Working Smarter is Smart Work

As a veteran freelance consultant, I have had my share of ups and downs—shifting job markets, shifting project needs and schedules, rate competition—you name it. Remaining relentlessly focused on delivering top quality services can be challenging in light of the many distractions a freelancer faces. I work hard for my clients, no doubt. But more importantly, I work ‘smart’ for myself. Being able to work smart enables me to be more productive and spend less time on fruitless pursuits; it also allows me to continue to deliver for my clients, over and over again.

Of course, I’ve learned some of my tricks the hard way, and have spent more time and energy on some tasks than was prudent in hindsight. I’ll chalk these up to lessons learned—and here they are:

1. Set boundaries

We all know how easy it is to look at a day that seems wide open on the calendar, and realize at the end of it how little we’ve actually accomplished. A dozen emails, a coffee break, a quick catch-up on Facebook and suddenly the day is gone. Setting boundaries is critical for working smarter in order to avoid invariable time drains at the expense of productive and billable work.

• Schedule time for email and stick to it. There is no greater black hole than email, and the constant temptation to click back and forth checking your Inbox all day long. Try to dedicate specific time blocks for reading, reviewing and responding to email. Whenever possible, ‘touch’ email messages once by responding immediately rather than flagging the email for a later response. I dedicate the first hour of my workday to email, and check it again around noontime and in the last 30 minutes of my day.
• Block ‘sacred’ time. Because I have three small children, I try to keep Friday afternoons sacred to spend time with them. This works well for my schedule, since my clients are often difficult to reach on Friday afternoons and because I typically schedule status calls on Thursdays to set expectations for the upcoming week. Sometimes this means I put in an extra hour or two on other days, but blocking this time out of my schedule helps me to stay more focused during my other work hours, since time with my children is something I do not want to have to compromise.
• Recharge. Back-to-back phone calls and meetings can drain even the most energetic of consultants. If possible, try to schedule your time to allow for a 10-15 minute break in the morning and again in the afternoon to clear your head, rest your eyes and recharge your batteries. A quick stretch or walk around outside can revive your creative juices and make the next hours more productive.

2. Focus on one project at a time

At any given time, I may be working on several different projects or for several different clients. It can be tempting to toggle back and forth between them all every day, but often this is at the expense of productive and focused work. When possible, I try to dedicate specific days of the week or specific times of the day to each client.

For example, I may dedicate Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to one client, and Tuesdays and Thursdays to another, depending on the contracted needs. Or, I may dedicate the morning to work on one project and the afternoon to work on another, allowing for breaks and email time as described above. These time blocks allow me to stay focused, give my projects my full skills and attention, and deliver top-quality work to my clients without sacrificing the needs of one client for another.

3. Balance projects and services

Often, my clients will approach me with a project that may not require my full-time services. In that case, I have hours available to offer to other clients or other projects—a prospect that can be rewarding in more ways than simply billing more hours.

• Balance project needs. When considering other projects, try to balance the project needs against one another in order to retain your skill set and remain energized on your projects. For example, if you are serving as a project manager for 20 hours per week, seek another project that requires business strategy, research or other skills. This way, you can maximize utilization while enjoying variety in your work and a balanced use of your skill set.
• Offer a range of rates based on your skill sets. Think competitively about the freelance landscape and base your rates accordingly. I set my rates in a range based on the level of expertise required for a project. My rate for copywriting services is lower than my rate for project management services, because there are lots of great copywriters out on the landscape to choose from. My rate for project management, on the other hand, is higher because clients often require a project manager with experience in a specific industry or with a specific type of software product. These resources are harder to find, require a deeper skill set and command a higher rate. By offering my services at different rates, I often end up with both statements of work from the same client: one for copywriting and one for project management.

4. Reduce administration time

Although managing the financial components of your work is critical to your ongoing success, the time you spend attending to administrative tasks is often at the expense of billable working time. Albert Ellenich has been a freelance usability consultant in Chicago for three years, after spending 12 years in full-time user experience roles. He says,

“Take the effort to research and implement a money management system that works for you for tracking income, expenses and invoicing. Look for online providers who work together, allowing you to handle all invoicing and time tracking needs in one app, (yet still enable you to) tie the information in to your accounting. I use Harvest for time and invoicing and Outright for accounting. Data automatically feeds into Outright from Harvest and the interface for both products are great! (Because I do not have any employees)… I found Quickbooks to be overkill for tracking my simple income/expense tasks.” [See our Review of Harvest.]

5. Plan time for networking

Often, networking activities are the first things to fall off the To-Do list when you get busy. Scheduling time for networking activities—even if this means merely connecting via social networking, email or within a professional trade group—is critical for freelancers and consultants. Your pipeline may be filled now, but since consulting work ebbs and flows by nature, remaining connected to your network and building new relationships helps to ensure that you will remain top-of-mind during slower times. I reach out to my network regularly to offer links to my latest articles, share news about project successes and extend invitations to join me for events and/or group dialogue.

Mastering the art of working smarter has enabled me to remain successful as a freelance consultant for over six years. Not only has my list of clients and contacts grown, I have also managed to balance my career against an ever-increasing list of other ‘life’ demands without having to commit to a 60-hour workweek. Happy consulting!

Other Articles by Stephanie Heying Bach

Tough Times? Stay Afloat With New Client Business
Tips For Working On Large Initiatives