You're self-employed and juggling multiple projects. How can you ensure you're using your time effectively?
Being self-employed can be rewarding, but also challenging. You have to manage your own schedule, workload, and clients. And sometimes, you may have to juggle multiple projects at once. How can you ensure you're using your time effectively and delivering quality work? Here are some tips to help you stay on top of your game.
Not all tasks are created equal. Some are more urgent, important, or valuable than others. To avoid getting overwhelmed or distracted, you need to prioritize your tasks based on your goals, deadlines, and expectations. A simple way to do this is to use the Eisenhower matrix, which divides tasks into four categories: do, decide, delegate, and delete. Do the tasks that are both urgent and important first, then decide when to do the tasks that are important but not urgent. Delegate the tasks that are urgent but not important to someone else, and delete the tasks that are neither urgent nor important.
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Radhika Shenoy, MRICS
Head - Corporate Real Estate & Services (CRES)
In my experience prioritising the tasks has been the key to efficient productivity and timely deliveries. It’s an important activity to keep in mind in planning stage itself in project life cycle. Prioritising also helps deal with difficult situations and enables manage time and situations effectively
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Shiva Gaur
Advocate @ High Court & DRT | Corporate Legal Compliance | Angel Investor | CS | WICCI-POSH President | 40U40 | Investor | Franchise owner @Golds Gym | Co-founder @InnovHER
Recognizing the unique significance of each task is essential. By aligning priorities with goals and expectations, you can navigate the workload effectively. Employing tools like the Eisenhower matrix, with its categories of do, decide, delegate, and delete, provides a structured approach. Tackling urgent and important tasks first, deciding on the timing for important but not urgent tasks, delegating less critical tasks, and discarding those of low significance ensures a strategic and organized task management process.
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Sheilla Pereira Albuquerque
CEO, COO & Board Member | Integrating Spiritual Wisdom with ESG and People Leadership | Enthusiastic and Expert in Agribusiness
Escolher! Como um bom pareto, normalmente 20% das tarefas nos levam a 80% dos resultados. Discernir quais são essas tarefas e executa-las com maestria, nos ajuda tanto a alcançar resultados como a equilibrar melhor as demandas da vida. Vale a pena tentar !
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Ihab Eissa
Chief Risk Officer at The Agricultural Bank of Egypt
Setting your priorities right is the foundation of successful implementation, knowing what are the critical factors for success is pivotal. It will help a great deal when tackling time allocation of each step .
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Arfan Shoukat
Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Lotte Akhtar Beverages (Pvt) Ltd.
In my experience Prioritizing tasks is like navigating a map of responsibilities. The Eisenhower matrix serves as your compass, guiding you through the terrain of urgency and importance. By strategically allocating your energy, focusing on the crucial intersection of urgency and importance, and wisely delegating or eliminating the rest, you're not just managing tasks – you're orchestrating your journey toward meaningful accomplishments. It's a mindful approach to productivity, ensuring that your efforts align with your overarching goals and deadlines.
Once you have your priorities sorted, you need to plan your time accordingly. A good practice is to create a daily or weekly schedule that blocks out specific time slots for each task or project. This helps you stay focused, avoid procrastination, and track your progress. You can use a digital or paper calendar, a to-do list app, or a project management tool to plan your time. Whatever you use, make sure it is easy to access, update, and sync. And don't forget to leave some buffer time for unexpected issues, breaks, and personal commitments.
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Darshil Surana
Partner @ O. P. Rathi & Co. | Chartered Accountant | Forensic Accountant | Digital Transformation Consultant
You should also allocate an hour each day to yourself. Be it strategic planning, reflection on your day or plain meditation. Quiet time helps a lot.
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Pradyuman Pokharel
Chief Executive Officer
Effective planning I feel requires personal calmness which comes from the working on at least our 3 bodies; physical, mental and emotional. If there is some time devoted for the development of soul body also, its like icing on the cake. Once we have this in our morning chores, the day is bound to be quite productive and enchanting as well.
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Saurabh Kango
Analytics @ LinkedIn | Airbnb | Mu Sigma | MBA(IIFT)| COEP
Using Notion really helps me keep track of different project. Learning project management skills is crucial. Usually even excel sheet can help keep track of different projects but new age tools Notion helps a lot.
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Misty Cook
Helping Retired General Officers launch a Thriving Consulting Business, Chief of Staff to General John R. Allen, USMC (Ret), Provides Executive Support to CEOs with an Impact on National Security - 20 Year Marine Veteran
You have to understand what is the most important goals for the week and create actions that will contribute to the success. You time block and remain disciplined throughout the week to keep your goals priority. If you do not make specific actions for these goals the week will likely run you and you will be left pushing the to the next week.
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Mary D'Alessandro, MS
Partnership, Sales & Customer Success Executive | Professional Services & RevOps Leader | Business Strategist | Cloud App Modernization Advisor | SaaS, CCaaS, CPaaS Expert | 23+ years' experience | New York & Miami-based
Time is money 😊 Mastering time management is a game-changer in project management, and lucky for us, there's an app (or several) for that! For example: - Clockify: Free time tracking software with timer, timesheet, and clock-in kiosk features. - Toggl Track: Free time tracking app for monitoring work hours across projects. - HourStack: Time tracking app that integrates seamlessly with your team’s project management tools. - Timely: Automated time tracking app that effortlessly monitors task and project time. - TrackingTime: Time tracking app offering a unique visual approach. Selecting the app that best addresses our needs is key. I hope you find the perfect fit, and make the most of every moment!
