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Don’t let the name fool you, freelancers are not free to just do whatever we want. We bear a lot of different responsibilities.

 

For example, in just one day I’m often a photographer, marketer, accountant, and cook. How do I keep up with all those jobs? Batch tasking and a fine-tuned weekly schedule.

 

You see, I used to kind of do things as they would come up but I learned pretty quickly that was not going to work for me. I would get caught up in the part of my job that interested me most (the creative stuff) and forget about the rest. Batch working on a weekly schedule has helped me stay on track with my admin work. I can figure out how much time I have to dedicate to client work and plan my clients accordingly (aka, stop overbooking myself).

 

 

What is batch tasking? 

 

Batch tasking (aka batch working) is a way to group similar tasks together so that you can complete them efficiently, without having to switch gears. Why is switching gears such a problem, you ask? Because when your attention is divided, you are not doing your best work. And don’t we always want to do our best work?

 

Let’s use my Instagram as an example. I try to post six (sometimes seven) days out of the week. That’s a lot of content! It’s overwhelming to think of new, fresh, engaging material every single day. On top of that, I would have to remember to post it…every day! Instead, I do my Instagram work in batches. I brainstorm, write, add hashtags, and schedule all of my posts at least a week at a time. That way, I’m in the right frame of mind to give Instagram my undivided attention. I do better work, more quickly.

 

A weekly schedule helps me stay on track with the different types of batch working that I need to do. I dedicate a set amount of time to specific tasks that are alike so I’m not constantly switching around. Here’s what that looks like for me:

 

Monday: Content Creation

 

1. Plan a week of IG posts and IG Stories. – I schedule my posts ahead using Planoly. For the stories, I storyboard them in advance and even design them in Canva if possible, then post them on the day of.
2. Blog Post – I Write and edit one blog post for the following week. My VA takes care of scheduling my blog posts, optimizing the content and readability. She also use my blog and Instagram posts to create content to share on Facebook and Pinterest.

 

Tuesday and Wednesday: Client Work

 

1. Shoot client work in the studio or on location. – I have 2 days dedicated to shoot client work. I prepare for those shoots the week before (mood board, shot list, shopping) and try to batch my shoots on those 2 days. I know I am more creative in the morning so I start shooting as soon as my family leaves, and usually stop around 1pm for lunch.
2. Tackle admin tasks. – I am usually pretty happy to sit at my desk for a few hours after a ½ day shoot, so I dedicate my afternoon to some editing or admin tasks.

 

Thursday: Portfolio Shoot Day

 

1. Shoot portfolio work. – I work a portfolio shoot day into my calendar every week, especially when I am working with a mentor. That day is dedicated to shooting new work, trying new techniques, etc.
2. Research time! – In the afternoon, I usually dedicate a couple of hours to watching courses or reading articles and finding inspiration. I don’t feel bad then spending a couple of hours on Pinterest or Instagram. As a creative I need to soak up some inspiration and Pinterest is where it happens.

 

Friday: Planning, Errands, and Admin

 

1. Plan for next week. – My big thing on Friday is to plan my upcoming week with client shoots and portfolio shoots. This is when I prepare my mood boards and shot lists for the upcoming shoots.
2. Prop shopping. – Since I’ve just planned out the following week, Friday afternoons are a great time to get go out and get and props I’ll be needing. That way I only have to worry about the perishables for my food photography.

 

Weekend Batch Tasking: Family Time

 

I usually try to do some work over the weekend, whether it is during nap time or after my son goes down for the evening. Sunday is also a cooking day, so I try to meal prep and get ahead with some of the week’s cooking. The most important thing, though, is to get good, quality time in with my family. I batch work during the week so that this is possible!

 

 

Using batch tasking to its full potential:

 

It can be a tricky transition from a take-it-as-it-comes schedule to a batch one. Here are some ways you can get the most out of a batch schedule, especially if you’re still learning the ropes:

• Use a timer. – If you limit your time to do a certain task, you will be a lot more efficient. This one is a favorite of mine because all you have to do is flip the minute count you want to the top. 
  
• Organize your passwords. – If you’re like me, you have many accounts to keep track of, and that means many, many passwords. I use LastPass to help me keep those passwords in one, secure place so I’m not trying fifteen different combinations (and locking myself out of all my accounts).

• Use smart devices to keep track of your thoughts. – I love to use Alexa or Siri to take notes on the fly when I have an idea. It allows me to make sure that idea is recorded somewhere without having to stop what I am doing. I set up a shortcut on my phone using Apple Shortcuts: I can dictate a note to Siri and she will automatically save it as a new card in a Trello Board called Mind Dump, where I throw random thoughts and links that I categorize in the appropriate board at a later time.

• Speaking of Trello… – I keep track of the broad strokes of all my projects and content on Trello. It’s all in one place! My blog post on using Trello as a creative professional goes into a lot more detail.
• Create email and client templates. – Another blog post of mine talks about different templates I use in my business. This is a great way to crack down on wasted time due to repeat tasks.

• Schedule social media ahead. – I use Planoly and Tailwind to schedule my posts to Instagram and Pinterest. When I’ve come up with content I am happy with, I add it into the right program and schedule it to auto-post on the correct date and time.

 

Ready to get started? Batch work is a life-saver for my schedule, even though I’d considered myself to be a decent multitasker before. I hope it works wonders for you, as well!

 

In my newsletter, I talk a lot about the different ways I keep productivity high in my business. If that’s something you’d love to hear more about, remember to subscribe to my email list! Hope to see you there.