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When you first become self-employed it can be a little bit of a shock to the system not having a ‘clocking in’ or ‘clocking out,’ and someone to tell you what time you can eat and use the toilet, yes that sometimes happens! But once the initial excitement and fear wear off, you will find yourself with a workload you had no idea you would be facing, all the time in the world but no idea how you are going to fit everything in. 

If you’re lucky you will have developed some time management skills at least before you take the plunge to work for yourself, but if not, here are a few tips to help you along the way.

Assess The Load

This one sounds a bit like the beginning of a manual handling training session, but it really is ultimately the same thing, you need to know EXACTLY what you are dealing with, write it all down, add it all up and then prioritize the workload. Discover what it is you need to do first, and then you will be able to allocate the right amount of time to it! You can quickly become overwhelmed at the beginning, but if you follow this piece of advice from the beginning, you will soon find yourself gaining momentum and smashing through your projects. 

Use Tools

You have the tools of the trade at the ready, you’ve worked out precisely what equipment you need to get your job done and to run your business effectively, you have the software you need too! But have you considered time management tools? There are lots of different apps and websites that will be able to help you keep on track and delivering results before the deadline is reached. You can also find training on this via Powercall Training too. You’ll thank yourself for doing the research on this one! Don’t forget to keep a very clear and updated diary as well to avoid double-booking yourself! 

Remove Distractions

If you are self-employed, there is a change you’re working from home a lot, which is a great position to be in, except it’s possibly the place with the most distractions you could find! Postmen, pets, and neighbors are always going to be around with their noise and distraction tactics (especially the dog!), so if you can make a space out of the way just for working in, that has fewer distractions you will find it much easier to keep focus. Also, don’t forget to keep social media and messenger services closed when you need to stay on track, this is a significant drain on your attention span!

When it comes to starting out in the self-employed world, then you will want to gather as many resources as possible and keep to the plan. If you’re naturally organized with incredible focus, then you should be fine, if not, well then, start by assessing the load and take it one step at a time! Before you know it, you’ll have a little bit more time free to grab a sandwich maybe!