10 Time Management Techniques Every Freelance Developer Needs to Succeed

Freelancing comes with lots of benefits, but you can get these benefits only when you take care of discipline. If you manage your time well, you are more likely to finish your work on time, which leads to less stress. We have covered the top ten management techniques that every freelance developer must follow to stay on track and succeed.

1. The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a popular time management method in which you can break your work into small and manageable parts. For example, when you work 25 minutes continuously, then you must take a 5-minute break. But after every four cycles, you have to increase the break time from 5 minutes to 15-30 minutes break. Time until calculator. Simply input the start and end times of each Pomodoro or break, and the tool will display the remaining time. This way, you can easily follow the Pomodoro Technique and optimize your work sessions.

2. Time Blocking

Time Blocking means scheduling your day in blocks of time for specific tasks. Instead of working on tasks randomly, you allocate fixed hours or time for each task.

For example,
You can block 9-10 AM time for coding and 3-4 PM for the client emails. This approach lets you see how much time you have left until the next activity starts.

3. The Two-minute Rule

The Two-minute Rule is a simple technique. In this technique, if a task usually takes less than two minutes, then do it right away. For example, replying to an important email or updating a file. This technique prevents you from the small tasks being delayed or piling up in your mind, which can otherwise distract you and lower your productivity.

4. The Eisenhower Box

In this technique, you can divide your tasks according to their urgency. The urgency is further divided into four categories and you need to decide in which category you should put each task.

These four categories are:
1. Urgent and important: Do it now.
2. Important but not urgent: Schedule it.
3. Urgent but not important: Delegate it.
4. Neither urgent nor important: Skip it.
By focusing on what truly matters, you can avoid wasting time on less important things.

5. The 80/20 Rule

This technique is also known as the Pareto Principle. According to this rule, 80% of your results come from the 20% of your efforts. To get this much result, you need to identify which task gives you the most value to your project. Once you figure it out, then focus more on that task first to make the best use of your time.

For example,
If coding makes your project more profitable, then try to allocate more time to coding as compared to others.

6. Set SMART Goals

SMART is an abbreviation of:

• Specific,
• Measurable,
• Achievable,
• Relevant, and
• Time-bound.
  So you need to apply this “SMART” approach to your tasks. For example, instead of saying, “I will work on this project”, try to aim for something like, “I will finish developing the homepage by 12 PM”. This clarity helps you make sure that you exactly know what to achieve and when. You can also get help from time until calculator, because this way, you would calculate the remaining time immediately.

7. Batch Processing

Batch processing is a great technique. This technique allows you to do a group of similar tasks together in order to save time. For example, answering all your emails in one go instead of spreading them throughout the day. Because when you switch between different types of tasks, it wastes your time and also breaks your focus. So batch processing is the technique that you can follow to make your workflow smoother.

8. Limit Multitasking

No doubt, multitasking helps you finish more work, but it might lower your productivity. Because in multitasking, you’re focusing on many things at once, due to which you can’t deeply focus on a single task. Which results in lower overall productivity.

• Instead of trying to complete different tasks such as coding, chatting, and emails.
• Finish one task completely then move forward towards the next one.
• This way, you’ll feel less stressed and complete the tasks faster as compared to multitasking.

9. Use Technology Wisely

Technology is the best thing through which you can get benefits in today’s era. There are many apps and tools that can simplify the time management process.
For example,

• you can use tools like Toggle that can help you track your working hours. The tool can also tell you where you spend your time.
• When you want to organize your tasks, you can use an app called Trello for this.
• When you want to get an accurate estimation of the remaining time until a specified time, you can use the time until calculator.

But remember, don’t let technology distract you. Use it only when it’s necessary and helps you stay focused.

10. Self-care

Taking care of yourself is as important as your work or meeting a deadline. So in order to make you stay healthy, you can do the following things:

• Sleep well,
• Eat healthy,
• Stay hydrated, and
• Take breaks during long work sessions.

Because when you feel good physically and mentally, you can work more efficiently without burning out.

People Also Ask!

What is the easiest time management technique to start with?

The Two-minute Rule is a technique that you can easily adopt and can make a big difference by clearing small tasks quickly.

Can I use multiple techniques together?

Of course! You can combine different methods like time blocking, SMART goals, and batch processing. This way, you can better manage your time. You can also do experiments by combining other techniques as well to see what works best for you.

How do I stay motivated as a freelance developer?

Being a freelancer, you can get motivation from even small things such as:

• Setting clear goals,
• Celebrating small wins, and
• Taking breaks to avoid burnout.