How To Manage Your Time and Energy Effectively as a Freelance Writer
Published: January 3, 2024
Read Time: 6 minutes
Hustle culture is bullshit.
The key to productivity isn’t slaving away and putting in 12+ hour work days at the expense of your health and happiness.
The key to sustainable productivity is effectively managing your time and energy.
I emphasize energy because it determines your productivity and creative output as a freelance writer.
When I manage my energy properly, I get more done in 1 hour than I typically would in 4.
I first got into self-improvement and productivity in 2017, well before I wrote a single word online, and became obsessed with time management.
I would schedule my entire day, from when I woke up at 5 AM to when my head hit the pillow at night.
I filled every single minute of my schedule with 15-minute time chunks. I even scheduled sleep, thinking this was the path to financial freedom.
But this approach to time management is unsustainable, unfulfilling, and energy-draining.
And I don’t want that for you.
Below, I’ll share the 6 best tips and strategies I’ve learned to manage my time and energy effectively as a successful freelance writer.
Regardless of your vocation, this advice will help you determine how to better manage your time and energy to build a fun, sustainable, and burnout-free Lifestyle Career.
Let’s get started.
1. Plan your day’s tasks the night before.
Failing to plan is planning to fail.
Instead of reacting to every unexpected item that pops up during the day, take 5 minutes the night before to create a list of critical tasks you aim to complete by the end of the work day.
Creating this habit will remove any guesswork from what you should be working on each day.
Your daily task list should:
- Be actionable and specific
- Align with your big-picture goal(s)
- Include tasks you can complete in 1 day
- Include no more than 3 items at a time to avoid burnout
What about planning your day in the morning?
While planning your day in the AM is better than not planning at all, I encourage planning the night before.
Planning your tasks the night before saves time and removes friction in the morning so you can hit the ground running when you wake up, primed to tackle your day efficiently and with greater focus.
Plus, planning the night before allows your subconscious to ruminate while you sleep so you can wake up with a clearer sense of purpose and direction.
Establishing an evening routine of preparing for the next day effectively removes friction in the morning and sets your day up for success.
Here’s a quick rundown of what I do in the evening to make my next day as frictionless as possible:
- Plan the next day’s most important tasks.
- Set the coffee machine on a timer to brew at 5 AM.
- Lay out my running shoes and clothes at the front door.
- Prepare breakfast for myself and my kids.
- Pack my kids’ lunches for school.
This routine only takes 10-15 minutes, saving me invaluable time in my mornings to allow for creativity and productivity.
2. Use your calendar for scheduling and time blocking.
As a solopreneur running a one-person freelance writing and ghostwriting business with several clients, I have a lot of balls to juggle.
Not to mention keeping track of my kids’ events and activities, managing my household and family obligations, staying on top of my finances, getting in my workouts and morning runs, playing in a band, and making time for personal hobbies.
I have a simple motto: If something isn’t scheduled in my calendar, it doesn’t get done.
I’m often surprised by how many people don’t use their calendars to schedule the things most important to them.
Your calendar need not include only deadlines, meetings, reminders, and other work-related drudgeries. You can and should schedule time blocks for personal items that are important to you.
Here are some examples of my time blocks:
- Writing (work)
- Marketing (work)
- Email (work)
- Unstructured downtime (work/personal)
- Fitness (personal)
- Family Time (personal)
- Weekly Finance Reviews (personal)
- Date night with my wife (personal)
- Distraction-free time with my kids (personal)
- Playing guitar/writing music (personal)
- Band practice (personal)
As you can see, most of my calendar is filled with personal items, not just work-related tasks.
This strategy helps me manage my time and energy for optimal productivity and life satisfaction.
This is the best way I’ve found to complete client work and continue to grow my business while maintaining my health and being present with my family.
3. Make time for distraction-free, focused work.
Creating a space where you can dive deep into your creative work, free from distraction, is the most underrated tool for managing your time and energy.
The quiet hours in the early morning before my family wakes up are essential to my writing process.
This time of day is best for me because:
- I can enter a deep flow state.
- My creative energy is peaked.
- I’m not receiving distracting emails, texts, or notifications.
Plus, being creative and productive first thing in the morning gives me a massive energy boost and puts me in a great mood.
While you don’t need to get up at 4 AM like I do, you should identify when your creativity is at its peak and you can work distraction-free for 1-2 hours without disruption.
4. Make a list of tasks that fuel or drain your energy.
This tip is straightforward and only takes 5 minutes, but it can be a game-changer for time and energy management.
It’s very simple:
Make a list with 2 columns. On the left, write down everything you do (or wish you had more time for) that gives you energy.
On the right, list everything you do that drains your energy. Then, revise your calendar to have more energy-fueling tasks than energy-draining ones.
I’m not saying you should cut out everything you find boring or trivial. I despise marketing and admin tasks as much as anyone, but they’re necessary to keep my business growing and operating.
If your day is spent primarily on doing things that fuel your energy, you’ll get more meaningful work done, feel productive, and your mood will improve drastically.
