Managing multiple clients as a freelancer: A guide to keeping your sanity

Building up that all-important freelance client list is an exciting prospect. Whether you’ve made new connections at networking events or found work through social media, it’s great seeing your books fill up. However, managing multiple clients also requires a bit of juggling.

How can you keep all your customers happy without burning the candle at both ends?
Here are some tips to help your freelance business run smoothly as your client list grows.

Stay organised

One of the key parts of successfully balancing multiple clients is to get organised. No matter what industry you’re in, it’s important to have clear distinctions between your work for each client. You might do this by setting up clear folders for documents as well as keeping your email inbox neat and tidy. 

Other organisation techniques you could try include:

Time blocking

When working as a freelancer, effective time management is essential, and it can be helpful to dedicate certain hours to each client. You might work on Client A’s work on a Monday morning, for example, and Client B’s on a Monday afternoon. This is a good way to make sure you’re focusing on one area of work at a time.

Prioritise tasks and deadlines

Within your allocated time slots, work out an order of priority so you can comfortably meet deadlines for each of your clients. 

Consider project management software

There are plenty of online tools available to help you organise your workload and track how long you’re spending on tasks for each client. Platforms like ClickUp, Airtable, and Trello are great for seeing a clear overview of your to-do list. 

Take a look at some more handy apps and software tools to keep you organised and boost your productivity.

Delegate

The more your client list grows, the more that to-do list grows too. When there just aren’t enough hours in the day to organise your calendar, add your emails to dedicated folders, or send out invoices, you might find it helpful to delegate your administrative tasks. A virtual assistant (VA) is the perfect addition to your freelance team, giving your inbox a bit of TLC.

Set clear expectations

When you work with a number of different clients and customers, you will naturally have to split your time and attention. It’s vital that you set expectations and boundaries so you can work within a realistic timeframe and give each client the dedication they need. 

Communicate effectively 

While it’s essential to be clear with your boundaries, it’s perhaps even more vital to be clear in your communication. Whether it’s updating a customer on the status of their order or sending your client a design draft, stay in regular contact and let them know that everything is under control.

Take time for yourself as a freelancer

Working as a freelancer, solo-preneur, or small business owner brings many perks, but when your client list grows rapidly, it can be hard to strike the perfect work-life balance. You might find yourself working long hours to keep all your customers happy, and this can lead to burnout. To avoid this, remember to set yourself distinct working hours so you can switch off and reset. 

After all, taking time for yourself is just as important as the time you dedicate to each client. 

Find balance with support from a virtual assistant

If you find yourself tipping towards overworking and feeling overwhelmed, why not consider support from a virtual assistant, like Erin? Whether you need a hand with setting task reminders and document organisation or sending out invoices, get in touch to see how VA services from Bizzybee can help.