We all need good time management skills but if you are feeling that there is too much to do and not enough time then it is especially important to take a good look at your time-management and productivity habits.
Most freelancers could do with a little more time in their day, so we’ve asked Clare Evans author of Time Management for Dummies for her top ten tips to help you get back on track and stay in control.
Mark Kirby | Lifestyle & Time out
Information overload is not a problem — we’ve been surrounded by too much information for centuries.
The real problem is ‘filter failure’.
Here Wordpress & Mobile Developer Mark Kirby outlines a very simple method for filtering website feeds and making the most of your time online.
Anthony Hewson | Working From Home
You gave up working for someone else for a reason. More than one in all likelihood, but one stood bold and proud: freedom.
Such a noble word; such a bright and sparkling principle; such a statement of hope and promise.
Such a lie
Anthony Hewson | Lifestyle & Time out
Freelancing takes courage. No guaranteed pay cheque, no back-up team, no boss to give you guidance, no boss to take the fall.
No excuses – the buck stops with you. It took courage to take that first step into the freelance world, whether it was a bold and brazen stride with an armful of clients ready to commit, or a stomach-knotted plunge born of necessity.
Anthony Hewson gives us some inspiring advice on how to feel the fear and to use it to put some fire in your freelancing belly.
Linda Jones | Lifestyle & Time out
Agency director and mum of twins Linda Jones shares some expert tips on how to successfully balance the demands of a freelance career with those of a growing family.
Freelance journalist and author of ‘How to Grow Your Business For Entrepreneurs’ Alex Blyth writes about entrepreneurs and how they achieve success.
In this post Alex takes a look at a fundamental skill that all entrepreneurs need, the ability to plan and make progress towards long-term goals.
Leo Babauta | Lifestyle & Time out
There’s a concept in programming called “feature creep” — when a software developer continually adds one feature after another because “wouldn’t it be nice” and “why not” and “isn’t it cool” and “some users asked for it”. The end result is a bloated program that tries to do everything but ends up being not very good at any of it.
Leo Babauta suggests a few ideas for overcoming feature-creep in your life.
Leif Kendall | Lifestyle & Time out
Is something holding you back? Are you contemplating change, but struggling to make the leap? I can’t tell you how to motivate yourself. But I can write about the things that help me get going…
Leo Babauta | Lifestyle & Time out
Email Zen: Clear Out Your Inbox
Our productivity guru Leo Babauta, pro-blogger and founder of the highly successful Zen Habits, gives us three top tips on managing email and keeping your mind, and your inbox, clean and clear.
Leo Babauta | Lifestyle & Time out
Purpose Your Day: Most Important Task (MIT)
Leo Babauta, creator of the highly successful Zen Habits blog shares a few tips on prioritising your freelance tasks and streamlining your workflow.
Getting things done… zen style.
Emma Jones | Lifestyle & Time out
New technology means it’s possible to work wherever you want. You’ve already decided you want to work for yourself and away from the traditional office, but now – with a few simple tips and tricks – you can enjoy unprecedented flexibility, and work almost anywhere, from your local coffee shop to the public park. Freelance Advisor and Home Working author and expert Emma Jones explains how.
Emma Jones | Getting a Job,Working From Home
Never has this piece of advice been more relevant. You went in to business to do the things you most enjoy. When you enjoy something, you’re good at it and that, in turn, attracts loyal customers. Keep hold of those customers by sticking to your knitting and find other experts to take on the tasks [...]
Leo Babauta | Lifestyle & Time out
Leo Babauta of Zen Habits rises at 4:30 a.m every day. And he’s clearly insane! But before we roll over and pull the covers over our heads… lets hear some of the benefits and, if it sounds good to you, how you can make it a lasting, productive habit.
Leo Babauta | Lifestyle & Time out
As a freelancer with multiple clients, multiple deadlines and multiple todo lists it can be hard to know what to focus on next – so rather than choose we often end up doing two, or more, things at once. As part of a series of posts on Getting Things Done for Freelancers Leo Babauta of [...]
Freelance Advisor and author of ‘Spare Room Start Up’ Emma Jones give us a timely reminder of the things we could be doing in the run up to Christmas. What can freelancers do when things get quiet over the holiday season and what plans can we make for 2009. When the phones hush and emails [...]
Dianne Bown-Wilson | Lifestyle & Time out
In part one of this series consultant, coach and trainer Dianne Bown-Wilson explored the advantages of portfolio working. Today she helps us identify the tools we’ll need to put it into practice. Portfolio career: How to Designing a Portfolio Career comes down to achieving an appropriate and desirable balance in your life between need and [...]
Dianne Bown-Wilson | Getting a Job
If you’ve recently retired or are thinking ahead to your remaining working years now could be a good time to consider developing a portfolio career. In this two part series consultant, coach, trainer and writer Dianne Bown-Wilson tells us why it is a good idea and how to go about it… Portfolio careers: the perfect [...]
Look who’s talking: Monitoring buzz on the web As a freelance community builder and co-director of TheWerks web-socialite Rosie Sherry offers advice on monitoring your brand and filtering out the noise. Five sites for monitoring your brand online There’s no denying that the web holds huge amount of information. Most of it irrelevant to you [...]
Michael Rose | Lifestyle & Time out
Mark Kirby’s piece on Time-Boxing for Freelancers this week got me thinking about all the time I could waste trying to find the perfect tools for the job. The irony of this is not lost on anyone I’m sure so, rather than waste unnecessary time on “productivity p0rn”, I thought I’d take Mark’s advice to [...]
Mark Kirby | Lifestyle & Time out
Getting things done throughout the day is what keeps the contracts and cash coming in. But how do we know which tasks we should be working on? And for how long? Freelance Advisor’s life-hacks guru Mark Kirby offers a smart solution to planning freelance work. In this post I’m going to focus on a simple [...]
When you are busy, its easy to forget to keep in touch with friends and family who you don’t see on a day to day basis. Perhaps they live far away, or so close you feel you could get in touch with them at any moment, but always forget. Perhaps you see certain people a [...]
Rosie Sherry | Getting a Job,Lifestyle & Time out
Think freelance. Think freedom. Think about the 1 minute commute from your bed. Think working in your pyjamas. Think it’s perfect? Freelancing is often related to an improved lifestyle and work-life balance. Though the opposite often occurs. In today’s 24/7, always-connected world it’s all too easy to lock yourself away and lose track of what [...]
Mark Kirby | Lifestyle & Time out
In my last post I explained how to use the management tool Remember the Milk and how its important to write down everything you need to do. In this post I’m going to explain how you can take things further, and programme into your routine regular tasks which ensure mundane but essential stuff like cleaning [...]
Mark Kirby | Lifestyle & Time out
In my first post I introduced you to the web application remember the milk (RTM) and to David Allen’s GTD methodology. In this post I will explain the most basic principle of GTD – write everything down so you don’t forget stuff – and how to do that efficiently using Remember the Milk. I will [...]
Mark Kirby | Lifestyle & Time out
Our resident time-management guru Mark Kirby starts the first of his regular columns with hints and tips on ways to better manage your time. The techniques Mark uses have enabled him to achieve far more in the week than he ever thought possible, and enabled him to feel more relaxed when not working… If your [...]
Carey McIlvenny | Getting a Job
As a freelancer, you often have a lot of business admin to manage. It’s easy to get in a muddle. It may sound obvious and tedious, but getting organised from the outset can save you time and money. It’ll help your finances Think about the 10 minutes a day you spend hunting for your keys [...]
