Four ways I learned to manage my time better

By Maeva Cifuentes

Time management is crucial to freelancers. When you don’t have a boss shoving strict schedules down your throat, it’s easy to lose track of time. I used to go to sleep with a ton of tasks in my head only to wake up spending the day unproductively.

As I grew as a person and a professional, I had to improve the way I managed my time to get the most from it. Here are four practices that helped me.

• Accept your weaknesses. This is absolutely fundamental. Your weaknesses are a part of you, and fighting them will take much more time and effort than simply adapting to them. For example, I always tried to eat less chocolate, but I would buy it anyway. I would tell myself that I could eat it slowly and eat one bar over the course of a few days. Despite my efforts, I would always finish the chocolate bar all at once. I had to accept that I couldn’t control this aspect of myself: I wholly lack self-control when there is a delicious chocolate in front of my face. Instead of trying to control my chocolate portions, I had to adapt to my weakness and I stopped buying it. It was no longer there to tempt me, and that was just the way it had to be. I effectively managed my weakness by accepting it instead of rejecting it.
• Write everything down. I have always had trouble organizing my daily and weekly tasks. I thought if I read enough about how to be organized I would naturally become an organized person. I tried mnemonic devices or I planned to put things into my iPhone calendar. Over time I realized it was just not working for me. I don’t know why, but looking at my phone to sort out my duties was a hassle, and I was certainly unable to keep myself organized in my head. After numerous attempts to change, I realized I had to accept the part of me that would never take note of my schedule in my phone or remember it by myself. I had to find an alternative method. I now have a white board on the wall at the foot of my bed, so I can see it before I go to sleep and once I wake up. Every time a random thought pops into my head I quickly note it on the board, and it works. There is nothing quite like the certitude given by a whiteboard full of checked-off tasks at the end of a day. Instead of trying to force your weaknesses out, try using your knowledge of them to adapt and work around them.
• Blocking distractions. I am very easily distracted. In a digital world, there are always flashing lights, pending notifications and e-mails coming in. Not to mention news and social media are additional strains on my attention span. I have also come to accept another weakness of mine: I’m not a multi-tasker. I always told myself I was a multi-tasker and that multi-tasking was easy. However, if I am to accomplish my duties to the best of my ability, multi-tasking is ultimately unfruitful.

My first method was blocking distracting websites during my working hours. I downloaded a program called Cold Turkey, which allows you to select chunks of time to block certain websites that you know easily distract you.

Secondly, I used a timing technique. Distracting thoughts always find a way into my head. Did I e-mail that client? Have I checked whether I submitted yesterday’s invoice? Has my colleague responded to my text? Though all these thoughts are indirectly work-related, they still interrupt my stream of thought while I’m doing billable work. So I’ve started using the Pomodoro Timing technique. I set the clock for 25 minute chunks during which I am only allowed to think about my work at hand and nothing else. I have five-minute breaks in between each 25-minute chunk to deal with whatever pesky thought had distracted me before (which I noted somewhere, of course!). You’d be surprised how much more you can get done in 25 minutes!

• Keep your head clear. Finally, in order to have an orderly and managed life, you need to clear your head. I found that my life felt so unorganized because I burdened myself with managing duties alone instead of using the above tools to relieve me. To keep my mind clear, I not only have to keep a clean space, but meditate frequently, exercise and eat well. I make sure I spend some time every day relaxing, sleeping, or doing whatever my brain needs to stay clear.

All of these solutions are based on accepting yourself, taking care of yourself and using your weaknesses to make yourself stronger. These are how I am able to run a business, continue professional development and education, play instruments, draw, exercise, and still find time to sleep and socialize.