Conversely, if you spend most of your time on energy-draining tasks, you’ll feel mentally exhausted and like you got nothing done, even though you spent the entire day working.
The goal is to have most of your day filled with energy-fueling tasks.
And identifying which tasks impact your energy levels is the first step.
5. Take frequent breaks (but use them intentionally).
I don’t know about you, but I find writing (or anything creatively demanding) challenging to focus on for a long time.
I’m a fan of the Pomodoro Technique: Setting a 25-minute timer for bursts of focused work, followed by 5-minute breaks.
However, don’t use these breaks to scroll social media or check email mindlessly. Use these precious 300 seconds to allow your mind and eyes to rest.
Scrolling your phone increases the likelihood you’ll get sucked into more scrolling, preventing you from getting back to work after 5 minutes.
Instead, get up and move your body. Do some jumping jacks, bodyweight exercises, or light stretching. If you can, go outside and walk around for a few minutes. Or, look out your window at an object far off in the distance to let your eyes recalibrate from staring at a screen.
Taking frequent breaks—and using them intentionally—will allow for more creative and productive work sessions.
6. Ruthlessly remove clutter from your life.
It’s time to get honest with yourself.
Ask yourself these questions and think hard about them:
- Are you taking daily actions toward your goals?
- Are you living in alignment with your true purpose?
- What soul-sucking, energy-draining activities are consuming too much of your time?
- What things in your life (e.g., habits, behaviors, obligations, responsibilities, circumstances) prevent you from living up to your creative potential?
- Which of these things are within your control to eliminate?
Or, to put it bluntly, what bullshit can you cut out from your life?
Take time to sit down and journal about these questions. After you identify the time-wasting, energy-sucking habits, behaviors, obligations, responsibilities, and circumstances, ruthlessly eliminate them from your life.
Mine used to be watching hours of TV in the evenings and scrolling social media whenever I felt slightly bored.
I also used to fill my days with “busy tasks” that made me feel productive, but they served only as distractions.
In reality, I was procrastinating from doing what I knew I should be doing—writing and building my business—because it was challenging and uncomfortable.
It took me over a year to build my first website because I kept tinkering with fonts and design elements instead of just launching and learning as I went.
As soon as I cut out the bullshit from my life, it was like putting on glasses after living with blurry vision for so long.
I was finally able to see clearly what was holding me back.
I was finally able to manage my time and energy effectively.
I could finally grow my business, find high-paying freelance writing jobs, and build a Lifestyle Career writing online.
How To Manage Your Time and Energy Effectively as a Freelance Writer
Published: January 3, 2023
Read Time: 6 minutes
Hustle culture is bullshit.
The key to productivity isn’t slaving away and putting in 12+ hour work days at the expense of your health and happiness.
The key to sustainable productivity is effectively managing your time and energy.
I emphasize energy because it determines your productivity and creative output as a freelance writer.
When I manage my energy properly, I get more done in 1 hour than in 4.
I first got into self-improvement and productivity in 2017, well before I wrote a single word online, and became obsessed with time management.
I would schedule my entire day, from when I woke up at 5 AM to when my head hit the pillow at night.
I filled every single minute of my schedule with 15-minute time chunks. I even scheduled sleep, thinking this was the path to financial freedom.
But this approach to time management is unsustainable, unfulfilling, and energy-draining.
And I don’t want that for you.
Below, I’ll share the 6 best tips and strategies I’ve learned to manage my time and energy effectively as a successful freelance writer.
Regardless of your vocation, this advice will help you determine how to better manage your time and energy to build a fun, sustainable, and burnout-free Lifestyle Career.
Let’s get started.
1. Plan your day’s tasks the night before.
Failing to plan is planning to fail.
Instead of reacting to every unexpected item that pops up during the day, take 5 minutes the night before to create a list of critical tasks you aim to complete by the end of the work day.
Creating this habit will remove any guesswork from what you should be working on each day.
Your daily task list should:
- Be actionable and specific
- Align with your big-picture goal(s)
- Include tasks you can complete in 1 day
- Include no more than 3 items at a time to avoid burnout
What about planning your day in the morning?
While planning your day in the AM is better than not planning at all, I encourage planning the night before.
Planning your tasks the night before saves time and removes friction in the morning so you can hit the ground running when you wake up, primed to tackle your day efficiently and with greater focus.
Plus, planning the night before allows your subconscious to ruminate while you sleep so you can wake up with a clearer sense of purpose and direction.
Establishing an evening routine of preparing for the next day effectively removes friction in the morning and sets your day up for success.
Here’s a quick rundown of what I do in the evening to make my next day as frictionless as possible:
- Plan the next day’s most important tasks.
- Set the coffee machine on a timer to brew at 5 AM.
- Lay out my running shoes and clothes at the front door.
- Prepare breakfast for myself and my kids.
- Pack my kids’ lunches for school.
This routine only takes 10-15 minutes, saving me invaluable time in my mornings to allow for creativity and productivity.
