As the mother of a very active two year old and wife to an amazing husband I am always on the go and when you add freelance writer to my title, I’m even more on the go especially when it comes to beating deadlines. When I first began my freelancer journey I often found myself rushing to fulfill deadlines on the night an assignment was due. Often times, burning the midnight oil would lead to burn out the next day and one afternoon I decided enough was enough, I was tired of beating deadlines only to walk right into another one.

If you’re like me a freelancer writer who is always on the go here are a few ways that you can beat deadlines and still find time for rest:

Schedule Office Hours

This may sound alot like being in college all over again but learn how to schedule office hours. Office hours are the times that you specifically dedicate to freelance writing. I literally have days and or times I only write for clients and then I have days that I actively search for clients(notice I don’t wait for the clients to come running to me all the time because sometimes they don’t) . Scheduling office hours not only tells others when you’re available but it gives you a reminder of what you need to get done each and every day.

Utilize Your Calendar

Do you have a ton of clients with various deadlines? Put them on a calendar. Being able to visualize your schedule gives you a sense of what’s urgent and what may not be urgent. Additionally, your calendar can be set up to notify you when you’re hours or days away from your deadline.

Know When To Say No

Know when to say no. Sometimes your schedule just doesn’t allow time for you to take on any more client work. I have noticed there have been weeks where it seems like the floodgate opens up and everybody needs content from me but if I already have ten deadlines lined up I don’t want to give myself 10 more so I politely decline the requests or ask if they can be pushed back to the next week. This not only protects me from burn out but it protects the client from getting mediocre work.

As a freelancer, rest is important. We all often live from gig to gig and if we don’t find time to rest not only will our work suffer but so will our lives and the lives of our families.

Have you found hacks that work for you when trying to beat deadlines?Leave your comments below.