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A freelancer’s life is a busy one, to say the least. Meeting deadlines, networking, and performing administrative tasks can take up a large part of your freelance time. If you’re like a lot of freelancers, you love the freedom of setting your own hours and doing something you enjoy and are good at. Unlike being an employee with a large company, where clients are just a number on the roster, you can enjoy more intimate working relationships with your clients. While you may enjoy that closeness that comes from getting to know your clients and their needs, there can also be a downside to the freelancing life, and that is managing your clients effectively.

As a freelancer, you need to effectively manage your work-life balance, so that you don’t get overwhelmed and lose sight of your goals. In order to keep yourself organized and maintain your sanity when clients become a little too attached to you and your services, here are some smart ways to help you manage your clients and your freelance life.

Set Clear Expectations and Boundaries

It’s important to let your clients know exactly what you will do for them, but it’s just as important to create boundaries and guidelines. For instance, you need to be clear and professional with your clients as much as possible. Yes, you may talk about family from time to time, and that is fine, but when you are working on a project, it’s in everyone’s best interest that all parties remain professional. Your contract can map out the expectations and boundaries for your clients, so that not only will they know what you will do, but what you expect of them in return.

Communicate Your Work Hours

As a freelancer, you may find that sticking to a 9-5 work day is too close to being stuck in an office cubicle for you. If you always make yourself available to your clients, you’ll wind up losing valuable time that you would normally spend on their projects or with your friends and family. Clients don’t always realize that they are cutting into your work time, so it’s imperative for your health that they know when you can be reached and how. Many freelancers cut their work hours into chunks so that they may be there during normal business hours, or they set hours very early or very late as a courtesy for clients that are international or in other time zones.

Hook Up Your Cell Phone

Every now and then, you’ll get a client who just doesn’t realize they’ve crossed boundaries. If you’ve given out your cell phone number, you can assign each one of your clients their very own personal ringtone so that you will always know who is calling. A distinctive ringtone for each client is also a great way to be alerted to an important call you’ve been waiting for from them – or a call you just want to avoid. You can download ringtones from subscription sites or make your own.

Organize Your Email

Much of your correspondence and client projects will probably come through email. Your email client may have the ability to set up filters and other notifications for each client. If so, take advantage of all of the tools and organizational tools email can offer, and give each client their own filter and labels. With these filters in place, you will never worry about an important email from your clients getting lost in your inbox again. Filters can keep your client emails separated from the other emails you get throughout the day and keep you on task without getting overrun by lost or unanswered emails. If email alone isn’t cutting it, take a look at these 10 Applications for Keeping Client Contact Data Organized.

Check in Regularly

Your clients will appreciate you keeping them up to date on their projects. Regular check in meetings – either by phone, video conferencing, or in person – can mean that you’ll be able to concentrate more on the work you’re doing, and your clients may need less attention or reassuring. At your discretion, choose either a weekly check in or a monthly check in, and stick to that time and date. Use the time you are talking to your client to go over and problems or discuss any changes in the projects that you are working on. Give them time to ask any questions they may have as well. The time you spend on the meeting will help your clients feel comfortable and more assured that you have their best interests in mind, reassuring them that you truly are a professional who cares about their needs.

While these are only a few ideas on managing your clients, the time you spend implementing them will give you a better handle on your business and keep it running it smoothly.