Freelancing Tips That Will Save Your Life

I’ve been a business owner since I opened my very first LLC back in 2013. Back then, I had no clue what taxes were, I didn’t know how to invoice clients, or what in the world it meant to be “organized.” But, I did know that I wanted to make a living doing what I love and had faith that I would figure it out one way or another.

And guess what? I did. But, not without a whole lot of trial, error, and failure along the way.

One thing I wish I had done was ask for help and gain some insider information from those who had already gone through the ring of fire. So, whether you’re in your first year of business or haven’t even started, I wanted to share my top freelancing tips that will save you time, money, and a whole lot of headache.

Enjoy!

Organize Your Inbox

We’re going to kick things off super simple here. The first tip I have is organize your damn inbox! As a freelancer, you’ll be living out of our inbox 24-7, so to make life easier on yourself, be sure to set yourself up with a system.

One way I have found that works for me is to “star” or “flag” emails that I need to come back to. This often happens when I read an email that requires a more detailed, time-consuming response or when I see something while I’m on-the-go and don’t have time to respond.

Then, at the end of every day, I look at my starred folder and take 30-40 minutes to weed through them all as best I can. This helps you avoid those “shit, where did that email go” moments and stay super organized in your inbox.

Find a Tool to Keep You Organized

This can vary for so many people as there are a ton of organizational tools and programs out there. One that I swear by is a free project management platform called Trello.

Trello has been my go-to for everything from keeping a to-do list, planning my next vacation, or launching the next round of #GIRLGETAFTERIT gear. It’s also a great space to work on projects with a team or another contributor as you can comment and share content in real-time. This has been an awesome platform to introduce my clients to as almost everything I create for them needs prior approval and feedback.

Not a digital person? Make sure you have a notebook (or several) to keep your thoughts, ideas, and to-do items organized.

Give Time-Blocking a Try

I won’t go into much detail on this one since I have a whole blog post about it, but I will say that time-blocking is a great way to stay focused and get a lot more done than you ever thought was possible. Check out my post here!

Hire An Accountant

I hired my accountant pretty fresh out of the gate, probably a lot sooner than I “needed”, but I’m so glad I did. My accountant (hey, Cherie!) has been such a saving grace when it comes to figuring out my finances and making money moves. She has helped me navigate the land of Quickbooks Self-Employed, how to account for all of my savings as a freelancer, and most recently, start the process of changing my business to an S-Corp.

I highly recommend finding someone before you think you’re ready. Come tax time, it makes all the worry worth it. Can’t afford one yet? Make sure you have QuickBooks Self-Employed! I use QuickBooks Self-Employed to track expenses and mileage, find tax deductions, and avoid IRS penalties. P.S. Click this link for half-off your first 6 months.

Accept Credit Cards (yes, really)

I can’t tell you how many times I have waited on a client to pay me an overdue invoice because I refused to pay “The Man” a whopping 2.9% processing fee. But, guess what? After years of hunting people down and feeling extra-extra broke, I finally figured it out.

I have the client pay the processing fee because I include it in my proposed rate. Yup, I now accept credit cards because it’s the single most convenient way to get paid – and a silly 2.9% fee ain’t gonna stop me.

P.S. The invoicing system I use is called WAVE - which also allows for reoccurring monthly retainers to be automatically charged to a credit card that’s saved on file - HEYYYYYO!

No Meeting Mondays

This one has become a rule I live by. I used to accept meetings, coffee dates and phone calls every day of the week. “Oh, you can only meet on Monday morning at 6 a.m.? No problem!” *cue the dreaded Sunday night scaries on steroids*

By being so available to everyone else, I often found myself becoming extremely anxious and scattered as I had zero time to actually do my work. Now, I have some pretty rigid boundaries when it comes to managing my schedule. For example, I don’t schedule anything on Monday and very rarely do I leave my office on Wednesday. This has helped me really focus on what I actually need to get done.

So there you have it! Five tips to saving time, preserving your energy, and saving a whole heck of a headache. Do you guys have any great tips for business owners and entrepreneurs? Drop them in the comments below!

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