Time Management Tools for Freelancers
Why 'Busy' is Killing Your Productivity & Potential Solutions
Time is our most valuable – and most wasted – resource.
We live in a world obsessed with busyness. The more we cram into a day, the more productive we think we’re being. We fetishize long hours, the “sleep when you’re dead” mantra, and treat busyness like a badge of honor.
But most of what we call “busy” is just noise.
Freelancers have both an advantage and a challenge. We control our schedules, which comes with the responsibility to focus on the tasks that actually matter.
It’s easy to get pulled into low-value tasks, but as Peter Drucker writes in The Effective Executive “there is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”
Unlike a traditional job, where we can hide in meetings or ride the clock, every hour we waste costs us in a way that hits home – directly impacting income.
With that in mind, thriving as a freelancer isn’t necessarily about doing more work. It’s about doing the right, high-value work, doing it well, and doing it efficiently.
Here are some of the most effective tools I’ve tested as a freelancer, designed to help remove the bullshit, double down on value, and take control of your time.
Daily Prioritization
It’s easy to waste time on tasks that don’t actually move the needle. For those who are self-employed, this isn’t something we can afford.
To avoid the rabbit hole of endless tasks, start each day by asking yourself “if I could only accomplish one task today, what would help me make the most progress toward my main goal?”
One high-leverage task executed well each day will drive your progress forward in a way that scattered, lower-value tasks never will.
To implement this, I list my top three priorities in a Google Doc. My #1 task goes in bold, followed by my next two in order of importance.
This setup keeps me focused on what matters most without the overwhelm of a complex system. If you’re looking for something more detailed, many freelancers find Notion’s customization helpful for organizing tasks. I like the simplicity of a Google Doc.
Another useful prioritization tool is the Eisenhower Matrix, which categorizes tasks by urgency and importance. Focus on urgent and important tasks and defer or delegate those that aren’t. Remember, high-leverage tasks align with long-term goals, not just immediate “fires.”
On days when I skip this practice, my time and attention scatter to tasks that are important for others but don’t advance my own goals.
This also is why I avoid Gmail first thing in the morning. Opening my inbox is like setting fire to my priorities. It tempts me to complete small tasks, especially ones that “only take a few minutes.” But this lures me into tackling other people’s requests before my own.
To guard against this, I stick to a simple rule: “Make before you manage.” Start the day with creative work – whether that’s for growing the business, a high-priority client task, or simply for myself.
Even just a few minutes of creating something sets a powerful tone for the day. It’s a reminder of one of freelancing’s greatest privileges – the ability to build and bring new ideas to life.
Doing the opposite, prioritizing a task list that others create for you, leads to me feeling less autonomous as a freelancer. It almost makes freelancing feel like just another job, without any of the benefits of being a full-time employee.
Tim Ferriss coined the idea of “make before you manage”. He explains that “The psychological difference between zero acts of creation and one act of creation is impossible to overstate.”
Begin your day with a commitment to create – even something small can make all the difference, reminding you that you’re more than just a manager of other people’s priorities. This small shift sets the tone, helping you meet the day’s chaos with a greater sense of purpose and control.
Time Blocking
Now that you have your priorities, it’s important they stay your priorities. It’s easy to slip into reactive mode with emails, Slack messages, and other notifications vying to steal your attention.
That’s where time blocking comes in.
Time blocking means setting aside specific chunks of time in your day to focus exclusively on one task or type of work.
Eliminate distractions during time blocks focusing on your top priorities. Turn off notifications, close any non-essential tabs, and set your devices to “Do Not Disturb.” Just pure focus on the task at hand.
Typically, I set aside 1.5-hour time blocks on my calendar. For smaller tasks, these blocks can be broken down into smaller time slots. But for top priorities, these longer blocks create the space to dive in without constant mental shifts.
Schedule breaks ahead of time. For me, those breaks include lunch, walks with my dog, and the gym. If you don’t prepare for and schedule your breaks ahead of time, they’ll inevitably throw off your time blocking – and we all need breaks.
The nature of freelancing is one of constant change – this being more true for some services and industries than others. To create a balanced structure that allows for last-minute shifts without derailing productivity:
Use "Flexible Time Blocks": Instead of scheduling every minute, leave some open or “buffer” blocks in your calendar. These are time slots dedicated to handling unexpected tasks or changes. By having these built-in, you can accommodate urgent work without disrupting your planned tasks for the day.
Prioritize Tasks by Impact: Start with your high-impact tasks early in the day, when energy and focus are highest. This way, even if a last-minute issue arises later, you’ve already tackled your priorities.
Plan Weekly “Catch-Up” Blocks: For tasks that didn’t get completed during the day due to last-minute changes, schedule a weekly block dedicated to catching up. This keeps unfinished work from snowballing into the following week.
Make Fewer Decisions (When You Can!)
Freelancing gives you the freedom to design your days, but with that freedom comes a hidden cost: decision fatigue.
Every choice you make, from when to start working to what project to tackle next, drains a bit of your mental energy. Over time, these small decisions stack up, quietly sapping your focus and productivity.
A 2008 study sought to explore how making repeated decisions impacts mental energy and self-control. Experiment participants were asked to make small, seemingly trivial choices. For example, one group of participants was asked to make a series of product choices, selecting items from a catalog, while a control group observed but didn’t make any choices.
