Managing the To-Do List as a Freelance Writer

There will always be more work to do when you’re a freelance writer and time management is important. As a freelance writer, the amount of money you make depends on how much you can get done in the time you have available to do it in. It’s important that you make the most of that time with time management skills. Some are born organizers that can plan their day’s work, get it done, and continue on to even better things. However, most of us aren’t and we need a little bit of help when it comes to managing our to-do lists.

Step 1: Writing the To-Do List

Some of us will have a good ol’ fashioned pad of paper to write down our tasks on, some may have a program built into their smartphone, and some may decide to find a time management application online, such as Remember the Milk or ToDoist. No matter which direction you decide to go, it’s important to write down what needs to get done. It holds us more accountable for them, and these physical (or virtual) lists can save us with handy reminders sometimes.

Step 2: Organizing the To-Do List

What way will you organize your to-do list? You can do it chronologically if you’d like. This works for a lot of small tasks. You can also break it down by the type of tasks you have to do, such as work, personal, or fun things. If you’re writing things down on a pad of paper, try using highlighters to organize, or try making multiple lists if you think it might help. If you’re using a time management program, look to see if they have a way of organizing tasks that allows you to organize them in multiple ways depending on what you need each day.

Step 3: Getting Things Done!

Once you know what needs to get done, you need to sit down and actually get things checked off. This is where time management comes to play. Guesstimate how much time each task will take you and try not to go over that time limit that you’ve established for yourself. Once you’ve finished one thing, it’s time to move on to the next. Be sure to keep your list updated as you get things done so you can see it getting smaller with all your hard work. Throughout the day, more things might come up that may need to be added to the list, and make sure to organize them within the list as you add them. If something comes up that distracts you from what you’re working on, make sure you get back to it as soon as possible to get it finished and off of the to-do list.

Time management is very important when you’re a freelance writer and every freelance writer should have a to-do list of what needs to get done created in some fashion, even if they are just sticky notes plastered to the top of your desk in the order in which they need to get done. Write your to-do list, get it organized, and then get those things done with focus so that you can get as much done as possible in the short amount of time you have to get your freelance writing duties done, because no matter how much time to have to work as a freelance writer, it’s never enough!