2. Use your calendar for scheduling and time blocking.
As a solopreneur running a one-person freelance writing and ghostwriting business with several clients, I have a lot of balls to juggle.
Not to mention keeping track of my kids’ events and activities, managing my household and family obligations, staying on top of my finances, getting in my workouts and morning runs, playing in a band, and making time for personal hobbies.
I have a simple motto: If something isn’t scheduled in my calendar, it doesn’t get done.
I’m often surprised by how many people don’t use their calendars to schedule the things most important to them.
Your calendar need not include only deadlines, meetings, reminders, and other work-related drudgeries. You can and should schedule time blocks for personal items that are important to you.
Here are some examples of my time blocks:
- Writing (work)
- Marketing (work)
- Email (work)
- Unstructured downtime (work/personal)
- Fitness (personal)
- Family Time (personal)
- Weekly Finance Reviews (personal)
- Date night with my wife (personal)
- Distraction-free time with my kids (personal)
- Playing guitar/writing music (personal)
- Band practice (personal)
As you can see, most of my calendar is filled with personal items, not just work-related tasks. This strategy helps me manage my time and energy for optimal productivity and life satisfaction.
This is the best way I’ve found to complete client work and continue to grow my business while maintaining my health and being present with my family.
3. Make time for distraction-free, focused work.
Creating a space where you can dive deep into your creative work, free from distraction, is the most underrated tool for managing your time and energy.
The quiet hours in the early morning before my family wakes up are essential to my writing process.
This time of day is best for me because:
- I can enter a deep flow state.
- My creative energy is peaked.
- I’m not receiving distracting emails, texts, or notifications.
Plus, being creative and productive first thing in the morning gives me a massive energy boost and puts me in a great mood.
While you don’t need to get up at 4 AM like I do, you should identify when your creativity is at its peak and you can work distraction-free for 1-2 hours without disruption.
4. Make a list of tasks that fuel or drain your energy.
This tip is straightforward and only takes 5 minutes, but it can be a game-changer for time and energy management.
It’s very simple:
Make a list with 2 columns. On the left, write down everything you do (or wish you had more time for) that gives you energy.
On the right, list everything you do that drains your energy. Then, revise your calendar to have more energy-fueling tasks than energy-draining ones.
I’m not saying you should cut out everything you find boring or trivial. I despise marketing and admin tasks as much as anyone, but they’re necessary to keep my business growing and operating.
If your day is spent primarily on doing things that fuel your energy, you’ll get more meaningful work done, feel productive, and your mood will improve drastically.
Conversely, if you spend most of your time on energy-draining tasks, you’ll feel mentally exhausted and like you got nothing done, even though you spent the entire day working.
The goal is to have most of your day filled with energy-fueling tasks.
And identifying which tasks impact your energy levels is the first step.
5. Take frequent breaks (but use them intentionally).
I don’t know about you, but I find writing (or anything creatively demanding) challenging to focus on for a long time.
I’m a fan of the Pomodoro Technique: Setting a 25-minute timer for bursts of focused work, followed by 5-minute breaks.
However, don’t use these breaks to scroll social media or check email mindlessly. Use these precious 300 seconds to allow your mind and eyes to rest.
Scrolling your phone increases the likelihood you’ll get sucked into more scrolling, preventing you from getting back to work after 5 minutes.
Instead, get up and move your body. Do some jumping jacks, bodyweight exercises, or light stretching. If you can, go outside and walk around for a few minutes. Or, look out your window at an object far off in the distance to let your eyes recalibrate from staring at a screen.
Taking frequent breaks—and using them intentionally—will allow for more creative and productive work sessions.
6. Ruthlessly remove clutter from your life.
It’s time to get honest with yourself.
Ask yourself these questions and think hard about them:
- Are you taking daily actions toward your goals?
- Are you living in alignment with your true purpose?
- What soul-sucking, energy-draining activities are consuming too much of your time?
- What things in your life (e.g., habits, behaviors, obligations, responsibilities, circumstances) prevent you from living up to your creative potential?
- Which of these things are within your control to eliminate?
Or, to put it bluntly, what bullshit can you cut out from your life?
Take time to sit down and journal about these questions. After you identify the time-wasting, energy-sucking habits, behaviors, obligations, responsibilities, and circumstances, ruthlessly eliminate them from your life.
Mine used to be watching hours of TV in the evenings and scrolling social media whenever I felt slightly bored.
I also used to fill my days with “busy tasks” that made me feel productive, but they served only as distractions.
In reality, I was procrastinating from doing what I knew I should be doing—writing and building my business—because it was challenging and uncomfortable.
It took me over a year to build my first website because I kept tinkering with fonts and design elements instead of just launching and learning as I went.
As soon as I cut out the bullshit from my life, it was like putting on glasses after living with blurry vision for so long.
I was finally able to see clearly what was holding me back.
I was finally able to manage my time and energy effectively.
I could finally grow my business, find high-paying freelance writing jobs, and build a Lifestyle Career writing online.