My best time management trick was to give myself permission to fire-gaze. You know when you’re idly surfing the net, or pottering around in the back-yard? It feels like you’re wasting time when suddenly – out of the blue – comes the inspiration you’ve been waiting for… and the piece practically writes itself. I now factor this in as a real and legitimate use of my time, now that I’ve shaken the constant feeling of ‘The Invisible Boss is Watching Me!’
.-= Imogen´s last blog ..Pet Peeves of Freelance Job Ads =-.

At age 61 I retired less than 4 months ago from a 35 year career in trucking. If my wheels didn’t roll – I made no dough. I cannot tell you the hours I worked per day, nor the miles I drove per day. It could get a lot of people in trouble if a gung-ho federal employee read this. Besides, most people would think I was not telling the truth anyway. After all, I was a truck driver. I will just say that for the past 4 months I have been learning a lot about how the human species lives. And, it has been a treat, but there are far too many whiners amongst us. They need to trade homes with the people in Haiti. They might learn something.

I am not a good Christian, but I believe. And, I also believe that people are a part of nature as much as any other animal. And, I believe there is a daily biological clock within each of us. But, most of us abuse it on a daily basis. At any rate, I will break it down in a biological sequence for you.

1.) We take care of business. That is we work. We earn what is needed to survive. And, if we are productive enough we earn what is needed to buy toys. If we do it right that should take up no more than 8 hours of the day. Uh, most of us do not do it right. I plead guilty.

2.) But, why do we need toys? Hmmm. We need toys for amusement and entertainment. And, we need time to relax, or to learn and experience new things. We need time to interact with our families, friends and others. And, we need to have the time to unwind. And, that should take up about 8 hours of the day.

3.) That leaves 8 hours of the day to rest. At my age I feel best if I can sleep at least 7 of those 8 hours.

Mother Nature has a way of telling us if we are treating ourselves wrong. She
made me lay on a table while men and women stood above me and played with my heart. I have a fifteen inch scar from my neck to my belly to remind me of that day. There are more scars down the length of my right leg. So, yes I know what mismanagement of time (and other things) can do to the human body.

So, what am I doing about time management now. Well, for the first time in my life I am getting good solid sleep even though it is not on a constant basis. That is, I may get to bed late at times. And, my days are still a little hectic. Without even noticing it I sometimes put in at least 12 hours or more at the activities I am trying to turn into commercial enterprises. That has something to do with loving what I am doing. But, I believe I am using my off-time wisely. I just finished 2+ miles on the treadmill right after I watched a movie. I am cooking real food (as opposed to convenience store $%$##^#$%$), and eating just like I was a human.

About 3 or 4 months ago someone on the radio was talking about a writer who lives in (I think) Vermont. This writer has made a ton of money with his craft. And, he claims that he works 40 hours a week, 5 days a week and 8 hours each day. He says he may work less because he can afford to do so. But, he never, never, never works more. Now, when I grow up – I want to be just like him. And, I don’t even know his name.
.-= KEITH BIRMINGHAM´s last blog ..PLUS – Picture Licensing Universal System =-.

I also look over my calendar and my projected earnings before I take on a new project to see if it fits the time I have available.

It’s still a guessing game, but I at least have the illusion of control
.-= Anne Wayman´s last blog ..Freelance Writing Jobs On Wednesday, February 24, 2010 =-.

IMO nothing summarizes freelancing better to the uninitiated.

I can remember thinking that I had unlimited amount of time as a teenager. Time loomed ahead of me–huge, empty, and promising. That was mainly because I was unchallenged and had little responsibility.

The discovery a few years later that there actually a shortage of time hit me like a slap in the face. The reality is that there are some things that we’ll just never get a chance to do. There’s not enough time.

That being said, the trick is to determine what’s truly important and devote your time to it. Not just in your work, but in your life.

Am I there yet, not quite. It is a handy filter to help me make decisions, though.
.-= Laura Spencer´s last blog ..Are You Trapped in the Writing Web? =-.

The cure? Setting limits. When I sit down to start something, whether it is a new website design or a freelance client’s work, I look at the clock, and then make a mental note when I am going to stop and start working on something else. This serves the purpose to both make me more productive within that limit and also keep me from spending all day tweaking a twitter button design instead of, you know, making money on projects that pay immediately

Good luck as you continue to build your empire!
.-= Nacie Carson´s last blog ..Creating Yourself, Not Finding Yourself =-.

Twitter/FaceBook/Whatever-else-addictive: Found a sure fire cure. I have a level 80 warlock on World of Warcraft that needs attention. Can’t let those pixel monsters rule the world!

How’s that for a tip? How to lose business… Hmm.
.-= Jack Busch´s last blog ..Google Goggles: The World is Your Hyperlink =-.