, and reduce the quality of the final work.
 

Taking frequent breaks is also very much important for time management. 

Breaks and rests gives people the opportunity to decompress, recharge their energies, and go back to work with clarity of mind – which is essential for strategic and sound business decisions.

Scheduling regular breaks is routinary for time management, and it is as crucial as scheduling and prioritising the work agenda.

Procrastination and sense of fatigue for tasks and activities that normally are carried out with no efforts are two major signs that a break is needed…

Neglecting breaks can lead to a decrease in the effectiveness and efficacy of the work conducted.

Breaks should be short and frequent, and should give the opportunity to catch up with non-work related things (i.e., messages from friends and family), or more simply, engage mind and thoughts in something less demanding and stress-inducing.
 

As all other resource invested and used in a business, the way time is spent goes under a thorough auditing process. 

Time auditing involves the analysis and tracking of: 

• The number of activities carried out in an average work-day (or work week in case of different time parameter)
• The quality and nature of these activities and the kind of results/impact they lead to
• The actual time spent for their completion and achievement

This tracking and assessment can help independent and autonomous workers in identifying specific patters in the way they work, and how they allocate time to process their agenda and to-do list. 

This will also help them in being more conscious, informed and aware of any good/bad habit they might have, where they are effective and where they are not, and most importantly, if their work agenda and schedule can be rearranged in a way to help them in:

• Re-focus their efforts
• Being more efficient and quicker
   

Time-blocking is the process is the process of dividing the workday (i.e., the work agenda and schedule for the day) into separate “blocks of time”, each of which dedicated to specific tasks and actions.

By doing so, workers can fully commit energies and efforts to complete certain tasks/achieve certain desired results within a pre-defined time bracket.

Time-blocks should be arranged in a flexible way, leaving time and capacity to address and tackle any sudden need might present during the day.

Time blocks:

Prevent the overlapping and crossing of tasks and responsibilities

• Give ordered structure to the work-day
• Help to prioritise tasks and needs 
• Contribute to maximise productivity and avoid messy multitasking

Normally, the heavier time blocks should be scheduled during the morning. Lighter work should be scheduled in the afternoon.
 

The guiding principle of task batching is that similar tasks can be grouped together and carried out in the same timeframe.

This technique helps in saving time, energies, and organising in a more effective way the work schedule. Typical examples of tasks that can be grouped in such way include:

• Responding to email and messages
• Checking clients’ reviews 
• Preparing the content for social media calendar

Time batching helps in:

• Streamlining the workflow
• Minimize distractions and interruptions
• Maintain focus and commitment

While assigning specific time blocks to specific batch of work, it is important to understand which groups of tasks come first based on their importance and urgency.
 

Distractions are the killers of productivity. In work there can be many sources of distraction: messages, emails, phone calls, etc.

But distractions may also come from the work environment that are people are in, specifically in the case when people work from home or from other non-office like spaces. A focus-inducing work environment is fundamental the keep concentration high, remain productive and get things done…

Regardless of where people decide to work from, the work environment should contribute to minimise external distractions.

Workers should:

• Set boundaries with family and friends
• Avoid noisy spaces
• Build a dedicate work-station
• Turn off notifications 

A comfy work environment makes the work more pleasant and productive: high speed internet, ergonomic seating, right lighting system, clean and large desk, etc. are fundamental to get things done, remain motivated and focused.
 

There are many positive habits that one can adopt to improve productivity in work. These can be grouped in four categories:

• Regular planning, based on current and expected workload for the given time-period, and on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis
• Improving work routines, based on lessons learnt and key takeaways from previous experiences on what works best and what does not…
• Self-care and safeguarding of mental and physical well. Productivity decreases exponentially in periods of prolonged stress and long working hours

Key to productivity is also understanding how to be more productive, and what can be done to achieve more in less time.

This effect comes from continuous improving and learning from experience. Normally:

• the more people familiarise with certain tasks and activities
• the more they become skilled
• the less time they need to achieve expected results & the higher the quality of final outputs

The learning curve effects generating from experience is a key ally of productivity and effectiveness at work.
 

A customised productivity plan implies the setting, development and organisation of a tailored work schedule that is considerate of the general workload and the time that is normally needed for its completion.

A tailored productivity plan should take into consideration the preferences of each, in the sense for instance of routines, personal life and family commitments, and with the understanding that it should never conflict with the long-term expectations for business’ growth. 

The plan should be flexible enough to adapt to different circumstances that might emerge in personal life.

Indeed, a tailored productivity plan should enable and facilitate a cohesive work-rhythm that works best for the business’ owner both for his/her professional development, and the growth of the business itself.

Different techniques and habits can be adopted to experiment with what is most suitable in the given context – and compared to the growth trajectory of the business. 
 

The first step to develop and adopt a tailored productivity plan is understanding first what are the expectations and desired effects:  

• Waste as less time as possible in task that do not bring direct value to the business…
• Dedicate more time to family and friends in weekdays…
• Complete a certain min. number of activities per day…
• Bring at least X min. number of new clients per month…

Whatever the nature of these goals, these should be:

• Specific and clear
• Realistic and achievable
• Measurable in a time frame

No plan can start with no objectives. These can adapt and modify throughout time, given the new circumstance available: the important thing it to work concretely for their achievements and monitor progresses on a regular basis.
 

The easiest and most convenient way to set up a work agenda is by: 

• Pointing down the many different task and activities that need to be completed by end of day. 
• Keep track and pinpoint tasks and activities that need to be completed by end of week.
• Set goals and objectives that need to be achieved by end of month.

Having a daily and weekly routine is essential the keep the work going, make steady and regular progresses, dilute the workload in more manageable work streams.

This will help find the right time for self-care activities and personal life.

Daily and weekly schedule should be considerate of the energy available and the workload that need to be processes in the short-term.

The agenda should be motivating but realistic, and most importantly, it should not represent a source of stress, but rather an ally for time management and productivity.
 

• Trello. Task management tool that uses boards and cards for organizing tasks and projects visually.
• Asana. Project management tool that helps teams organize, track, and manage their work.
• Todoist. Task manager to help individuals organize their to-do lists and collaborate on tasks.
• RescueTime. Productivity app that tracks time spent on applications and websites to provide detailed reports on time management.
• Clockify. Free time-tracking tool for teams and freelancers, with features for tracking billable hours and productivity.
• Toggl. Time-tracking tool that helps teams and individuals measure the time spent on different tasks and projects.
• Evernote. Note-taking app that helps with task management, project planning, and archiving notes for better productivity.
• Google Calendar. Calendar and scheduling tool that helps in organizing meetings, tasks, and reminders.
• Notion. Powerful all-in-one workspace where you can write, plan, collaborate, and get organized.
• Microsoft To Do. Task management app that helps you create, manage, and prioritize your tasks and to-do lists.
• Forest. Unique productivity app that encourages users to stay focused by growing virtual trees.
• Habitica. Task manager app that turns your to-do lists and habits into a role-playing game for motivation and productivity.