Questions tagged [time-management]
Questions about managing schedules, timeframes and project deadlines in freelance work.
52
questions
3
votes
2answers
78 views
How to say "How long will the interview process take?" without being rude?
I have 1 year of experience working as a freelancer and on average, the jobs that I find are usually very fast in the communication and bidding process. An average communication goes like this:
>&...
3
votes
1answer
40 views
How often I have to update my progress working freelance?
I am working right now with a C code for a client. I let her know that when I reach 50% of progress She will pay the first part. However I have now 80% solved because I want continue my work without ...
3
votes
3answers
190 views
Does anyone know of any free time tracking and invoicing software geared toward freelance software developers?
Currently I am using Clockify but I would like to know if there exists any free time tracking and invoicing software geared toward freelance software developers?
All I am finding is "paid" ...
6
votes
4answers
139 views
When making a website which activities do you normally include in invoice?
I'm rather new to this. I am making a website for someone. It's going to be done through WordPress (so not very complicated). When invoicing them should I include just the time spent making the ...
6
votes
1answer
73 views
How feasible is it to work fixed price and parttime for a client as a freelance software developer?
I have a long term client were I'm working fulltime as a freelancer. They are starting to have some financial problems due to declining sales (perhaps related to covid, I don't know). I have to work 2 ...
3
votes
2answers
127 views
How to create urgency for clients to provide content, answer e-mails, etc
So as the title says, how do you (freelancers, or the company you work at) create some urgency feeling so that clients don't take forever to come up with content or to reply to your e-mails? There are ...
1
vote
2answers
50 views
Good practices for dealing with clients in more distant timezones
I'm based in New Zealand and in previous years I was freelancing in Australia. I've done work for US clients on the west coast in (PST/PDT) and the timezone difference (it's about 4 hours difference ...
3
votes
1answer
124 views
Balancing life with productive work with study and research
I am a web designer / developer (front end and back end). I do that proficiently since more than 10 years, and I am appreciated and good skilled in designing and programming. I work alone in a home ...
2
votes
3answers
176 views
How to run several projects simultaneously?
Many times through my career I bumped into the situation when I had to run several projects simultaneously.
Is there any techniques available to keep track on them both?
My main concern that when ...
1
vote
1answer
62 views
How to set a project completion deadline for a project that already got extended out?
I was hired to update a website for a client, based on a designated list of tasks. The client paid fully upfront, and we set a rough "loose" project completion estimate at 3 months. It was a fixed-fee ...
1
vote
0answers
52 views
How do time tracking application for software development freelancer work? [closed]
I would like to understand how these companies who claim keeping track of the time a freelancer works on a project do their job. So far, I have learned that some just offer a timer in their app next ...
5
votes
2answers
343 views
Is it rude to be unavailable to clients when you are very busy?
excuse me for my not good English
I work as a freelance web developer for small to medium local companies and I work alone.
Sometimes it happens that I have too much works and projects going on at ...
2
votes
1answer
93 views
Is it unacceptable or not wise to email clients during the weekend?
This Exchange question here: Staying in contact with clients when I have a different sleep-wake rhythm (being a night owl or living in a different time zone) deals with the subject quite well, but it ...
3
votes
1answer
109 views
How to answer to new client's requests while having no time to work for them?
As you may have already read I had health problems, I was K.O. for 3 weeks and it was a big problem for my job for many reasons... I am still having right now hard times to keep up with previous ...
2
votes
2answers
220 views
Best Management tool for self-employed: Tasks, Calendar, Multiple Customers, Multiple Project, Invoice, Time-Track
I need to organize my working hours for many projects and customers due to huge work load.
I would like a web app with the following features:
Tasks
List item
Calendar
Multiple Customers
Multiple ...
1
vote
2answers
98 views
How does one ask a client if he is ready to finance research time?
While I was looking for answers to a question that has already been asked here, I stumbled upon this answer. The second "golden rule" suggests:
If it's something that will take more than 1 ...