Communication is key when you're self-employed and juggling multiple projects. You need to communicate clearly and regularly with your clients, collaborators, and stakeholders. This means setting realistic expectations, providing updates, asking for feedback, and resolving issues. You also need to communicate your availability, boundaries, and preferences. For example, you can tell your clients when and how you prefer to be contacted, how often you will send reports, and what kind of support you need from them. By communicating clearly, you can build trust, rapport, and reputation.
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Arihant Jain
Director at KMT | Angel Investor | Venture Capitalist
When you're freelancing with a stack of projects, communication is your superhero cape. Keeping clients and collaborators in the loop is gold. Set up regular check-ins. Drop updates on progress, ask questions, clarify doubts—it's all about clarity. Remember, prompt replies keep the wheels turning smoothly. Being a lone wolf doesn't mean going silent. Open, clear, and timely communication is the magic sauce.
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Shiva Gaur
Advocate @ High Court & DRT | Corporate Legal Compliance | Angel Investor | CS | WICCI-POSH President | 40U40 | Investor | Franchise owner @Golds Gym | Co-founder @InnovHER
Managing multiple projects as a self-employed individual demands smart time management. Would recommend prioritizing tasks based on deadlines and importance. Set specific time blocks for each project, minimizing distractions.
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Amardeep S.
I think this is important for everyone involved in the project to be on the same page. This prevents misunderstandings amongst each other and it also allows the problem solving on time.
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Rajesh Naik
Chief Operating Officer at Mined XAI AI|DATA|BIOTECHNOLOGY
Keeping it simple and communicating early and often with clients is critical. Builds trust and loyalty. Taking feedback seriously and showing responsiveness is always appreciated.
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Roberto Pelliccia
Hospitality Consultant | Asset Management | Business Development | Operations | Service and Operational Excellence | General Management - Hotels, Resorts, Lodges
In asset management, clear communication is vital. My role as a Director involves regularly updating stakeholders on portfolio performance and market trends. Setting clear expectations and being transparent about challenges are key to maintaining trust. I ensure my availability is known, encouraging open dialogue to align our family office’s goals with market realities.
Another way to use your time effectively is to automate and streamline some of the repetitive or administrative tasks that take up your energy and attention. For example, you can use tools like Zapier, IFTTT, or Mailchimp to automate tasks like sending invoices, scheduling appointments, or sending newsletters. You can also use templates, scripts, or checklists to streamline tasks like writing proposals, creating presentations, or conducting audits. By automating and streamlining, you can save time, reduce errors, and focus on the core aspects of your projects.
Finally, you can use your time effectively by learning and improving your skills and processes. As a self-employed professional, you need to keep up with the latest trends, best practices, and opportunities in your field. You also need to evaluate your performance, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and seek feedback and guidance. You can do this by taking online courses, reading books or blogs, joining communities or networks, or hiring a coach or mentor. By learning and improving, you can enhance your value, credibility, and satisfaction.
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Arihant Jain
Director at KMT | Angel Investor | Venture Capitalist
Balancing various projects while self-employed means strategizing time. Prioritize tasks based on deadlines and impact. Set specific time blocks for each project, minimizing distractions—like turning off notifications. Delegate or outsource tasks if possible. Regularly review progress to adjust strategies, ensuring effectiveness. Remember, breaks are vital—recharge for improved focus. Overall, it's about managing time wisely while staying adaptable and focused.
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Souhaibe Barkat
Transforming Corporate Professionals into Leaders I High-Performance Coaching & Leadership I Fortune 500 Executive
The biggest area of improvement for me running my own investments and coaching business is self development. The investment in self, pays off its dividends by 10X to 100X. Taking classes from world experts and coaching has been the area where I have seen the most immediate improvements and benefits including learning through doing.
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Ian-Allan Herklotz
Value Strategist | Hospitality Entrepreneur | Restaurateur | Co-Founder at GASTO GmbH
A key skill in handling multiple projects is continuous self-improvement and refining the overall system. In our dynamic careers, adapting to various tasks and industry changes is crucial. Staying open to improvements and devising a strategic approach to learning is essential. It's vital to recognize that using the same methods perpetually isn't sustainable; however, overhauling everything with each new learning isn't practical. Hence, having a well-thought-out plan to apply changes becomes a valuable addition to navigate these challenges effectively.
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Kiu Leung, Ph.D.
Helping businesses with 20 - 350 employees achieve profitable growth.
Practice continuous improvement in one's career by attending seminars, workshops and reading books on relevant topics. It also helps to become a member of an organization with objectives of interest to your expertise as well as chamber of commerce and other non-profit organizations. Attend as many of events hosted by these organizations to meet other members and to learn new approaches.
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Hadi Aleid
Site Manager at Emerson Automation Solution
Simple rule: Work on yourself, to give more to others. When you increase your skills, your knowledge, and your values, you can contribute more to your company and your society.
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