Navigating Client Priorities and Work-Life Balance as a Freelancer
Dating someone long distance is NOT EASY, let me tell you! That said, it’s taught me so much about managing routines and how to be more productive.
How? Let’s Chat About It!
Setting Priorities with Clients
As a freelance entrepreneur, you’ll often juggle multiple clients and projects simultaneously. To each client, their project is an emergency.
It’s your job to distinguish what truly is urgent and what isn’t. When clients overstep boundaries, it’s crucial to set and reinforce those boundaries.
If your contract specifies email as the primary means of communication, but they start texting or calling, remind them of the agreed-upon terms. Stick to your boundaries. As long as you’re fulfilling the work outlined in your contract, there’s no need to stress. You can go above and beyond to keep your client happy but you need boundaries.
To manage priorities, I use the “Eat the Frog” method. Identify the top three tasks with the most urgent deadlines and tackle them first. Once these are done, the rest will fall into place.
Don’t Look at the Numbers, Focus on Creating
My side hustle is a YouTube channel and TikTok called *Let’s Chat Tech with Nick*. On these platforms, I’m learning how to film, edit, and create content that resonates with my audience.
As a newer channel, my YouTube numbers aren’t as strong as other platforms, but I focus on improvement.
For example, my sound quality improved significantly after I invested in the Hollyland Lark M2 mics. While it wasn’t a necessity, after 60 videos, it was time to upgrade. I’ve also learned to film better using the background of my S20 FE and the Samsung Flow app, which helps me stay in frame and deliver higher-quality videos.
I’m not ready to invest in a professional camera yet, but these small upgrades make a difference.
When creating content, focus on what your audience wants to see. Tools like vidIQ can help you understand your audience and generate ideas for content that resonates.
Work-Life Balance
Recently, I started dating a woman who lives three hours away. Balancing the desire to spend time with her while maintaining my workload was a challenge at first.
To manage this, I’ve restructured my routines. I focus on getting more work done early in the week, leaving the end of the week open for issues that come up or other tasks so I can spend weekends with her.
As a freelancer, I can work remotely, so I bring my laptop with me. For example, last weekend I took time off to visit her but still managed to work on Saturday and Sunday while she was busy with her normal routine.
This approach helps me maintain a healthy work-life balance, ensuring I’m not overwhelmed by work or neglecting it for personal life.
This Week's Quote
"You’ve survived 100 percent of your worst days."
