Freelancing is an excellent way to express your creative ideas, showcase your talents, and enhance your skill set in an unconventional setting. Not only that but with the growth of online freelancing opportunities, this avenue can be another revenue stream, regardless of where you are in the world. For that reason, more and more individuals in college are turning to freelancing as a means of generating extra income during what can be a stressful economic time. Yet, balancing time constraints and productivity can be a difficult task to master when academic pressures add up. But, with the right tip, you can keep everything running as smoothly and as lucratively as possible. The following are seven time management tips if you freelance in college that will help keep you on track.
1. Timing Matters
When it comes to freelancing, or life for that matter, there will be times when you are more productive than others. Some individuals are morning people while others are late night advances. Before you set up a schedule or begin to manage your time, be sure that you identify the times when you work best and are the most productive.
2. Schedule & Plan
The most successful freelancer, or best professionals, are those that plan their days according to the need and tasks ahead. This helps to keep everyone on track and makes a quasi-plan for accomplishing tasks. A schedule is your plan and it must not be taken lightly and should be kept up to date whenever you can, allowing for adjustments too.
3. Breaks Matter
While you are trying to be productive and balancing classes with freelance work, it is important to not become overwhelmed. Breaks and time for recreation are important. Be sure to schedule time for others or for yourself, down to daily breaks, so that you do not become too bogged down to be productive. Scheduling breaks and recreation may seem counterproductive but will ultimately help you to be productive in the end.
4. Limit Distractions
When it comes to balancing working and school, it is best to limit outside distractions during productive hours. There is no doubt that life, especially at the collegiate level, is filled with potential pitfalls and attention-grabbing activities. When it comes to work hours, though, you need to limit these distractions and find a quiet place to be as productive as you possibly can.
5. Dedicate Your Workspace
One way that you can make it easier on yourself and your time is to dedicate a workspace that is specifically for your school and freelancing work. Doing your activities in a high traffic area can bring distractions to the forefront and may slow you up. It may also confuse your brain as to when you are supposed to work and when you are supposed to interact with others. By dedicating a particular area as your workspace or work environment, your brain can be trained to switch to on mode and it can increase your productivity levels.
6. Stay Organized
Your workspace should stay as organized as possible. Whether it is a mobile or stationary space, staying organized will help to ensure that you know where everything is right when you need it and can actually lead to a more productive work style. It can also help you in other areas outside of work and skill as well!
7. Do Not Overload
Part of being successful at life is to know when to say no. You may become tempted in your freelancing career to take on more projects than you can complete. Be sure not to say yes without a full evaluation of the process and an understanding of how much time you will actually have to dedicate to an activity.
About the Author: Jane Copland is a passionate PR manager at ThePensters.com – the community of freelance academic writers. She’s into writing, technology, and psychology.
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