The researchers found that, as the participants made more decisions, their mental energy diminished. This depletion of mental resources – what they termed “ego depletion” – caused participants to lose willpower and the ability to make sound judgments as their decision-making continued.
When given tasks requiring self-control, like resisting sweets or solving difficult problems, the decision-makers were more likely to give in to impulses or quit sooner than those who hadn’t been making decisions.
Freelancing can feel like an invitation to a free-form life without structure. But while that may sound liberating, especially for someone recently freed from the rigid schedules of traditional employment, it typically leads to decision fatigue. Too many choices can leave you stalled, doing nothing at all, or busying yourself with the wrong things.
The way around this is to eliminate as many unnecessary decisions as possible. Structure your day so that the choices you make truly matter.
Build routines that reduce the daily mental load. Start with a solid morning routine that you follow without much thought. Try sticking to a few go-to breakfast and lunch options to eliminate the time you spend figuring out what to eat.
It may sound trivial, but decisions add up. The fewer you make about small things, the more mental energy you preserve for the big ones.
This is why I’m such a proponent of time blocking. Without a set schedule, you’re constantly faced with a list of options on how to spend each next available time slot. Should I check email? Start a new project? Finish that report?
With time blocks, these choices are pre-made. Your day is structured into chunks dedicated to specific tasks.
And don’t be afraid to set boundaries within your blocks. For example, on Fridays, I don’t take client meetings. My schedule is open for creative work or whatever tasks require focused attention. It’s a small rule, but it saves the energy of deciding each week whether to schedule a call or meeting. It’s pre-decided.
By making fewer decisions about the things that don’t move the needle, you free up your mind to focus on the things that do.
Notice & Adjust
Being self-employed, you are your own manager.
You’re the one setting the pace, which means you also have the opportunity to observe and optimize your routines based on what truly works for you.
You become more attuned to your personal rhythms and habits, like:
– When am I most creatively productive?
– When in the day do I have the most energy?
– What activities drain or recharge me?
– How does my focus change throughout the week?
By noticing these patterns, you can adjust your work schedule to sync with your productivity levels. Instead of fighting against our natural tendencies, we have an opportunity to embrace them and adapt our schedules accordingly.
When we work a job, we’re forced to follow someone else’s schedule – typically following the “normal” 9-5, Monday-Friday routine. As a freelancer, that’s no longer the case, and this opens up a world of opportunities and questions.
Personally, my goal is to do better work so that I can charge higher rates, deliver more value and spend less hours working. By aligning my schedule with my natural rhythms, I maximize my productivity and therefore the quality of what I deliver to clients.
The biggest factor in optimizing my schedule is tracking energy levels throughout the day. Some tasks give me energy, while others drain my focus – this is a great indicator for what to prioritize in my business.
Using a time-tracking tool (I use TrackingTime.co) can reveal patterns in how you spend your time, making it easier to pinpoint your peak productivity hours.
For example, creative work like writing or brainstorming might fit best in high-energy periods, while admin work or email can be slotted into times when energy naturally dips.
Here’s how I’ve calibrated my daily schedule. Everybody’s different, and I’m sure this will evolve over time as well, but here’s what’s currently working best for me.
Morning = Deep Work Block: I dive into my most important and mentally taxing work first. This is when my mind is clearest, and I find I can tackle writing and other high-focus tasks with a fresh perspective. This also gives me a sense of accomplishment that carries through the rest of the day.
I will typically hold off on coffee until 1-2 hours after waking up. This delay helps me get by with just one cup a day, keeping me from relying on a second cup later on, which can mess with my sleep.
Early Afternoon = Gym: I’ve found that exercise is an energy booster for me, making it a great alternative to that tempting second coffee. Plus, I’ll usually follow it up with a few minutes of a cold shower, which also wakes me up for the second half of the day.
I grab a quick, no-fuss lunch after the gym. It’s usually the same meal each day, which eliminates the need to make any decisions and keeps my routine flowing.
Late Afternoon = Meetings + Admin Work: After a morning of writing, I’m typically mentally drained for the afternoon. So ideally, I’ll focus on admin tasks and meetings – requiring much less mental intensity.
For admin work, I’ll often put on some music, a podcast, or an audiobook to keep things enjoyable and relaxed while I work through emails, scheduling, or invoicing.
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If your peak energy times differ, adapt this schedule to suit your own rhythm. For instance, if you’re a night owl, try scheduling deep work blocks in the evening and save the morning for lighter tasks. The goal is to align high-energy periods with the work that requires your best focus.
The “Busy” Trap
From Seth Godin’s blog –
“There’s a common safe place: Being busy.
We’re supposed to give you a pass because you were full on, all day. Frantically moving from one thing to the other, never pausing to catch your breath, and now you’re exhausted.
No points for busy.
Points for successful prioritization. Points for efficiency and productivity. Points for doing work that matters.
No points for busy.”
Tools & Resources
Mentioned in the Blog
The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker – for learning to manage yourself
The Eisenhower Matrix – prioritization tool
TrackingTime.co – time tracking app
Google Docs – self-explanatory
Notion – productivity app
Seth Godin’s Blog – for marketing + life insights
Not Mentioned in the Blog
Freedom – block websites and apps for deep work
4 Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss – a guide to prioritization and for thinking about time
Essentialism by Greg McKeown – the guide to time management
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