BrandCrowd Blog

Any good graphic designer knows that while they may be excellent at what they do, the customer has the last word. Of course, the client may not always make the best choices, but until they give their final approval, we must be patient. This becomes more difficult when money is tight and you’re solely depending on your freelance graphic design for a living. We don’t have much time to waste, but somehow, certain time-wasters keep popping up again and again to distract us. What are some of these most common time wasters for freelance graphic designers?

1. “Networking”
Of course, using online communities to expand your professional network, increase exposure for your design services, or better establish your online presence is a good idea. However, be honest with yourself—how much of the time you spend on these social networking sites is spent pursuing one of those 3 goals? If you do an honest self-analysis, you’ll probably find that much of it is wasted replying to comments, reading mundane updates, and chatting with friends. Limit these activities during your work time.

2. Playing Games
We all do it. Whether it’s Angry Birds or Minecraft, we all get sucked into this biggest of time-wasters. Yes, taking a break to refocus and refresh your mind is a good thing, but this should be a few minutes, not a few hours. This is even harder to resist because you’re already on your computer most hours of the day. Be aware of the temptation and keep a strict timer on your games.

3. Arguing with Clients
Yes, sometimes you get a client who just has unrealistic expectations, or who has no grasp on what design involves. But do you need to waste time sending snippy e-mails back and forth, or complaining about them in forums or with your peers? After all, they are paying you money (if not, well, that’s another matter altogether). There’s no need to waste time, energy, and emotion dealing with those clients. Take the high road, brush it off, and move on to more productive endeavors.

4. Finishing a Project without Waiting for Feedback
After you submit proofs for a client to look over and approve, you may be tempted to finish out a project if you’re confident in your vision for the final product. However, if you don’t wait for the client’s feedback, this may end up being a massive waste of your time and energy. On the other hand, take into consideration your experience with past clients; do they usually go with your first design? Do they get confused with too many choices? Do they respect your intuition as a professional freelance graphic designer and are they willing to follow your lead? This will be a balance you’ll have to strike yourself.