Most of us quit our jobs and become freelancers because of the allure of being free. Unless we’re careful, it’s too easy to give up newfound freedom in exchange for many masters, and the biggest culprit is usually an inability to manage time.

Here are a few steps that can help you put the free back in “freelancer”.

1. Limit information intake
Information comes in many forms. Sometimes it can appear important, taking the form of a conference call or meeting. The fact is, it’s almost impossible to multitask. Information isn’t necessarily bad, but going on a diet is a great idea. When you’re trying to work and produce results, focus on doing just that.

2. Eliminate distractions
Email, Teams, Twitter and Whatsapp. All of these are productivity killers and cause you to lose time and focus. Try to limit checking email to once or twice a day (morning and evening). This will also encourage your clients to realize that not everything in life is urgent and worthy of an immediate response. 

3. Work in short bursts
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management system that encourages people to work with the time they have—rather than against it. The idea is simple: Work 25 minutes at a time (and do nothing but work), and then break for 5 minutes. Stretch, brew some tea, or look out the window for these five minutes, but don’t think about your work. This allows us to detach ourselves from our work, and to turn on or off our working minds at our own leisure.

4. Practice saying “No”
We all want to please people, but we shouldn’t sacrifice our own happiness to do that. Usually things that need to be done right away can wait a bit. Set a time frame for your work, and refuse to do anything outside of those hours. Too many freelancers and consultants carve into their scheduled free time, sacrificing their time with friends and family, to satisfy their clients. 

5. Treat freelancing as a job
This probably sounds ridiculous, but hear me out. Don’t let your freelancing work eat into your routine. Setup office hours with your clients, confidently explain the way you work and why, and stick with it.

Conclusion
Remember, the only way to achieve freedom as a freelancer is to establish a system and to educate your clients on how it works. Otherwise, your clients will continue to influence you with how they want to work. Remember this: Time is like money. If you don’t earmark and manage it like you would your budget, it will disappear.

If you’re looking out to start on your freelancer journey, why not check out Rtist? We have one of the biggest creative talent communities in Malaysia that matches you with your clients. Check us out now!