When you’re a full-time employee, you probably have deadlines you need to meet for your boss. But what if you have many bosses, many deadlines, and only two hands?
When you’re a freelancer or a small business owner, you may have a few different clients to answer to. It can get totally scary when you see that you have five deadlines in one day. Stress level: high.
I’ve been there. More than once. More than twice. I’ll probably be there again. Here’s what I do to combat those busy times without sacrificing quality or losing clients.
Step 1: Prioritize
Maybe you didn’t realize you had five deadlines set for the same day. In that case, look at your calendar system. What are you using to give you an idea of what you have coming up?
I used to use OneNote but my client list got too long for me. I switched to Asana in December and although I use the free version, I find that’s plenty for me. I add clients, assignment briefs, deadlines, and yes — I even color-code everything.
I still use OneNote for organizing my notes and ideas by client, but I no longer use it to set up assignments. You may find that using Google Calendar or iCal for deadlines is enough as well. Some people use a spreadsheet. It’s really what you’re most comfortable with. But don’t be afraid to switch platforms if it’s not giving you your best results.
Once you’ve got your assignments at a glance, go through which ones will be the most labor-intensive and which ones won’t take up much of your time. Editors and clients will be more than happy to get work earlier than your agreed-upon deadline. For the easier work, it’s cool to turn it in before you’re supposed to.
After you’ve knocked out your easier assignments, concentrate on the more labor-intensive ones. Which ones will require extensive research or interviews? Which ones need a bit more time for reviewing and fact-checking? Take these on next.
Step 2: Ask for more time
You don’t need excuses; if you need more time, ask for it. A few weeks ago when I had one of those five deadlines in one day weeks, I was able to do four articles on time. But I knew I’d need a bit more time with the last one.
I asked the editor for an extra day and she happily agreed — saying she’d rather me ask for more time than turn it in late. It also helps to know which editors will do this for you. Don’t try it on the ones you don’t feel comfortable asking, or at least not yet.
The vast majority of my work gets turned in early or on time. I can think of three times I’ve asked for extensions, and they’ve all been by a day. The one I did a few weeks ago? I finished it the night it was originally due rather than the next day. I didn’t want it lingering over me and also I wanted my editor to see the email time stamp. I was still committed to the assignment, even if I turned it in a couple hours later than originally planned.
And my editor is right. If you take the time to communicate your needs, it’s much better than showing up late. Don’t ignore your clients and don’t turn something in later than planned with a lame excuse. A simple request “Hey! XX is due Thursday. Is it OK if I turn it in Friday instead?” Many editors pad time into their schedules to account for hiccups and delays — whether it’s on your end or theirs. Most of the time, they’ll be fine with the request.
Step 3: Don’t sacrifice quality
Rushing to get all your assignments done can feel like your only recourse for having a loaded schedule. But don’t try to fool yourself or your clients. We all know what rushed work looks like. And ain’t nobody got time for your shitty drafts.
Even if you prioritize your assignments and ask for more time, you still may feel like you need to breeze through your work. But you shouldn’t. Don’t sacrifice quality for the sake of getting paid — or else you’ll stop getting paid. That assignment I turned in a
I pride myself on doing quality work for good pay, and I hope my clients and editors recognize that as well. There are plenty of workers who simply want to get paid without considering the quality of their work and it shows. You can be one of those people, but your income will prove how bad that is.
I’d rather have a decent list of well-paying clients that believe in the work I do rather than a laundry list of clients who don’t trust my work enough to give me consistent work.