Freelance client management – 6 tips to avoid burnout
One of the best things about freelancing is the ability to pick and choose the kind of projects you work on. Sometimes, this means freelancing with multiple clients at once, which can be challenging if you’re new to freelance client management.
But don’t worry; we’ve got some tips for making it work.
First and foremost, our take on overemployment isn’t a secret: it just doesn’t work, at least on Gun.io. If you’re looking for tips on how to pull the wool over clients’ eyes and cash in on not working, don’t look for gigs on Gun.io.
But if you’re looking to fill a regular workweek with several clients who don’t require full-time commitments, read on.
There are many reasons to take on multiple clients, and making more money is only one of them. Maybe you want to keep your skills up in multiple languages, or one project has a particularly slow timeline that allows you to stay busy with other small projects.
Whatever the reason, it’s easy enough to handle with a bit of freelance client management. We’re going to share six tips in this blog.
Freelance client management tips
#1: Organize and track your time
The biggest hurdle is making sure you dedicate the right amount of time to each client. This way, nothing falls through the cracks as you juggle everything.
To this end, a freelance client management software tool like Trello or Asana will be essential to your success. If you don’t want to add another tool to your kit, you can even use GitHub to organize projects into tasks and milestones.
Regardless of the tool, when freelancing with multiple clients, you’ll want each project to have its own space and deadlines.
Make sure these deadlines don’t overlap with other projects or conflict with others. It’s your job to set client expectations, and having a clear picture of what that looks like is crucial.
#2: Block your schedule
Blocking time for freelance client management is essential, as is blocking time for the administrative work that often comes with freelancing, like contracts, billing, taxes, etc.
I recommend setting aside one day a week for admin. Nothing is worse than getting behind on that stuff and making up for it with a marathon paperwork session.
How you block the rest of your time is up to you. The two most efficient ways to do it are to either dedicate entire days solely to one project, or to break your day down into smaller blocks – each of which is dedicated to one task at a time.
#3: Prioritize your work
Sometimes, one project has to take a back seat to another to meet deadlines. Knowing how and when to prioritize appropriately will prevent you from feeling like everything is an emergency.
For example, suppose Client A has an MVP presentation to the C-suite on Thursday, and that presentation heavily depends on the work you’re completing. That should take precedence over Client B’s UI updates, which will not be shown to anyone until a week from now.
Therefore, focus heavily on Client A’s work this week and make up for it with Client B’s work the following week.
#4: Be realistic about timing
Whether freelancing with multiple clients or focusing on a single project, you should always fight the tendency to overcommit. This is especially important when juggling multiple accounts because overcommitment on one will disappoint another.
Be realistic about the timelines you give clients. Know how much you can accomplish in a given amount of time. If your agreement is 20 hours a week, don’t try to cram 28 hours of work into that time frame.
As well as disappointing someone else, you’ll be putting yourself on the fast track to burn out. At that point, no amount of planning can bring you back.
#5: Take breaks
While we’re on the topic of burn out, it’s important to remember to give yourself a break.
That could mean taking a midday walk between blocks of time or using the afternoon of your admin day to take yourself to lunch or a midday yoga class.
Whatever it is for you, scheduling time away from the computer is important.
As a freelancer, it almost feels too easy to go, go, go because time and money are limited. But if you’re not enjoying the benefits of either, then what’s the point?
#6: Know when to say no
Another tendency freelancers have is to say “Yes!” to every project.
Why? The idea of running out of work is terrifying.
This tendency to say yes is more of an issue early in the freelance journey, but even seasoned freelancers can be blinded by a big number or an exciting idea, only to feel burdened by it later.
If you’re not feeling it right off the bat, pass on the project. There WILL be more.
And if you’re part way through and something feels off? Well, there are many ways to navigate working with a difficult client.
We can help you
Freelancing with multiple clients can be super rewarding, but isn’t without its challenges. It requires freelance client management. So take your time, organize your work, and look after yourself so that you can stay in it for the long haul.
And if you’re looking to land your first client, we can help! Here at Gun, we specialize in using senior developers to vet jobs and match you with clients that will make you happy.
So talk to us today and learn how we can help you land your next gig.
