How freelancers balance workload and clients effectively

One skill every freelancer needs to develop is how to balance workload and clients effectively and not fall into the trap of taking on too much work.
How freelancers balance workload and clients effectively

Hero image by Sarah Cervantes

If you're all about the freelance life, you must strike a balance between tackling your when managing multiple clients. Managing an overwhelming workload takes some strategy, skill, and putting workload management solutions to use.

Finding the answers to these questions will help you as a professional so that you improve the way you do business. Here's how you can balance workload and clients in a way that counts.

Set a hard cap on your client load and stick to it

Whether you're a freelance coder, writer, photographer, or any other professional, you need to be mindful of how much work you can produce any given week. Even if you're overflowing with an abundance of clients, it doesn't make a difference if you don't have the time or energy to deliver.

Because of this, you need to set a cap on your client load and stick to it. Don't be afraid to say no, because if you take on new business that you don't have time to handle, it'll only burn you out and hurt you in the long run.

Take an overall look at your month, and hone in on the threshold for your client load. From there, you'll know when it's time to let clients know when you're booked solid.

Not only does this help you avoid overburdening yourself, but it also guarantees that the clients you do serve will get your best work. It can also increase demand since your customers know they need to lock in their projects with you promptly when they have the opportunity to do so.

Organize your schedule and client contact list

As an entrepreneur, you need to learn more about scheduling your day effectively. A tight, consistent schedule will help you serve your clients better, and will establish the workflow processes that work best for you.

With a consistent schedule, you can better manage your energy by breaking down your workdays into different facets. This schedule prevents decision fatigue so that you can focus on the task at hand.

You will make fewer mistakes and get a better return on investment (ROI) from each minute of your day.

Invest in software and tech to help you

Regardless of what kind of freelancing work you do, a software designed specifically for freelancers can help you start, manage, or grow your business. A freelancing software like Hectic gives you the infrastructure that will help you manage your business and the many processes that you run.

From project and client management to proposals and contracts to invoicing and time-tracking, Hectic is everything you need to run the business side of your freelancing.

Work smarter, not harder, and use Hectic to free up more time in your day and helps to keep track of important client information.  

Manage your company's workflow and practices

The biggest factor that freelancers face when attempting to create client balance is having an ironclad workflow that helps you track the time spent on each project. When you understand your freelance workflow and its effectiveness, you'll be better able to optimize it to create balance and to stay up to date with each client.

As a freelancer, time management is essential. The only way to effectively manage your time is by prioritizing each client's task and having it queued up accordingly.

From there, you can reverse engineer these tasks and plan out your work months, weeks, and days. Once you get into these workflows, you can find out how long it takes to finish each task, and then optimize it to the best of your ability.

Remain transparent in your communication and client management

You will do better work for your clients when you establish a strong rapport with them. Always set aside time to reach out to clients and other professional contacts in your database.

With Hectic's sales pipeline feature, you can keep track of past and potential clients and reach out to them when it makes sense for your business. Make sure to communicate with your clients just because as well, rather than only touching base when you're trying to sell to them.

And with client management, you can keep track of all the details about a particular client that matter most. Don't shy away from putting details from their personal lives, such as an anniversary or some facts that you know about their kids or hobbies that are important to them.

The more you know about your client, the easier it'll be to foster a rapport. The better you are at establishing relationships, the more leverage you will have when building your career.

Figure out how to balance workload and clients effectively

The tips above are great when you are learning how to balance workload and clients. When you can strike a balance in your professional life, it's only a matter of time that it will pay off for you in meaningful ways.

Keep improving each day and you will see your revenue and prospects grow. We'll be here providing advice and information every step of the way.

Discover Hectic and start managing your workload and your clients effectively. Get started today and start, manage, or grow your freelance business.

Share it!
Contributor
Contributor
Moxie
Our team of career freelancers writes about best invoice practices, what makes a great client, and repeats the mantra, "never work without a contract." We're opinionated about the future of work and will always be on the side of freelancers.
More By This Contributor
Getting everything from your brain in one place
Moxie makes all your systems work together seamlessly with better software, education, and community.
hectic app logo