Dealing with ups and downs in terms of your work level is part of being a freelancer.  There are also slow times and obviously your income might fluctuate because some things will be outside of your control.  For those unavoidable times when you’re just not as busy as you would like, it’s good to have a plan.  Listed below are some things you can do to decrease those really slow times.

Primarily, it is better to set a schedule for yourself.  You need to separate your personal time from your work time.  Don’t let your self experience lack of focus during your work hours because of some personal distractions.  You need to establish a schedule of when you will be working and when you won’t.  You can work more hours if you like to increase your income as long as you want, likewise if you’d like to cut back your hours, it’s all within your control.  Manage your time effectively and it will surely improve your productivity and you’ll leave less that’s outside of your control.  If you need to make more money and if you are experiencing a down time in terms of income, you’ll always have the option to adjust your time or to allow more time for work in finding new clients.  With improved time management skills you’ll have the option to take more work and you’ll have more flexibility with your scheduling and work load, which can serve to provide more stability.

Another important thing to consider is to line up your work ahead of time.  If you think that you can only work on small number of work at one time, inform your clients.  It is better to let them know ahead of time.  Rather than responding and saying that you can’t help the person at this time, why not try to set up a tentative date to start work in a few weeks.

Some projects are going to have deadlines and be sure you’ll meet those cut off dates.  Use a calendar for tracking all your deadlines so you can quickly get a view of that big picture.  Preparing for your deadlines and meeting them will keep you moving and decrease the chances that your income will experience drop offs.  In addition to just tracking deadlines, why not set your own deadline?  If you can always set deadlines for your self that occur earlier than the deadlines set by clients, you’ll feel a little bit of security in case something unexpected comes up, plus it keeps you on pace to finish the project ahead of time.  More clients will love it.  Keep in mind that finishing early on to something else can give you more opportunity to work for more projects and that will be able to give you more income.

As a freelancer, having one or more ongoing jobs can provide some stable income.  Some jobs you’ll take, you’ll finish them, get paid and move on. Others will provide an opportunity for work on an ongoing basis.  If you don’t have much workload, you may have to dedicate some time to find more clients.  But if you have ongoing work you can use the time more productively.  Find repeat/ ongoing work to make a more stable income.

As a freelancer, when work is slow and your income is headed downward, referrals become more important.  If you’ve done a good job for a client they’re likely to send you some referrals if they know other who could use your services.  Take a moment to connect with some former clients and see if the have any need for your services at this time or if they have any friends that might be in need.  Regular referrals can help to improve the stability of your work load and avoid those down times.

There are still more positive things you can do to make a stable freelance income.  I’m sure these tips will help you become more productive.

Originally posted 2009-06-25 14:40:37. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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