At oDesk headquarters in Menlo Park, California, every Tuesday is a WFHT. This Tuesday, we’re diving into solutions for the myriad of complexities that arise when you are working from home for more than one client or buyer. Confusion, stress, chaos, clashing priorities and deadlines … it can be a nightmare. So, here’s a little advice to get you through.

Keep a detailed calendar or task management record.

In last week’s post, we listed three great task management tools you can find online, but the truth is you can even use the calendar on your wall. Just use it.  Every e-mail should be marked unread until whatever it contains has been added to your to-do list. Tasks should be evaluated every work day and crossed off (or deleted) as you go — we promise, it will feel good. Be sure you are paying close attention to deadlines, and set your reminders to begin days in advance.

Consider dividing your time by days of the week.

If focusing on multiple projects in a day leaves your head spinning, you may need to organize your week according to your clients. For example, make Mondays and Wednesdays the days you focus on projects from a certain company, while Tuesday is reserved for projects from another, etc. This can simplify your life exponentially. If Company A knows you only work for them on Mondays, they can act accordingly. (And you’ll stop worrying about it on Tuesdays.)

Create a wall for project management in your home office.

If you are a visual-type, this could work wonders for you. Get an enormous cork board or white board and put it near your desk. Write client names across the top and set aside space vertically for their individual projects. Keep detailed track of your progress and see the big picture at the same time! (Hint: Keep a daily countdown with post-it notes next to each project’s deadline.)

WFHT Recommended Reading
“A Guide to Simple Project Management” from Freelance Switch
“Setting Your Freelance Project Workload” from Geekpreneur
“How to Deal With Invasive Clients” from the Freelance Folder
“How to Manage Multiple Writing Projects Simultaneously” from Wordpreneur
“Time Management and Efficiency” from Freelancer Magazine

Much like a divorced marriage counselor, my ability to dish out advice is not an indicator of my ability to implement it. However, having worked from home for over a decade, I’ve learned what works and what just creates more work.

- Tamara