Five Simple Ways To Organize Your Freelance

Posted by George

July 20, 2009

If you are like many other people in this world, you may have an issue with staying organized. Staying organized is listed as one of the top issues people would like to master. Another issue that ranks high on that list is Time Management.

When you join the ranks of independent employment, the skill of being organized is critical if you are to become a successful freelancer. As a freelancer, you are responsible for all sides of the business. No longer do you have other people to help with things like accounting, marketing, sales and sometimes tech support. When you freelance, you are a one-person show.

Ways To Keep Your Freelance Organized

1. Keep a Clean and Neat Working Environment.

I know that some will say that they know where everything is and they like their mess. I was once this way as well. That was then and this is now.

Keep a somewhat neat and tidy working environment is one big way to help with organizing your freelancing.

2. Carry a Notebook Or Voice Recorder.

It doesn’t matter if you are sitting at your desk or running to a meeting with a client, it pays to carry a notebook and pen.

I know I am always coming up with new ideas or needing to jot down some notes on a project I am working on. This holds true especially for us writers. I have a notebook in key areas such as: by my bed, on my desk, in my bag, in my car and other places around my house.

The ability to write down your thoughts or notes from meetings can keep important information at your fingertips.

If you are unable to have a notebook with you, a voice recorder or even calling yourself gives you the opportunity to leave voice messages for yourself with the information you need to remember.

3. Use a To-Do List.

It seems this one has been around since I can remember. Writing up a to-do list first thing and prioritizing your tasks can organize not only your tasks, but also your time. By creating and following a to-do list for short and long-term goals, you are able to keep priorities in front of you and not wonder aimlessly from one random task to another.

4. Plan Ahead.

Remember those people back in school that would wait until the last second to study for an exam or complete a project? Very rarely did these individuals get a passing grade or even finish what needed to be done. This is the same in freelancing. From sales and marketing to completing project work and accounting, it pays to plan ahead and not wait till the last minute to complete what needs to be done.

When you plan ahead and become proactive instead of reactive, you organize how all your tasks get completed for yourself and clients.

This goes very well with number 3, Use a To-Do List.

5. Use Software and Tools for Automation and Organization.

There are many pieces of software and tools that can help organize and even automate tasks for your freelancing. There are many that are free and some that you will have to pay a fee for the use of that tool.

Some tools that can assist you could be:

Accounting software
Project management and tracking software.

By using these tools and software, you not only will become organized but you will also gain back time to accomplish other freelancing tasks.

Get Organized

Becoming and keeping organized is one of many skills freelancers need to become familiar with. When you master how to create and maintain an organized business, you will gain things such as more time and confidence in how you run your freelance business.

Do you have other processes you use to stay organized in your freelance career? Tell us about it by posting a comment.

I would love to hear from you.