What should come first is the question I often ask myself when I'm focused on being productive. Below are a few ways on how to prioritize your tasks as a freelancer.
Important vs Urgent
Things that are customer facing tend to fall under the Urgent category. One thing I learned working in technical support, is that if a website is down it upstages everything else. Instagram recently was unavailable for almost an entire day and sent many of its users into a panic. These types of issues are considered urgent.
Deadlines
For client projects, deadlines become a huge factor in deciding what I should work on next. These tend to follow the Important vs Urgent pattern. A project due in two days has more urgency than something that is due in a week. I think everyone wants a service or product to arrive to them as soon as possible. I think establishing a process for your freelance services will dictate how fast your service can be completed. From there you could implement rush fees if a client needs a service for a quick turnaround.
Admin Tasks
I typically leave administrative tasks for slow days. However, these tasks are still an important part of any business. Even though they are on the lower end compared to other tasks.
- Branding
- Marketing
- Website Maintenance
Summary: How to Prioritize Your Tasks as a Freelancer
In conclusion, these are just a few factors to consider when prioritizing your tasks as a freelancer. Whether you work as a freelancer or for a company being able to prioritize your work tasks will help in making you very productive.
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