With several different types of projects, or several large ones all requiring a lot of attention, it can be hard to manage the workload among them all.

Here are some tips for handling several projects at once.

1. Make a schedule

The most important thing you can do to stay on top of your projects is to keep track of your deadlines. But when you’re managing multiple projects, keeping track of deadlines isn’t enough.

Make sure you also set yourself deadlines for each step of the project along the way, like interviews and research, to you ensure you aren’t trying to finish it all the same day a project is due.

You should also schedule specific work times for each step of the project just like you would a phone call or a meeting. Doing this ensures you work ahead and keep up with all your projects at once, as well as ensures you stay focused without having to think about what you should be doing when.

Use a calendar app and a to-do list so you’re always up to date, and spend time at the end of each day making a list of what you need to do the next so you can get right to work.

2. Prioritize

When you’re working on multiple projects at once you’ll probably find you’ll have to bounce back and forth between projects to get everything done on time. You have to prioritze when each step of each project must be completed before you can move on.

The best place to start is whatever tasks you have to complete before you can move ahead.

Many times, this means beginning with what you will need from other people involved with each project. Start with any task that requires other people, such as collaborations, interviews, or anything else because it may take time for others to get back to you.

This way, they can start working while you do your research or other first steps, you make sure you get the information you need well before your deadline, and you have time to follow up if you haven’t heard back from a contact.

Then work on projects by due date or the intensity of the project, whichever works best for your schedule and workload. Just be strategic in your planning to stay ahead.

3. Stay organized

It’s easy to feel scattered when you have a lot going on, but if you keep your projects organized, you won’t waste time hunting for files or notes. Good organization can go a long way to minimize stress.

Keep all your files clearly labeled, and use individual folders for each client and project in order to make finding documents easy. If you keep paper files, make sure to clearly label your notes.

It may take some work up front to organize your system, but it will save a lot of hassle later.

4. Start early

Don’t wait until the day before a project is due to start it, especially when you’re managing multiple projects. For starters, you never know what roadblocks you’ll encounter and starting early can ensure surprises don’t sneak up on you the day before a major deadline.

Another reason you should start projects early is so you can work through your ideas about individual projects while you do other things like driving, cooking, or cleaning.

By starting early, you can keep working through your plan or actually begin writing articles in your head while you do other things.

5. Batch your work

Batching your work can help keep you focused and productive. A lot of the time, it’s wiser to work on specific pieces of projects on the same day, rather than completing whole projects at once.

For example, if you have to do research at the library, it’s smarter to research everything in one trip rather than making multiple trips.

If you have to make calls, schedule them in one afternoon so you can do all your calls at once instead of interrupting your writing time later. You can write all your interview questions in one preparation session instead of several.

Just make sure you understand how your energy cycles in your projects. While you may be able to schedule several interviews in one day, it may be harder to schedule several writing projects in one day, since it will require higher-intensity work.

6. Focus

While you may be hopping from project to project to get the work done, make sure the time you dedicate to each project is focused time so you complete quality work.

This means when you schedule your work or writing time, you only do what you’ve scheduled at that time. Don’t check emails or social media, and don’t think about your other projects. Just focus on the item you have scheduled.

If you do happen to have a genius idea for another project while you’re working, make a quick note and come back to it later instead of losing your flow and switching projects.

The first few times you have to balance multiple projects may be tricky, but with practice and a few helpful productivity techniques you can ensure you finish your work on time while maintaining your quality.

Freelancers, how do you balance multiple writing projects?

Not only do you have to review your article or story with microscopic focus, but the stress of missing an error and hurting your future writing prospects can be terrifying. Automatic editing software often misses errors and paying for editing services isn’t always an option.

It’s important to find an editing technique that makes the revision process easier and makes you feel confident in your writing.

I developed my own editing method while pursuing my bachelor’s degree in writing and communications. I was freelancing for a local newspaper and serving as editor in chief of my college newspaper while balancing a full course-load of writing-intensive classes and a 75-page senior thesis.

I didn’t have time to spend hours reading over every article or paper.

To handle the workload, I devised a simple three-step method to catch every mistake and build confidence that each draft is well written.

Step 1: The content read-through

The first step of any revision should always be to review the content by reading through the draft.

Many people try to proofread their drafts while they edit the content, but in order to ensure you catch everything, try breaking this into two steps.

Start at the beginning and read your document through slowly, focusing what you’re trying to say. Make sure your document makes sense as a whole, and each point you make is fully developed. Add supporting examples or quotations as needed.

Does your introduction include an interesting hook and explains what you’re writing? Does your conclusion offer a summary or great wrap-up sentence to leave your reader with a sense of finality?

You should also ensure your essay, article or story follows the stylistic conventions of the type of content you are writing, such as including the thesis statement in an academic essay or following the inverted pyramid for news articles.

Try not to focus on proofreading or the flow of your writing. Make sure your content is finished first. Just focus on your message and purpose.  

If you have trouble reading for content errors, make an outline of the points you intend to make before you read your content. Then check off elements on your list as you read to ensure every point makes it into the document.

Once you feel confident that the content of your writing is finalized, move on to the next step: Proofreading your draft.

Step 2: The reverse proofread

You might have fixed some of the more obvious errors in the first step, but the second step is when you should focus on grammar, spelling, and awkward phrasing.

I got this tip from one of my high school English teachers. Most people jump right into proofreading at the top of the piece. But rather than read your work from the beginning, start at the end.

When you’ve spent a lot of time on a document, it’s easy to get caught up in the flow of your work, and the human brain doesn’t read every word of longer pieces. It skims for meaning instead.

In order to force your brain to stop looking for meaning and read each part of the text separately, start at the end and read each sentence piece by piece. By taking the sentences out of context, you check that each sentence alone is grammatically correct.

During this phase of the process, look for correct usage of punctuation, especially commas and quotation marks. Another key focus should be common mistakes such as mixing up homophones like “there” and “their,” or “two,” “to” and “too.”

This is also the time to check for common writing errors, such as overused adverbs or passive voice.

Step 3: The flow breakdown

Once you start editing, you may find your document lacks a cohesive flow, either from drafting or caused by the changes you made in your edits.The last step is to focus on the flow of the document to ensure the writing still makes sense and is pleasing to readers.

Read your document paragraph by paragraph and make sure that each section of your paper, article, or story is easy to read and sounds good. Eliminate any remaining jargon or awkward phrases that might have slipped through your previous revisions.

After this step, you’re done.

It may be scary to think about letting a draft go after only three read-throughs, but by being intentional about what you’re looking for in each step, you’re better able to give your document the focus it needs in the revision process.

Once you try the method and become comfortable with it, you’ll become a quick editor and be able to trust yourself to catch most, if not all, of your errors.

Do you have a special method for editing and proofreading? What is it, and how did you come up with it?