Whether you’re a part of a design team within a larger department, or with a creative group working directly with clients, accounting for the work you’ve done is one of the most important — and neglected — ways to stay creative. Here are 5 essential ways to account for all the work you do (giving you more time to stay creeative).
1. Look back to leap forward
One of the best ways to give yourself enough time for your creative process is to understand previous projects — how long they took (versus how long you estimated they would take), how long each phase lasted, and how much time went into each task. This lets you create a more accurate and detailed scope of work for similar jobs, building in time for creativity.
2. Stay ahead of the game
Staying on top of emerging trends is key for creatives wanting to control costs and grow into a successful future, but too often deadlines, rush jobs, and administrative tasks take over. The industry landscape is constantly changing, and you don’t want to be scrambling to catch up. The only way to keep up with these changes is to carve time for learning into your schedule — and account for it like any other project.
3. Focus in
The simple act of tracking time and accounting for your work can help improve your creative focus. Instead of juggling multiple projects all at once, you become better at dealing with projects one at a time. Each gets your undivided attention while you’re working on it, enabling more thoughtful solutions to creative challenges.
4. Sow accountability, reap trust
Proper business management — whether you’re the CEO of a large creative company, a small team of in-house creatives, or a lone-wolf freelancer — positively affects client satisfaction. When you deliver projects on time and under budget and are accountable and transparent about the time you’ve spent and the work you’ve done, client trust, confidence, and happiness grow. Happy, trusting clients are the ones that come back time after time, bringing exciting new creative challenges.
5. Smooth out the wrinkles
Poor cash flow is one of the primary causes of failure for small businesses, and outdated, clumsy, or admin-heavy time-tracking and billing procedures often contribute to this problem. When time tracking is easy for team members, and reports are instantly available to managers, room for error and the time between completing a job and billing for it is reduced. A quick billing cycle smooths cash flow, freeing up more time and energy for the fun stuff.
Though it’s often considered a hassle or a chore, accounting for your time through time tracking actually allows you to do more of the work you love, supports your creativity, and improves communication and satisfaction with your team and clients.
This article has been provided by FunctionFox Systems Inc. If you would like to submit an article to be featured on the FunctionFox Blog, email marketing@functionfox.com