1
vote
1answer
136 views
How many hours can one freelance in programming part-time and still provide a good product?
I'd like to do freelancing, but I am really bothered because I do not want to get into a mess, biting off more than I can chew. The way I see it one has about 10-20 hours a week, more like 10 if they ...
5
votes
4answers
165 views
Decision and negotiation of long term time-consuming job
About 6 years ago I worked as a freelance web designer, developer and products photographer for a local company (15 minutes of car distance from my office) that works in the fashion industry.
At some ...
6
votes
2answers
189 views
How to handle interpersonal relationships and expectations from client's marketing department
As external freelance I manage/update a web site for a client, they have a small internal department who follows the marketing part and social networks.
They often send me emails (often in lunch time ...
5
votes
3answers
189 views
How should I deal with the inconsistency of incoming work?
I am a freelance graphic designer (web/print/anything else you can think of). As with a lot of freelancers, I have busy periods and I have quiet periods when the incoming work slows down. Some of this ...
5
votes
3answers
631 views
Should I charge my client for mistakes I make?
I'm starting out as a freelance designer (not long left university), thus I'm continuously learning new techniques and general business etiquette.
I've had a couple projects for clients but I've ...
2
votes
3answers
121 views
Writer/editor: Building presence and social media sites
For at least a couple of years I have been trying to build awareness of my writing/copyediting communications business. I have even tried offering my services in exchange for referrals, but without ...
1
vote
1answer
338 views
Advice writing my first SLA
I have been a web developer for quite a few years now, all my clients being acquaintances or similar. I now have a more formal client that I have recently created a website for. They are interested in ...
12
votes
1answer
822 views
Working simultaneously for multiple clients
I am currently working for a client i like and i would like to maintain, but at the same time, being a freelancer, i would like to work for other clients in order to have a more diverse professional ...
3
votes
1answer
109 views
How to factor in freelancing alongside full-time work
I'm fairly new to freelancing but want more experience doing different projects and more money.
I am very well prepared to put in the hours and have asked my current employer who even wants to know ...
2
votes
3answers
77 views
Searching document shared by clients
One of the people who works with me has complained that a lot of clients are sharing documents with her in different "cloud" storage systems (e.g. OneDrive, DropBox, Google Docs).
Because there are ...
13
votes
3answers
1k views
How to back out of a freelance project that has gotten too big?
Last August I took on re-doing an e-commerce website. At first she only wanted a re-design, but it ended up being completely redone. Since I'm a student, I didn't charge her a whole lot for it, but we'...
1
vote
4answers
109 views
Quality online tool to visualize my availbility in the simplest manner?
OK, I may have overly complicated the title. But here is my issue.
I sometimes work alone, sometimes as a team of 3. Either way, I have to keep track of all time that has already been booked and time ...
4
votes
2answers
157 views
Web Design Content Issue
I am currently working on two websites for separate clients and both projects ended up at the same point, a road block being some client input/information is needed regarding content, and I am ...
4
votes
4answers
250 views
Clients ask quick jobs, how to bill
So I have been doing websites as freelancer now for some time. Couple clients likes to do small scale development now and then to their site, which is great but the problem is that they have always ...
12
votes
2answers
902 views
What are proper manners when delivering project after agreed date?
Is there some general rule to follow when delivering a project after the date that was agreed upon?
Let's say you have one month to prepare the project but you deliver it in six weeks. At what point ...
9
votes
4answers
512 views
How do you divide your time between planned and unplanned/new work?
So I know the minimum amount of money I have to earn in a week (weekly salary), I know the minimum hourly rate and I know how much hours I have to work in a week.
But every now and then I am asked ...
5
votes
1answer
62 views
Scheduling calls with clients in different timezones
I live in Europe, while my clients are mostly from US. Thus, the smallest timezone difference between me and my clients is -4hours, the biggest being -9hours. Yet, I also have a customer in Asia, ...
5
votes
2answers
236 views
How do I know my freelance team working at home?
