GENERALLY PEOPLE HAVE A NOTION that they will get the job done and on time, but this is not always the case. The fact is that many people are not that effective when it comes to managing their time. When you are set a task, it is not always a question of if you are able to do it, but rather if you are able to it on time and this will determine your success or failure.

If you are in the freelance business, then you know better than most that in order to succeed you will need to have impressive time management skills and this is just so you are able to get paid. As a freelancer you will then need to be productive and practical in your job so that you are able to see the rewards of your hard work. As a freelance copywriter who works at home, time management can be quite tough as you can work the hours that you want instead of having a set schedule like a copywriter that is employed in office.

Time management is not a skill that you learn from school and it also can’t be forced onto someone. In order to learn effective time management it will need the individual’s willingness and dedication. There are four time management techniques that you should know which will help you on the road to being effective, productive and on time.

Eliminate all Distractions

Distractions are imposed on freelance copywriters a lot more as they need to be able to strike a balance between their personal lives and their professional lives, which all happens in one environment. Freelance copywriters then have a lot of freedom, but it is this freedom that can easily distract you. These distractions are all around you and can come in many forms and one of the biggest distractions is social media.

Social media forms a major distraction to freelance copywriters and writers, because you get lured into checking your email and chatting with your friends over these platforms. You may just end up spending a large amount of your time chatting with your friends instead of being constructive as this appears to be more interesting than writing an article that is technical.

As a freelance copywriter you need to understand that time is limited so you need to use it wisely and protect it. When you use your time, you need to ask yourself if you are able to bill for this time and if you can’t then you need to determine if you will be seeing any return. At the end of the day the only one who will be losing for using time incorrectly is you.

If you need some help then you can look at these tools:

• OmmWriter
• WriteMyEssay
• StayFocusd
• WriteOrDie

Create a Work Schedule

This may seem pretty obvious to do, but not everyone does this. Use a little time and create a work chart, which will then act as your guide. It is not hard to create a work schedule, but it is difficult to stick to it. You may have found that you have created plenty of work schedules, but fail to complete them. This habit will need to stop and a work schedule should be your number one priority.

As a freelance copywriter you may find that you will get multiple projects to do and these may start to feel overwhelming, but creating a work schedule even one that runs on a day to day basis will help you in planning and completing the tasks.

Here are some tools that you can use to create and track your work:

• Trello.com
• Todoist.com

Stop Juggling too Many Tasks

Multitasking is not something that you should do because it is actually bad for you. There has been research that shows that when a person multitasks, your brain becomes subject to the continuous process of switching tasks. As a result your brain is then forced to work harder and you will then perform less efficiently.

If you want your brain to work at its optimum then you should do single tasking. Your brain is then able to focus on just one single task, which will then increase the efficiency level of your brain.

By just doing and completing one task at a time then you will be able to get stuff done and also efficiently, which means that you will also be able to save a lot more time.

Create a Mind Map of your Tasks

You should consider making a mind map of whatever it is that you are doing. A mind map is a creative way of seeing and allowing for the flow of ideas, so that you are able to come up with the content that is needed. You can waste a lot of time, when you start a task get half way then run out of ideas.

If you have created a prewritten draft then it will become easier to keep things flowing.

You can use just a piece of paper in order to create mind maps or try MindJet, which is an online tool that you are able to use.

Your time management and efficiency will improve when use these time saving strategies.

One of the most important factors to a freelance copywriter is completing tasks on time. Time management then sees the success of a freelancer and the clients also appreciate it.

Author Bio: Jessica Millis, freelance writer, editor and content manager. Find her on Twitter and Google+.