Importance of multi tasking

I am mainly into Project management of Web Development industry and during my day, I have to switch to many tasks to take care / attend. Hence I have found that multi tasking is a must for my field but it has to be with some preplanning or else it can mess you up. Here are some tips to make multi tasking more effective.

1. Schedule Everything

After the initial "Yes" you need to send the contract. Did you remember that? Good… But before you send it over for the client to sign, you need to fill out the time frame that you'll take to complete the work. You should ask a simple but very important question: When do you need this project completed by?

Once you have that answer, pull up your calendar app (I'm an all Apple girl, so I use iCal, but you can use your favorite app or a desk calendar) and start looking at your next two working months. Mark the due dates for each project. Some of the projects may be able to wait a week or two, even a month. You'll be surprised on how one simple question makes things easier on you and your schedule.

2. Break them up into Tasks

You most likely have other projects already going on. So, instead of thinking big, try to break them into tasks and milestones. This will make it much easier to achieve success. Just like in my previous article, I have a suggestion of an app I use and find a perfect fit to keep track of it all. For breaking projects down into tasks,

3. Outsourcing / assign

Sometimes multitasking projects by yourself can be overwhelming. It is important to know your industry, network and find designers, coders, photographers who have the same idea of business that you have and connect with them. What should you do if you have more work than you can handle? Or something that is out of the range of your expertise? First, take a step back and figure out what you may need to have completed by some one else. Yes, you read right. Sometimes as freelancers we forget that we can go to other freelancers and collaborate to complete a project.

For example, I am not a flash animator, but I know some pretty cool designers that would give me great results if I sent a project their way. Make sure to network and get to know the industry professionals in your area, the strengths of each group and you'll have plenty of help when you need it. It goes both ways though.

Be ready to step up and help a fellow freelancer when the opportunity presents itself. Pay it forward. It is all about working together and helping each other.

4. Group them into Milestones

The entire purpose of breaking down big projects into smaller tasks is to create milestones. This is how you really know you are getting things done. So let's look at one of your 6 new clients. For this client it is actually 3 projects: Logo, Business Cards and a site.

You might think that everything is for next week but in reality it is not. You need to first develop a general understanding of the business so you can develop the logo, then create a "Coming soon" splash page on the site, followed by business cards and finally the site. See what I mean? This client has several steps or “Milestones” that need to be completed.

You need to date them all… Why? So you can keep a tight schedule and still be able to handle more than one client, not just more than one project.

5. Arrange and Meet the Deadline

The most important aspect of being a freelancer is meeting the deadlines you and your client set for each project. One of the most common mistakes of the Freelancing community is not meeting them, hence the client is dissatisfied and thinks all freelancers are unreliable. By meeting your deadlines and possibly beating them, you create a much better relationship with your client. This can lead to referrals and more work for you.

All around, the most important thing is that you set up everything on a calendar so you can keep track and still have balance time for family and friends. Writing things down makes them more real and it will help you to keep in mind what you need to do, even if you don't look at the calendar that often (though you should).

6. When You Miss the Deadline

Not everything goes as planned. The day will come and you will have to face it. You will miss a deadline. The most important thing here is that you keep your client updated on where you stand with meeting the milestones.

When something (big) gets off track, make sure you are upfront and honest with your client. You will be surprised at how understanding clients can be when something gets pushed back because of elements out of your control.