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The benefits of freelancing include flexibility, freedom, and the ability to work when and how you choose. But let's face it: balancing multiple clients, meeting deadlines, and dealing with uncertain income can be stressful. Your long-term success in freelancing requires being able to manage stress effectively.  TIPS ON MANAGING STRESS AS A FREELANCER 1. ORGANIZE! I cannot emphasize this point enough. When your schedule is all over the place and a cluttered mess in your head, it becomes challenging to take charge of all your tasks and responsibilities effectively. And this can result in a lot of stress. Also, don’t try to handle too many clients at a time so that you can give yourself time to breathe and deliver your best to your clients. Being well-organized makes your job easier too. Remember that you are an independent contractor, you determine how you want your workflow to be, so it’s up to you to organize everything.  2. An important part of self-care is a regular workout...

  For freelancers in administrative roles such as executive assistants, or project managers, your job may include data entry into spreadsheets, and creating reports using tools like Excel and Google Sheets. It's important to understand and be able to use some Excel functions that manipulate data to improve your efficiency and speed. Apart from the mathematical functions, some Excel functions I've found really handy are the Text functions. These functions are powerful tools designed to manipulate and format text strings within your spreadsheets. They save you time and effort by automating tasks that would otherwise require manual editing. In this article, I'll discuss some of the most commonly used Excel text functions that make data manipulation a breeze! CONCATENATE The first function we'll look at, and one of my favorites is the  CONCATENATE function. Concatenate joins two or more text strings into one string. The Syntax for Concatenate: =CONCATENATE(A2, " "...

  Question: What's next after breaking your tasks and ordering them according to the Eisenhower Matrix ? Answer: You can use a time management tool to focus on one task at a time and complete it on schedule before moving on to another. Time management is a game-changer for productivity and focus, and one of the most popular and effective time management tools is the Pomodoro Technique. In this article, we will discuss the Pomodoro Technique: what it is, its history, when and how to use it, handling distractions, and potential modifications. So let’s get started! What is the Pomodoro Technique? The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method that breaks tasks into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. These intervals are called “Pomodoros,” after the Italian word for tomato, inspired by the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that Francesco Cirillo used in the 1980s. This technique helps boost productivity, reduce burnout, and effectively manage distra...

  “Time management skills are essential for freelancers offering executive assistance and project management services. Why? As an Executive Assistant, your role revolves around managing your client's schedule. Without essential task management skills, accomplishing this task becomes challenging” Today we’re focussing our attention on one of the tools used for managing tasks, the Eisenhower Decision Matrix. The Eisenhower Matrix, or the Urgent vs. Important Matrix, is a powerful task management tool that helps you prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance. It is named after the 34th U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who emphasized the importance of balancing time between urgent and important tasks. It is designed to help you sort each task according to its priority level.  High-priority tasks: These tasks directly contribute to your goals or client deliverables and must be done immediately. Medium priority:  These tasks are also important but can be scheduled. Th...

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been examining the skills required to excel in any assistant role. Today, we’re focusing on problem-solving skills. Employers depend on you to evaluate different scenarios and develop solutions. Problem-solving skills enable you to do this effectively. These skills are highly valued by clients and beneficial in other aspects of life. Possessing problem-solving skills ensures you can work independently and carry out operations smoothly and successfully. Strong problem-solving skills demonstrate your ability to handle complexities and deliver results. Practical Steps for Solving Problems With strong problem-solving skills, you can easily identify the root cause of an issue and then devise an effective solution. While problem-solving is a broad term, it involves several key steps. These steps are outlined below: Problems Identification  In simple terms, before you can solve a problem, you must first identify it. There's a wise saying: 'When you under...