I am a Freelance web designer and developer with a small team of freelancer. I had an office for last three years. But I felt that as a Freelancer I can do better work. So I hired various team members ...
15
votes
7answers
2k views
As a new freelancer, how can I improve my communication with the clients?
Recently I've become really frustrated after moving from a regular office job to freelancing.
Since I am new to freelancing, I decided to do some low-quality, cheap jobs to get some stars in my ...
11
votes
2answers
2k views
How do you motivate yourself when you're your own boss?
I've been working as a freelance developer for almost two years now, and I've managed to find myself in a pretty good situation. I'm working part time for a great client who loves me and has enough ...
13
votes
5answers
917 views
Desktop software for time tracking
Unfortunately I often have situation that I often need to go to another task or stop working for a while. That's why I need time tracking software. I prefer desktop software for Windows with one-time ...
7
votes
4answers
3k views
By how much can you increase your rate if the work is urgent?
I have a small task that needs to be done and I projected to let the client pay 400 €. However, he now asked that the deadline should be set to next Saturday (in three days), and proposed to give 300 €...
5
votes
3answers
451 views
Client requests for extensive task information when invoicing
I've got a long term client that I'm currently on a 15hr a week arrangement with for a flat monthly rate with the general understanding of about 3hrs a day, with flexibility on managing that. Since ...
2
votes
3answers
97 views
How to handle multiple outstanding sales / proposals?
I am currently talking to a few potential clients about taking on near work in the near future, once I finish I current project, which has roughly four weeks of work left. The issue is that I only ...
10
votes
2answers
296 views
How to manage a client's expectations
So I am running in to a bit of an issue, and although there are similar questions on FL nothing this specific:
How do I manage a client's expectations for a new website?
The issue arises when they ...
4
votes
2answers
134 views
How to properly set tasks for a freelancer who will talk to clients only?
Based on my previous post, we decided to hire part-time freelancer who will reply to all emails and do all non-technical correspondence with the client.
Now, I am not sure how to train this person, ...
4
votes
2answers
530 views
How can I improve my Research & Analysis process for my future projects as a Web Developer?
Briefing:
I'm a freelance web developer and I charge by the hour. I realized that my previous Research & Analysis process was very inefficient and I'm looking to improve that to save more time ...
58
votes
10answers
2k views
How do you make family understand that you need to stick to a schedule?
I'm having trouble balancing freelancing work with family. My wife thinks that just because I work at home that this means I'm available for home stuff at any hour, which creates problems in my ...
12
votes
4answers
501 views
Sorting out the time wasters from serious clients
I have only happy clients so far, and of course I'd like to increase this number, but I feel I'm losing a bit too much time in finding serious clients.
I have a lot of requests; asking about what's ...
4
votes
2answers
5k views
Billing on 25, 30-minute increments?
I'm new to freelancing, and I have doubts on how to correctly bill in time increments.
While researching about how to measure the time spent on each client, I read that some people do time-dependent ...
9
votes
2answers
477 views
Agile methodologies when developing software as a freelance?
I'd like to define the following case as the Loner Freelance Case:
The freelancer is a full-stack web designer and developer.
The client is a small company who wants a web page.
Many software ...
19
votes
2answers
2k views
Freelancing while being employed
Relying purely on freelancing to earn your bread can be somewhat risky and daunting. Say I want to do freelancing while also being employed (full or part time). What are the specific issues I need to ...
10
votes
1answer
313 views
Working per hour, where do you draw the line?
Take for example a (software development) project that has been estimated by the freelancer as N hours on a pay-per-hour contract.
From the perspective of the commissioner, how much buffer should be ...
18
votes
8answers
655 views
Staying in contact with clients when I have a different sleep-wake rhythm (being a night owl or living in a different time zone)
I’m a night owl. I’m most productive/creative at night. I go to bed in the morning and sleep until late afternoon.
Being self-employed, this gives only a small timeframe for contact with clients, as ...
