We’re discussing today all about freelancing through the pandemic and what that looks like. Everyone has been affected by the pandemic that we’ve been in for over the last year. Freelancing for me has been the most incredible gift that I have been given. Listening to friends talk about the struggle of having to wear a mask all day at work I realized I take working from home for granted. I have the privilege of working in my home office where I don’t have to wear a mask day in and day out. I have truly taken control of my life and my finances to be able to position myself to work where I want to work and when I want to work. 

All this comes back to owning your schedule. When I started freelancing I started out of desperation. I needed to make money. I needed to work. I needed to be busy. So I was saying yes and taking on so many things that it overwhelmed me. I got really burnt out and frustrated. When I took a step back to see what's taking up my time and seeing where I needed to be strategic. 

I took control and started organizing my schedule by things that needed to get done every day, every week, and every month. I prioritized the everyday things and doing those first. Making sure I’m marking some things off my list that have to get done every month on a regular basis. But, also recognizing those are the things that can get pushed off to the next day or even the next week. 

So how do I know if I have enough clients and not too many? I take a look at the consistent hourly contracts that I have that require X amount of hours, and I decide what I want to work every week. For example, this week has been a busy week running my kids around so I know those monthly items might not get done. But, I try to predict getting those items done earlier in the month. That’s part of my goal - to work ahead so when you do have things creep up you’re able to adjust your schedule accordingly. 

Tips for designing your schedule:

1. Put items that have to do with my kids on my calendar first.
2. Next, I look at my availability for client calls that need to happen and write them in. (If I can get a weekly consistent call that’s even better)
3. I try to do time-blocking. For example, I know that if I book 3 calls together in a row then move on, I was able to set aside a few solid hours of work time together. This takes time to develop though.

There’s always going to be things that creep up aka distractions. Is it a distraction that I’m ok with or allowing it to come in and take me away from what I need to get done. Sometimes those things are yes, sometimes I’m like “nope, gotta focus”. You have to decide if those distractions are worth it and what is the cost of those distractions. You can say yes to as many things as you want and that’s totally fine, you own that. But, you have to own your schedule and make sure when you’re committing that you’re being a person of your word and committing to things you CAN accomplish. 

Owning your schedule is super important and super valuable. There are so many people that wish they had full control over their schedule. Just know when you have that ownership and you have that control over your schedule you have to understand the costs that go with it. There are so many distractions that come at you. Set up a best-practice schedule for your time and your schedule. 

Hopefully, this was super helpful. I would love to hear from you if you have questions on getting started with freelancing or leveling up your freelancing on Upwork. I would love to help you because my true passion in life is helping others become successful.