You’re a freelancer with a tight deadline. How can you avoid common obstacles and get the job done?

1 Plan ahead

The first step to avoid unnecessary stress and confusion is to plan your work ahead. Before you start working on your project, make sure you have a clear understanding of the scope, requirements, deliverables, and timeline. Communicate with your client and confirm the expectations, goals, and feedback process. Break down your project into manageable tasks and prioritize them according to their urgency and importance. Create a realistic schedule that allows you to allocate enough time for each task, as well as for revisions, testing, and quality assurance. Use a tool like Trello, Asana, or Google Calendar to track your progress and deadlines.

2 Focus on one thing

When you have a tight deadline, you may be tempted to multitask and work on several things at once. However, this can actually reduce your productivity, quality, and creativity. According to research, multitasking can cause you to lose up to 40% of your focus, waste 20% of your time, and make more errors. Instead of multitasking, try to focus on one thing at a time and eliminate any distractions that may interrupt your flow. Turn off your phone notifications, close your email and social media tabs, and work in a quiet and comfortable environment. If possible, use a tool like Pomodoro or Focus Booster to set a timer for 25-minute intervals of focused work, followed by 5-minute breaks.

3 Collaborate effectively

Sometimes, you may need to work with other freelancers, contractors, or team members on a project with a tight deadline. In this case, you need to collaborate effectively and efficiently to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or delays. Use a tool like Slack, Zoom, or Skype to communicate regularly and clearly with your collaborators. Share your ideas, feedback, and updates in a respectful and constructive way. Assign roles and responsibilities to each person and make sure everyone knows what they are supposed to do and when. Use a tool like Google Drive, Dropbox, or GitHub to store and share your files and documents in a secure and accessible way.

4 Manage expectations

One of the most common obstacles that freelancers face with tight deadlines is scope creep. This is when the client asks for more work or changes than what was originally agreed upon, without adjusting the budget or timeline. Scope creep can cause you to waste time, money, and resources, as well as damage your relationship with the client. To prevent scope creep, you need to manage your client's expectations from the start. Make sure you have a written contract that outlines the scope, deliverables, milestones, payment terms, and change request process. If the client asks for something that is out of scope, politely decline or negotiate a fair compensation and extension.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?