HOW?

[0daeee97]

How do you manage your time with your family and work?

[michel_bibiana · Accepted solution]

If you won't mind me giving my opinion, schedule your time. The best way to do that is to create a plan in which you set time for family, yourself, and work. Although it won't be easy following a plan since you will feel "not free", but it actually is the best way to manage your time and not regret it in the future.

[jhutchinsraccqa]

Great advice. I definitely get more done when I schedule my work hours, otherwise I "work all day", and probably could have really gotten more done in a smaller amount of time, if I just scheduled it. But this has been the hardest part of freelancing, for sure. I love the flexibility of freelancing to spend time with family, but still feel spread thin and scheduling definitely helps....now to practice what I preach, as well.

[thanin]

Quite vague question but it's essential to know and manage that. 
Set priority for your time, you are the one knows that best. 
Then something you will know that accordingly. 
just try to plan that on paper and put to practice.
Then you can change that from time to time. 

[numbsain]

If that were known everyone would be freelancing. I simply divide my work time and my family time into shorter shifts each, You don't want to be away from the job for too long or opportunities could pass you by but you don't want to neglect your family for too long because they might resent you. But when you think about it shorter parcels of time are easier on everyone. Your family won't get on your nerves and you won't get on theirs as much in five hours at a time. Likewise work is easier in shorter shifts as well. This 9 to 5 stuff is whack. I wake up at 11 am and have an hour for morning chores and breakfast and a ten second commute to the desk, at five i start making dinner with my family, We clean up and hang out till 9, I work for a couple hours then go out to feed my feral cat and play my Irish whistles for an hour or so, come back and work till 4 am, sleep till 11 and it starts over. if you have young children it might be a little more complicated. But think in terms of shorter subdivisions of the day, it works really well for me. 

[81f2681a]

Working during late night until 4 am, then sleep until 11 will destroy your health. When age comes you will feel more tired than usual. I did this schedule before and there is no money that worthy my health. Working during late night until 4 was destroying my health, mentaly and physicaly, and was destroying my marriage too. I realy prefer the 9 to 5 stuff.

I took an extreme decision in my life: Never work during night anymore, NEVER. I uses all my nights just to relax and sleep. Having this good habit changed my life to much more better.

[michel_bibiana]

I agree with Andre 100%. Health is most important and your sleep is too. One should focus during the day and rest/sleep at night. 12 hours of daytime isn't enough? Then I suggest you check what you are doing during the day and switch the unproductive tasks for productive tasks, then do the unproductive tasks later in the evening while ensuring you do not sleep late. This is extremely hard of course, but it is worth it in the long run

[rabisafayet_ho26]

I manage it through sincerity in my work and giving priority to the family when needed.

[pmarangi01]

That is on point.

[Anonymous-User]

Make hay when the sun shines, believe me, it will rain often enough.

Upwork has been quoted before as an energy vampire, it can get that way.

Treat the day as if you were in an office, I regularly do 10 hr days, and regularly I do 1 hr days.

Take time to plan your workload, I know for a fact that my best clients rarely give me too much work on a Friday, so I can budget that time and do it piece by piece over the weekend and wrap it up early hours Monday, as im 6 hours ahead of them.

Personally i belive in working if there is work to do, rest when there isn't, your family needs to understand that and when you get good, you can treat your family to holidays, recently I went to the beach for 5 days in a pool villa, I was still working, I just planned my time accordingly and the work done during the stay more than paid for the holiday.

[pmarangi01]

Ooh! that's a brilliant idea and inspirational at the same time.

[81f2681a]

In my opinion: family is more important than a job. My priority is my wife and my family. You can change jobs any time, but you can´t change your family any time. If you lose your family, it is too much harder to get a new family than getting a new job.

I don´t work for myself, I work for my wife and my family. This is my duty.

[6c1072e8]

Never ever neglect your family and personal time as the time is not going to come back. You work to support your personal life and family and it is not the other way around. But you need to excel in your profession at the same time. Work on your time management and improve your skills to be more productive at work. Try some of these:

1. reach office 30 minutes earlier than the schedule and plan for the day
2. make a list of all the tasks that you need to perform during the day as per the priorities. Make sure that you complete everything before you leave.
3. concentrate more on how you communicate your work and your achievements to your supervisors.
4. when you reach home make sure that you are as energetic as you were in your first hour at the office. To you, it may be the last hour of the day but to your family is the first hour of your availability
5. Own your responsibilities at home and make a schedule to complete those.

[825be07a]

Yes

[thanin]

1. Prioritize your tasks: Make a to-do list and prioritize your tasks based on their importance and deadlines. This will help you stay focused and productive during your work hours, and ensure that you are able to spend quality time with your family.

2. Set realistic goals: Set achievable goals for yourself both at work and at home. This will help you avoid feeling overwhelmed and allow you to make progress towards your objectives.

3. Schedule your time: Use a calendar or planner to schedule your time and ensure that you are allocating enough time for both work and family activities. This will help you avoid overcommitting and ensure that you are able to meet your obligations.

4. Learn to say no: It's important to learn to say no to activities or commitments that don't align with your priorities or schedule. This will help you avoid overextending yourself and ensure that you are able to focus on what's most important.

5. Take breaks: It's important to take breaks throughout the day to recharge and spend time with your family. Use your breaks to relax, exercise, or do something that you enjoy. This will help you stay energized and focused throughout the day.

Remember that finding the right balance between work and family is a continuous process and may require some trial and error. It's important to be patient and adaptable, and to make adjustments as needed to ensure that you are able to manage your time effectively.

[tlsanders]

The thing I found to be most important was always giving my family at least as much respect and focus as I would give a client. For instance, if I was on a client call and my toddler wanted to play Candy Land, she would have had to wait until I'd finished up with the client. So, if I was playing Candy Land with my toddler and my work line rang...same thing. I'd already committed that block of time to Candy Land and whatever work was calling would have to wait.