Would you like to be a highly productive and efficient freelancer? If that’s the case, then it should please you to know that you don’t have to spend huge sums of money to do that. All that’s needed is a simple tool – a hourly timesheet. The timesheet can turn your life around and make you one of the most sought after freelancers. The timesheet sets you apart from the other consultants who are just doing enough to get by.
It makes you a highly successful freelancer.
Below are a few ways the hourly timesheet improves your freelancing efficiency.
1. Using the hourly timesheet dissuades you from postponing tasks
Study the timesheet with surgical precision and you will learn plenty from it. First, it should tell you how much time you dedicate or spend on each task, project or client. This way, you realize the benefits of focusing on the pending tasks until you clear your in-tray. Without it, you would probably be highly successful at abandoning or postponing tasks, which would then make you a not-so-highly-sought-after freelancer. You become inefficient by postponing tasks.
Use the timesheet to stop postponing tasks even if clients give you long deadlines.
2. Invest in a good workspace using the hourly timesheet
Many freelancers struggle with efficiency or inefficiency because of one reason – failing to invest in a good workspace. A good workspace allows you to enjoy whatever you are doing, which then makes you more efficient and highly productive. Without it, your attention would not last a minute. Your body would be painful all over. Your shoulders would feel like they are carrying several warships.
Some of the items you need to make your workplace better include:
- Ergonomic chair
- Standing desk
- Footrest
- Wrist rest
- Good ventilation
Good workspace has a direct influence on productivity and efficiency.
3. Using the hourly timesheet helps you to stay focused
All the best freelancers know the importance of staying focused on each project from start to finish. However, not many are able to do that. The hourly timesheet should help you in that regard. Freelancers who struggle staying focused or being more efficient should embrace these timesheets. The benefits they are likely to enjoy make the timesheets great tools at the workplace. The timesheet is ideal for consultants who feel distracted by their:
- Smartphones
- Free Wi-Fi
- Leisurely activities
- Noise
- Too many activities around
4. Avoiding crazy clients with the hourly timesheet
You may think that some clients are straight from hell. They seem hell-bent on making your life unhappy and unenjoyable. The hourly timesheet can act as proof and evidence of the work you have done, especially when these types of clients complain that you have not done anything meaningful. The timesheet proves them wrong. That said, it’s important to treat the good ones well. Avoid being the “freelancer from hell” to your good clients.
5. Outsourcing with the hourly timesheet
Outsourcing is one of the best ways of making yourself more efficient. You may not always be able to handle all the work you get from your clients. In such cases, a better deal would be to find a freelancer who is just as good as you. However, it would be good to take such a route only if the contract you signed with the client allows it. Many clients don’t encourage subcontracting. Outsourcing has a few unintended consequences worth knowing.
Use the hourly timesheet to confirm if you’re currently overworked and overburdened.
Use that information to decide whether to outsource.
Lastly, the timesheet can also help you to set goals for the short-term and long-term.
Invest in a good timesheet to make your consultancy more efficient for your clients.
Are you an employer? You can also benefit from the hourly timesheet
The hourly timesheet can be a bit troublesome to many employees. The annoyance increases if the employer requires his staff to fill it religiously every day. It shouldn’t be a reason for getting annoyed though. The timesheet comes with good tidings, especially if managed well and with the support of the entire team. Everybody has to feel a part of the process for the timesheet to produce the desired results.
1. Implement the hourly timesheet top down
The implementation should be from the top down. A different approach would not have the desired effect. The employer has to show everybody else that it rates the timesheet highly. It has to be at the forefront of embracing any change. Management has to provide the leadership regarding the new changes. Otherwise, the workers would feel that a case of double standards is at play in the office, which would then affect morale.
2. Provide training for the hourly timesheet
For the most part, the hourly timesheet is easier to use. Nevertheless, provide the necessary training that employees need to embrace it fully. The purpose of training is to ensure that everybody stays on the same page. It would be unwise for some to embrace the change while everybody is left behind. How will you manage those who can’t demonstrate good time management because they have no idea how to use the timesheet? Train everybody!
3. Automating the process with the hourly timesheet
It’s also a great idea to automate the whole process. A manual process is open to abuse. Errors are also more likely in a manual process. On the other hand, technology exists to remove some of the mistakes you – or anyone else in the organization – is likely to make with regard to time tracking. Manual time tracking complicates your life. Automated processes bring huge benefits and simplify your life; hence remains the best choice for your organization.
4. The hourly timesheet promotes recruitment of hourly employees
Most businesses prefer recruiting employees and keeping them on a salary. However, the more creative businesses are realizing that it’s more beneficial to hire an employee on an hourly basis. The monthly paycheck is never premised on one’s performance. For the most part, you will get paid even if you don’t put in the required effort. Being on an hourly rate means that you have to put in a proper shift to get your pay. Hourly timesheet works in this case.
5. The hourly timesheet keep records
The timesheet has to capture all the records as required. The recording has to continue seamlessly at all times too. Since this is an hourly timesheet, it has to capture hourly recordings. It must work in this manner as long as employees are on an hourly shift. It has to be checked regularly to see if it needs configuring or some attention to do the work it’s required for. The actual recording should be a simple enough process. Don’t make it too much of a chore!
6. The hourly timesheet is good for everybody
Find an hourly timesheet solution that works well for both employers and employees. It shouldn’t just favor one side to the consternation of the other. Several revolutionary solutions exist if you know what and where to look for. Make it easier for employees to access the tool you use for tracking time and the activities they take part in every hour. Encourage honest too by rewarding it.
As you may have noticed, hourly timesheets require proper management and implementation. Your organization has to apply best practices too to ensure that all employees buy into this new change. Automation is the future of businesses. Therefore, embrace automated solutions to handle the problem brought about by tracking how the workers spend their time in the office on productive tasks. Let all your workers go through training to learn how to use the timesheet.
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