Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock One of the most visible aspects of the changing job landscape is the rise of the gig economy . Whether it’s by choice or necessity, more and more of us are working as freelancers — sometimes juggling multiple jobs at the same time. According to a 2016 report by the McKinsey Global Institute , approximately 162 million workers — or around or 20 to 30 percent of the working-age population — in the United States and Western Europe work as independent contractors. Regardless of whether or not we’re freelancers, time management is something we all have to master in order to thrive . But it’s an especially important part of being an independent contractor. We asked the freelancers in the Thrive Community for their best time-management tips . They had some great strategies. Here are some of our favorites: Find your rhythm “Do your most important work at your optimal time of the day or night based on your circadian rhythm — if possible.” —David B. Grinberg, strategic communications consultant, Washington, D.C. Get good at scheduling “I am an independent HR consultant and time can slip away so easily! I use Toggl to track my time and I get creative with my calendar. I book out slots when I’m most productive to work on time and energy intensive projects, I keep that time free of meetings so I can be my most productive. I then schedule in segments throughout my day when I’m ‘free’ and schedule meetings in the afternoon. When I create boundaries around my own time, I can better manage the expectations of others!” —Tash Pieterse, HR consultant and life & mindset coach, Auckland, New Zealand Schedule walking meetings “I go for walking meetings. As a CEO, this is a great time management strategy for me and my team members. We will walk around our office building five to six times and bring along our meeting notes to quickly cover as we walk and talk. Walking meetings help keep meetings short and organized and increase productivity since they get steps in and creative juices flowing. By the time we get back from our six laps, we’re refreshed and ready to sit down and get to work. Usually, we work on the items we discussed during that walking meeting!” —Deborah Sweeney, CEO, Calabasas, CA Make lists “I have now been maintaining two weekly task lists: one for official work and the other for personal. Being a mom to a 6-year-old, these task lists do help a lot by keeping me on track as to where I am in both my lives. I keep this list right on my desk so I am reminded of tasks to finish and when to make a new one. Thanks to my corporate experience, maintaining a log like this sorts me completely. Go on, pen it down! It helps.” —Aakriti Agarwal, coach, facilitator & image consultant, Hyderabad, India Maximize your energy “As a freelancer, the best time strategies I use are: 1) […]
