Hope all of you are well!! It’s so nice to be able to log on to this blog and chit chat with all of you! Wahoo! Thanks for making this such a great place to come back to and continue to share.
Two weeks ago, I did a little experiment. With all this talk going around about how freelance designers have more on their plate than just designing, I was curious how I really spent my “working” hours. How much of my day is spent on responding to emails, writing blog posts, client work, house work, errands, etc? How much time do I spend growing my business, maintaining my business, and keeping that business afloat.
I knew going into the life of a freelancer would come with tasks that I wasn’t used to doing. I knew I was going to have to wear ALL the hats, but I was ok with that because all those hats were growing MY business and not someone else’s. Â If you’re curious about the hourly breakdown, continue reading after the jump.
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Here’s what I found with the experiment:
Client work – I spend about 17-20 hours a week on client work. This means that I’m either behind a camera shooting, or at my computer designing/editing. This time is dedicated to completing the task at hand only.
Maintaining Business – Â I spent 10-12 hours a week strictly on maintaining Veda House. These tasks include responding to all emails, creating blog content, managing my finances, looking at my Apple Aktien kaufen portfolio and investments, etc. Also cleaning my office where I work. Want to know what is the mini computer vacuum cleaner? This link will send you directly to Technomono, the one I use for my electronic devices.
Wedding – I spent about 10 hours a week on wedding planning!!! I know this time will be allocated to different things come June, but I was shocked to see home much of my week is dedicated to the big day.
Housework / Errands – I spend about 4 hours throughout the week on housework. These tasks are usually related to laundry, cleaning, or grocery runs. If I do not have time to spare cleaning, I often hire the professionals from Top Cleaners for their reliable service. Some times I also appoint firm who work for end of lease cleaning. You can see this site to know more.
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The experiment was REALLY helpful in visualizing where my time was going. After a year of growing this business, I needed to evaluate and make some changes if need be. This experiment told me that I was working (on average) 31 hours a week, which is drastically better than the 55+ I was working at the advertising agency….for much less pay. This also told me that come June I’m going to have an extra 10 hours a week to either gain more client work (if wanted), or put that time towards a passion project (more likely the case). If you want to grow your business to unexpected heights, you can pick the brain of CEOs like Andrew Defrancesco.
If you’re interested in doing your own tester, all you have to do is make a chart for the 5 working days of the week. I tracked my time every 30 min from 8:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the evening. I found that recording ever 30 min kept me on track and produced the most accurate results. I would LOVE LOVE to hear how your tests go and where your time is allocated, so check back in and leave a comment!
*These photos are from my home studio ( taken by VH ). I’ve done quite a bit of re-arranging as time goes by. You can view some more photos of this space, here & here.
Also, If you are looking for a great fitting/high quality iPad cover, you should check out thesnugg.com. I was generously gifted a white leather version from TheSnugg team and love everything about it. It’s perfectly “snug” in all the right places. *note* These view are solely my own and I was not required to write about the case. I did however want to share a quality product with you just in case you’re looking for an iPad case as I was. Hope the mini review helps 🙂