The Time Management Trick that Saved My Freelance Career

We all have goals that sometimes feel unobtainable. But a lesson from the super accomplished led me to understand how to break down my time in a way that made the impossible feel not only possible but easy. 

Build an Incremental Work Schedule

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned as an international remote designer is to work incrementally.

In the past, when I would first get a design project, it was easy to become overwhelmed by all that needed to get done. I would think, “okay, I have to design this entire system today” and quickly spiral out, trying to make the impossible happen.

But as time went on, I realized that it’s much more beneficial (to everyone) if I take things step-by-step rather than biting off more than I can chew.

When I’m hired for a big job, the first thing I do is break down the big tasks and set up monthly goals. I ask myself: “What do I hope to accomplish for this project this month?”

Then I take these monthly goals and break them down into weekly goals, asking myself the same question: “What do I hope to accomplish for this project this week?” And then, I keep on going until the goals are on a daily basis, and I always know what to work on.

Organizing my intentions as part of my routine has allowed me to wake up in the mornings and think, “wow, I only have a few small tasks to do today!” But each of these small tasks gets me one step closer to my daily, weekly, monthly, and project goals. This is so satisfying because you’re able to tell yourself, no matter how small the task is, it’s still working to accomplish something specific.