Freelance Web Design: What To Do With Your Time in Between Projects

 As a freelance web designer, you probably know what I am talking about - those times when you find yourself wondering what to do next, whether it's because you are in between projects or simply waiting for materials or approvals from clients, etc. There are many reasons for a "downtime" in your daily or weekly routine as a freelancer. So today I thought I'd share a few of the things that you could do to fill your time productively while you are in limbo.

Redesign your website - Your website is one of your biggest marketing tools as a web designer. Take the time to redesign or update your website - update your About Me page with more recent information, reorganize and update your portfolio, make improvements to your website's search engine optimization, or even do a complete overhaul of your site if you have the time. If you are anything like me, your own website has a tendency to get put on the back burner more often than not - but using your free time to get it up to date and looking amazing again is definitely worth the effort.

Focus on marketing - If you are in between projects, it may be a good idea to take the time and do some research on areas where your marketing approach could be lacking and how it could be improved. This is not something that I personally have experience with since I have honestly never had downtime between projects, in general I can barely keep up with the new projects coming my way. But I think that if you are having trouble finding new clients or work, then using that downtime to really up your marketing game could be a very effective and productive use of your time.

Focus on networking - This is also a great time to meet new people in your field. Now that you have more time than you know what to do with, maybe try to spend more time on social networks. Note: I did NOT say waste more time. I think it should be time spent with a definite focus and goal in mind. Focus on meeting people that you could work with or that have advice or services that could benefit your own business and vice versa. Networking with the right people can really benefit both your and your freelance business.

Learn something new - Another great idea is to take your downtime and make it profitable by learning something new. Whether it be a new programming language, or a new software, or whatever it may be, learning a new skill will most likely pay off in the long run. And one of the best aspects of this is that there are so many online resources for learning - it doesn't even have to cost you a dime!

Take a break - This is another option which I have never personally tried. I tend to be a workaholic of sorts... I am not very good at taking time off. But - I definitely think that it is a very good idea to take the opportunity to get away from your computer and do some other things which you may have been wanting to do but couldn't when you were bogged down with projects.

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