Last year didn’t go as planned.
It wasn’t because of a lack of clients — although there’s room for improvement on that front. It was because my time- and task-management skills were virtually nonexistent. And my flexibility was a little too flexible.
I was “winging it” for most of the year.
Maybe this sounds familiar to you.
I wasn’t exactly adrift. I had a goal and the desire to achieve it. But I did what interested me in the moment instead of working steadily toward my aim. And when I did start to make progress, I stopped whenever life popped up… which it often did.
As a result, everything felt chaotic. I had no method to my madness, no priority to speak of, AND I was hemorrhaging time.
It took me days to complete what should have taken only a couple of hours, and a month to finish a week’s worth of work. Plus, I ended up neglecting all the tasks that would help my copywriting business grow and thrive (networking, filing, organizing, updating portfolio), simply because they were boring, tedious, or scary.
I spent so much time stressed about time… angry that I couldn’t get anything done… overwhelmed at the amount of work I still needed to do…
Doubt began to eat away at me.
“Is this actually right for me?”
“Can I really do this?”
“Why is it so difficult?”
I realized some changes were in order. If I wanted to reach my goals, I had to approach my days differently.
The Importance of Time Management
One point of aggravation was having to figure out what needed to be done every single time I sat down to work on my digital-copywriting business. That alone took up a big chunk of my day-to-day.
I was always behind schedule… and that stressed me out even more.
What I needed was to be more mindful of MY time — the parts of the day and evening where I could focus my attention on my goals.
If you don’t manage your time effectively… life’s little interruptions can overwhelm you and monopolize your day.
But, if you’re too rigid with your time management, that can backfire and lead to a different kind of frustration and overwhelm.
Finding Your Middle Ground
I’ve learned that to manage my time more effectively, I had to stop trying to manage my time more effectively.
To be precise… I stopped micromanaging my time.
For example, every day there are moments where my personal life takes priority — taking my daughter to school and my wife to work, doing chores, running errands, and helping my daughter with her homework.
In between those moments are when I schedule time to focus on my goals.
Through trial and error, I’ve also discovered the importance of resting or doing something fun during the day. Without those breaks, your brain can start to tire and lose focus. Those “non-productive” breaks not only increase productivity, they’re critical to the writing process… especially for direct-response copywriting.
Making time for downtime allows your brain to process what you’ve been working on and to formulate new ideas. And without that, you might not come up with that BIG idea for your sales letter, or that breakthrough topic for your blog post.
Getting a handle on your schedule is just the first step. The next is knowing what you’ll work on during your work blocks.
The Importance of Task Management
“What do I work on first?” I had a love/hate relationship with that question.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the process of finding the answer… but having to sort through ideas, tasks, and goals every single time I sat down to work ate into the time I had to be productive.
Managing tasks is especially vital when you’re first getting your copywriting business up and running, because there are just so many things to do and so many possibilities to explore…
Finding your niche (if you want one), fleshing out your target audience, discovering and learning the skills you need to succeed, networking, getting clients, and adding value to your services.
That’s why planning, organizing, and prioritizing your tasks are so imperative to your success as a freelance digital copywriter.
Taking a Task-List Approach
To manage my tasks and keep me on track, I use a daily task list.
At the end of the year, I assessed where I was at and decided where I want to be by the end of this year.
Then I created four lists — daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly.
The yearly and monthly lists I turned into an Excel spreadsheet. But the weekly and daily lists… I write those down using paper and pencil.
I have one notebook for weekly tasks and a second notebook for daily ones.
At the end of each week, I write the next week’s list. And I write my daily lists each morning… that’s when my mind is the clearest, and the most rested and refreshed, so it’s what works for me.
Having these four lists helps me stay connected to my larger goals when I review the yearly and monthly lists, while keeping me on top of the smaller activities and tasks I need to do each day and week to make steady progress.
Flexibility Is Key
Even when you manage your time AND have an idea of what to do and when… life still loves to get in your way.
That’s why flexibility plays a critical role in your business. The best laid plans can go sideways when life comes up. Rather than letting life bump you off track, handle life’s demands and then regroup, adjust your schedule, and return to making steady progress.
Managing your tasks saves you time…
And managing your time allows you to be more productive with your tasks.
Flexibility gives you a way to switch gears and deal with the unexpected without getting knocked off track or becoming overwhelmed.
If you’ve never tried this kind of scheduling/task-list system, I recommend you give it a go and see if it’s for you.
If you use a different approach, I’d love to hear about it. Drop a line in the comments section below on what works for you.
