Timesheets. We all hate them. We’ve all got to do them.
Why can’t we just get on with being creative?
But we need to remember that design is a business, and like any other business, to be able to stay in business, we need to remain solvent.
Unlike manufacturing where you can measure the number of units produced, and then price them accordingly to cover your costs, as a professional service we creatives can only charge for our time.
Only if we know the value of our time can we know whether we’re working efficiently, and only if we know how efficiently we work, can we know how much time to allocate to a project.
Allocating time to a project, and thus knowing when we’re under budget and when we’re over budget is the difference between profit and loss.
And measuring time also provides structure to our day, telling us when we’re over-servicing a demanding client (so maybe we should talk about additional fees), and when we can afford to go the extra mile (maybe to help build a relationship with a new client).
Measuring time also informs our professional development by telling us when we’re taking a bit too long to do something, maybe something that requires new software, or more training, or could be passed to a junior, or should be outsourced to a specialist?
So for example, my local garage charges me £25/hour to service my car. I could do it at home, but I haven’t got the right kit, it means getting a bit oily, two trips to a parts supplier and most of Saturday afternoon spent lying in gravel.
Assuming the average design freelance rate of £36/hr, clearly it’s more cost effective to outsource the work to a specialist. However, if I do the work myself (for my own satisfaction), at least I’m doing it in the knowledge that I’m making a small loss (but maybe acquiring new kit and developing a new skill in the process).
It’s an informed cost/benefit business decision that is only made possible thanks to timesheets.
Love ‘em.
