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Productivity Tracking for Freelancers: Maximizing Your Time and Earnings

Productivity Tracking for Freelancers: Maximizing Your Time and Earnings

  • Ola Rybacka
  • February 21, 2025
  • 8 min read
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Freelancers can oftentimes be busier than “standard” employees. If you are a freelancer, you surely know what we’re talking about. There are three main reasons for that:

  1. Freelancers need to deal with more than the actual work. Standard activities in a freelancer’s schedule include administrative tasks, acquiring new clients, nurturing client relationships, keeping up with industry trends, and more.

  2. They frequently need to balance multiple projects and multiple clients at the same time, which requires good work organization and some multitasking skills.

  3. They are not bound by typical 9-5 working hours, so they may to tend to work more, especially when they don’t have enough projects going on.

All in all, your work-life balance as a freelancer is exposed to many threats. And the numbers seem to confirm that. In a recent Freelancer Study conducted by Freelancemap.com in 2024, almost every fourth freelancer said they struggle with maintaining a healthy work-life balance:

freelance productivity challenges survey results

Time management (18% of answers) and staying productive (12%) are two other issues that can hinder your growth and balanced approach to work.

And what about the time spent working for all your clients? While the majority of freelancers work up to 40 hours per week, the same source indicates that almost 40% of surveyed freelancers work more than that, with 9% of respondents working more than 50 hours per week!

freelance working hours surey results

So, if you are a solopreneur juggling multiple clients and you want to reclaim your work-life balance, you need to concentrate on being more productive at work. And in this article, we will show you some of the best practices that will help you improve freelance productivity. Here’s the key term that you should get acquainted with: Productivity tracking.

Why Is Productivity Tracking Important for Freelancers?

In a sentence? Because it’s the easiest, shortest, and cheapest way to improve the quality of your work so that you can get more done within standard working hours. As a result, you don’t need to work overtime and reclaim more free time for friends, family, traveling, and entertainment.

We have solid numbers to prove this statement! According to our data, on average, our users have observed a 15.8% increase in productive hours since they started using TimeCamp.

A 15.8% increase in productivity may translate to the fact that you get additional five or six hours of free time in your schedule! Is it worth it? Definitely!

Get to know where your time goes with TimeCamp!

Track time in projects and tasks, create reports, and bill your clients in just one tool.

Sign up for free

Productivity Tracking Tells You More About The Way You Work

Sometimes, your to-do list is so long, you don’t really pay too much attention to what is consuming your working time. And yes, project management tools can tell you a lot about that, but a good time tracking software (specifically, timesheets) can give you more insights and point you in the right direction on what to do to be more productive.

productivity tracking for freelancers with timecamp dashboards

What Are the Common Time Management Challenges Freelancers Face?

There can be many roadblocks on your path to productivity. Many freelancers struggle with procrastination and distractions (social media, we’re talking to you!) that can consume hours every week. Understanding where you lose time that should be devoted to client work will help you work on being more productive.

There is one more aspect of this question: Irregularity. Irregularity can kill your productivity, especially in terms of workload (sometimes, you have too many clients, and sometimes, not enough; sounds familiar?) and shifting deadlines (e.g., when you have too much on your plate).

And no, we’re not saying that you should never move deadlines if your clients are flexible, but doing so is detrimental in the long run because it kills your own schedule. If that’s the issue, perhaps a better idea is to find someone who can support you in your work (a subcontractor or a virtual assistant) and delegate tasks to them.

Use The Tools That Will Help You Track Productivity

There are two types of tools you can use to track progress and time spent at work:

  1. Project management platforms

  2. Time tracking software

Here’s a short comparison of both categories:

Feature

Time-tracking apps

Project management tools

Primary purpose

Focused on tracking work hours and productivity

Focused on managing tasks, projects, and team collaboration

Accuracy

Highly accurate, often with automated, real-time tracking

Usually require manual entries, may lack precision

Integrations

Can be integrated with third-party tools

Can be integrated with third-party tools

User experience

Simple and mobile-friendly, designed for just one purpose

More complex, designed for broader project needs and large projects

Best for

Freelancers and small remote teams

Medium-sized and large teams

 

tools that support freelance productivity tracking

If you are a freelancer or work with a small team, time-tracking software will probably be better for your needs. Let’s have a look at what features you should look for in such apps:

  • Flexible time tracking (a good time management app will allow you to tailor tracking to different tasks and clients)

  • Different tracking options (real-time, daily, weekly)

  • Automatic billing (if you work on a per-hour basis, you should be able to easily track billable hours in your app)

  • Analytics and reporting features (you need access to all the information collected by the time tracking app).

And what about manual time tracking? In 2025, this method is no longer effective and takes more time (pun intended). Digital tools work automatically, so all you need to do is set them up the way you want and simply turn on at the beginning of every work day. The tracking tool will take care of the rest.

timecamp reports about productivity tracking for freelancers

Productivity Tracking Influences Your Pricing (and Earnings)

There are several things to consider here. First off, accurate time tracking provides a clear picture of how long specific tasks take so that you can make data-driven decisions about pricing and project estimations. Secondly, with accurate productivity tracking, you can identify inefficiencies in your schedule and optimize workflows, thus leading to increased productivity and earnings.

However, it is important to emphasize that productivity tracking is good for both you and your clients. With clear time logs, you can show your clients how much time you spent on their projects, which leads to a better and seamless client experience.

