Ask 10 freelance writers how they plan their schedules and manage their freelance workload, and you’ll get 10 different answers.
Some freelancers work around their children’s school schedules, while others freelance on top of their regular job in order to learn new skills or earn more money. None of us have the same schedule, experience, commitments, or needs.
No matter the individual circumstances, flexibility is usually at the core of a freelancer’s “why.”
Flexibility is terrific. For example, you can go to a doctor’s appointment in the morning without “taking time off.” As long as you meet your deadlines, no one cares when you do the work.
Yet, how do you find the right balance between research, writing, finding clients, invoicing, etc.?
- How do you plan your days/weeks?
- How much of a workload can you handle?
- How do you divvy up your time between administrative tasks, business development, and writing/researching?
Unfortunately, there is no single answer.
If you’re new to freelancing, you’ll probably spend most of your time acquiring skills and finding clients. You might wonder how to schedule your deadlines when you’re more seasoned. There are weeks when you’ll take on too much and work late and others when you’ll find the right balance.
Here are a few questions to help guide you.
4 Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Freelance Schedule
Freelancing offers all the flexibility, but it helps to be self-aware enough not to overload yourself.
Here are four questions to help you plan your work weeks.
1. How much time do you have each week to dedicate to your freelance business?
It’s easy to overestimate your available time and think, “Oh, I can definitely dedicate 20 hours, 40 hours, whatever it takes,” and then realize you only have 15 hours available after your other responsibilities.
If you have a family and a full-time job, it makes sense to start small, even if that means only 3-5 hours a week. You can accomplish a lot with consistent effort for 3-5 hours a week.
2. Do you track your writing time?
You can use pen and paper to write down how long you work on something or use a tool like RescueTime. As you track more and more of your time, you’ll recognize how long it takes you to write certain things so you can better gauge the effort involved. If you write for a client monthly, you’ll get familiar with their content, and it’ll be easier to get into the flow.
For example, I’ve written for the pet industry for 15 years. As a result, it’s not a heavy lift for me to write the typical blog article for a pet client. (And I have a good idea how long each post will take me to write.)
However, data analytics material requires more thinking and deep focus. I enjoy learning about wonky areas like this, but I don’t have as much background.
From a workflow and financial standpoint, my energy and bank account are best when I have a good mix of the two types of work. No one can sustain intense focus for hours a day, every day.
3. How many hours will you write?
When I started my business, I fantasized about writing every day for hours at a clip. That’s not my reality. Some days, I only write two hours, and on a good day, I’ll write four or five. And in conversations with other full-time freelancers, that’s pretty typical. Thinking is work.
Besides, there’s a lot of other work, including research, business development, admin tasks. Few write 40 hours a week consistently.
4. How much time will you commit to professional development?
This can mean taking a new AWAI course, making time for a webinar, or reading up on industry reports. One of my favorite parts of freelance writing is learning. Whether learning a new skill I can share with my clients or going deeper into an industry, my curiosity leads me everywhere. Yet, I can’t always be in learning mode, or I won’t hit my financial goals. It fluctuates, but I probably spend an hour or so a week in active learning.
The thing about balance is it’s constantly shifting. Some days you have more energy and focus than others. Some weeks you might have family obligations or a stack of deadlines, and you’ll need to adjust accordingly.
If you’re new to freelancing and don’t have any clients, it makes sense you’ll spend the bulk of your work time on outreach. As you add a client, you’ll want to maintain your marketing while doing the work. By the time you’re up to three or four projects, it gets trickier. If you use a time tracker, you might be able to assign time to certain tasks. However, it’s helpful to build in a buffer in case you need it.
If you’re working full-time to build your writing business, you might give yourself two to three hours a day for writing, with the rest for outreach and other tasks. After a few weeks or months, you’ll better understand how long it takes to complete different tasks. That information will help you build or adjust your schedule more effectively moving forward.
What’s your ideal freelance schedule? We’d love to hear from you below.
