Set Aside One Day to Be Your Own Manager

I work with web-based freelancers and small business owners that need help sorting out their thoughts. I call it business therapy, because that’s what it feels like. When trying to be a professional on the internet, folks become overwhelmed because they have to wear so many hats: content creator, social media marketer, product designer, fulfillment center, and more.

Running your own business is alluring because it offers the illusion of more control over your hours, your work style, and your location. When 9–5 has seemingly failed us, sometimes we find ourselves thinking “I could do this better.” There are a myriad of online tools designed to help you do exactly that. There are kanban boards and note taking apps, invoice generators, you name it. But this also means that the work you need to do has increased and diversified.

Here’s a conversation I often have with my clients. They tell me that they wish that there was someone who would just tell them what to do. They miss walking into a 9–5 job and having someone hand them a list of tasks for the day. Then, once this work is done, a paycheck comes on a scheduled date with a predictable amount of money. This isn’t the case for everyone, but if you work in service, this is the structure you’re used to.

When you transition into working for yourself, the lines are less clear, and the tasks today are up to you. Many of us are uncomfortable with the idea of being burdened with making our own decisions, so we fall back on the idea of going back to school somewhere. My friends, when facing uncertainty, often entertain the expensive idea of going to grad school to figure out their next move. They miss having assignments, and being told by an external authority that their small victories are worth something, whether it be an A or a B or a 4.5 GPA.

Here’s the advice I give my clients: sit down and write out all the tasks you need to get done. Sort them out by priority, then plot them down on a calendar. Buy yourself a coffee, because congratulations, you are now your own manager.

This is easier said than done. It can take some mental Olympics for someone to get over the fear of making a promise and holding themselves to it. This is why I have a job — I assist in providing accountability for clients who haven’t trained themselves to be accountable for themselves. All our lives we have been dependent on extrinsic motivation applied by parents, teachers, or employers. Many of us have never had to motivate ourselves to do any kind of professional work.

Like anything, it takes practice, and the best thing you can do is start off small. Plot out one day a week to plan and reflect. Put on your manager hat, and write out what you would tell yourself as a boss. Then, the rest of the week you can play the role of employee, and follow the tasks you set for yourself. It’s likely that with enough time, you’ll learn how you work in both roles, and you may become the team that you’ve always wanted to be a part of.