Satisfied clients are more likely to recommend you to others, so you may even end up getting more clients as a result of this one tweak! Additionally, accurate tracking ensures proper compensation and helps you justify your rates based on actual work hours.

calendar view of timecamp productivity tracker for freelancers

Communicate Productivity Insights To Your Clients

When talking to your clients or sending monthly reports, present the data in a clear, concise, and relevant way. Sharing regular updates on project progress, time spent on tasks, and challenges faced helps you keep clients informed without overwhelming them. When it comes to client interactions, maintain a balance of transparency and simplicity, and above all, focus on the value you deliver with your work.

You can do so by emphasizing the following information in your client communication:

Don’t Underestimate The Role Of Habits and Routines In Maximizing Productivity!

The truth is that habits and good planning are essential in every freelance business, especially when you need to manage multiple clients at the same time. There is simple psychology behind this statement: When tasks become habitual, your brain needs to use less energy to decide what to do next. As a result, you spend less time planning and organizing work, and more time doing the actual work, especially when it comes to repetitive tasks.

Scientists say that starting the morning off on the right foot can have a huge impact on your motivation, productivity, and stress levels for the rest of the day. For example, it’s better to start your morning by drinking a glass of water instead of coffee because this way, you can rehydrate your body and jumpstart your metabolism, which also helps you focus on the work and the creative process.

Set SMART Goals for Improved Productivity

Managing multiple projects requires a SMART approach to work. It will help you focus on the things that matter.

smart goals for better productivity monitoring

SMART goals are:

  • Specific (clearly defined tasks or outcomes)

  • Measurable (tracked through key metrics)

  • Achievable (realistic given skills and resources)

  • Relevant (aligned with business or career growth)

  • Time-Bound (set within a deadline)

And what are the metrics you should be tracking as a freelancer? Time tracking will help you assess your productivity, but you should also keep an eye on these metrics:

  1. Hours worked (including client management work and administrative tasks)

  2. Client acquisition rates (while repeat business contributes to stability, you should never stop your marketing efforts and build your client base continually)

  3. Project completion times (here, you ought to balance speed and client satisfaction)

  4. Revenue growth (don’t underestimate the role of financial health in your freelance career!)

Productivity Tracking Can Help Prevent Burnout

Freelancers are not immune to burnout. Spending too much time managing multiple clients, repeating tasks over and over again, and even ongoing client communication can deprive you of the joy of work. Productivity tracking works here as an early-warning system that indicates that you are overworked.

By monitoring hours worked and task completion rates, you can spot when you are exceeding healthy limits. This input allows you to adjust your schedule, set boundaries, and introduce necessary breaks before exhaustion and burnout come knocking on your door.

summary report for productivity monitoring for freelancers in timecamp

Actionable Insights And Practical Tips That Can Help You Prevent Burnout

If you’re afraid that burnout can be a real threat in your situation, try these techniques and strategies:

  1. Set healthy working hours for yourself

  2. Organize your to-do list by priority

  3. Include regular breaks in your schedule

  4. Try techniques such as the Pomodoro method or task batching

  5. Exercise regularly

  6. Eat healthy and regularly

  7. Avoid distractions during your peak hours (e.g., in the morning)

Use Tracked Data For Future Projects

With TimeCamp, you can track all the relevant metrics and easily generate detailed reports that provide insights into how you spend your time. Use this data to improve your productivity and plan future projects with ease.

Time logs will tell you which activities require most of your time so that you can accurately plan how many projects you can take on without risking your work-life balance. This input is also important when it comes to outsourcing tasks.

Don’t Hesitate To Outsource/Delegate Tasks

This is a serious issue for many freelancers. As a business owner, you may think that no one will do the work as well as you. And while that can be true, you don’t want to be an employee in your own business! When you have multiple clients and your to-do list becomes too long, it’s time to streamline processes and outsource some of them to a trusted coworker or subcontractor.

If that’s a problem for you, start by delegating smaller tasks. Identify areas that can be outsourced without jeopardizing client success. And don’t work with too many helpers; it’s better to find one or two trusted people than to hire ten different subcontractors at once.

Wrapping up

Productivity tracking should be among essential tools in your freelance business. It will help you focus on the important tasks, eliminate bottlenecks and inefficiencies from your processes, and even decide on which tasks to outsource or delegate.

Finally, productivity tracking will help you maintain a good work-life balance and be compensated for your work in a more accurate way. If you want to try productivity tracking, we’ve got you covered! Take a look at our offer for freelancers and start today for free!

Get to know where your time goes with TimeCamp!

Track time in projects and tasks, create reports, and bill your clients in just one tool.

Sign up for free

Sources:

https://www.freelancermap.com/blog/freelancer-hours-survey/
https://www.freelancermap.com/blog/freelance-productivity-management-tips/
https://lpsonline.sas.upenn.edu/features/6-healthy-habits-help-keep-you-motivated-and-productive
https://inside.ewu.edu/calelearning/psychological-skills/preventing-burnout/

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Ola Rybacka Product Marketer and Content Specialist at TimeCamp. Remote worker advocate; has been working from home for 10+ years so far. Knows TimeCamp far and wide and does her best to translate the technical jargon into reader-friendly English to help users gain better understanding of our time tracker. Feels best in writing, but is also open for creating short video explainers. Privately, passionate about any form of Japanese culture and has been learning 日本語 for 4 years so far to devour animes and mangas in their native language.

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