How to Keep Track of Your Freelance Jobs and Deadlines

Freelancing is a fun entrepreneurial path that opens the door for many opportunities and jobs. The trend of remote working spurred the growth of freelancing opportunities, attracting many professionals who want to take a stab at the venture. When starting, jobs can be spread out, but as you progress, you may get overwhelmed.

Managing all the freelance opportunities can be a challenge when you take up multiple jobs and still want to ensure a consistent stream of work in the future.

Tips you can utilize to keep track of your work and meet deadlines include:

Set Realistic Timelines

As a freelancer, you must remember that you are serving multiple clients and, each one deserves quality and timely work. To have successful outcomes, set realistic timelines for completing the assignment. Never let a client pressurize you into committing to an untenable deadline.

If you bow down to such pressure, you will likely compromise the deliverable of another client. If need be, politely turn down the assignments with very tight deadlines. You may be giving up one client, but it will enable you to retain your existing clients and free up your time to source for others.

For each job, give yourself time to complete the job satisfactorily without adding unnecessary stress to your plate. The more you take on work, the better placed you will be to judge how much time it takes to complete specific jobs to set realistic timelines. In the beginning determining timelines may take some trial and error before you get it right. 

Create an Updates Document

Organized documentation is a lifesaver for a freelancer. Imagine running a company where you have to maintain records to keep it operating seamlessly. Freelancing is a business deserving of up-to-date records. Keep detailed notes of particular projects and where you are in the process.

The documents must be well-labeled for easy, quick reference when checking where you are in various client projects. You could also share these updated documents with clients so they too can see the current status.

A Google sheet or doc is probably a good option for organizing your notes and easily sharing with others. The document enables you and the client to update/exchange notes on the work. The joint document interaction preempts the need for frequent emails exchanges with the client, and the first submission is likely to pass without requiring any revisions.

Use a Calendar

Maintaining a calendar is like having a diary of events to check off the completed activities. Use a calendar to map out your projects and monitor any overlaps. Any time you take up a new assignment, make an entry in the calendar, setting milestones and delivery dates.

Having a visual calendar helps to give an overview of the various projects you have in the works and required adjustments. Be sure to always check your calendar before committing to any new job. People tend to neglect assignments with flexible delivery dates but, it does not mean you push them aside every time.

Treat all projects equally and break them down into steps working toward your completed project. You must give yourself enough time between the projects if issues or delays occur. Sometimes there are unforeseen circumstances that you need to bear in mind.

Project Management Platform

As an established freelancer, you are likely handling several projects in the same period. Hence, orderliness is your antidote for missing deadlines or bumping your assignments. A project management platform brings order to your business.

A project management platform can help to break projects down into multiple steps, assign deadlines, and link files as needed. It is an essential tool for allocating tasks to each person if you have other people you work with.

The tool will automatically send you reminders when a deadline is approaching or let you know the free slots to add in more assignments. There are some freely available project management tools you can access over the internet and organize your work.

Use a Freelance Site

Freelance platforms are very popular with independent consultants looking for work. A freelance site not only helps you find freelance jobs but also helps you manage them. A typical site will have your ongoing jobs and delivery dates and suggestions of those you can bid for in your profile. This can help keep you organized and showcase your portfolio to more potential hiring managers than you would on your own.

Keep Track of Your Freelance Work and Grow Your Business

To be a successful freelancer, operate the venture like an enterprise. Business monitoring and tracking are successful ingredients for any money-making venture. Keep yourself organized in running the projects and managing the income and you will thrive in your business.