So there you are, happy as Larry, doing what Freelance Time Manager tells you to do because it knows which are your best clients, it knows where the money is, it knows where you are falling behind, and it's calculating all that and saying "hey, you! Work on this next." Sweet.
Then along comes the boss, or along comes the client, and they say "hey you! Work on this thing that I'm worried about!"
See, FreelanceTimeManager users have prioritised their clients and projects just by logging their time. The system automatically knows which are your best paying clients. It knows where the money is. It's there to guide you to do the right things today for a better set of invoices at the end of the month (or promotion, or self-development goals). You don't really want other people messing that up too much. A "who shouts loudest" system may be the worst of systems, especially for your profitability.
But of course, it's your job to respond to clients (and bosses), and the better you do it, the more work you'll get. So the trick is, what? To respond better to better clients?
So what do you do?
In the delights of a therapy session your bossClient might say they want you to prioritise and they didn't mean to screw up your day. But in that moment, they really do. They want you to do what they ask. I mean, fair enough, they pay the wages.
The thing is, often in that moment of need, of monkey passing, they aren't thinking about the bigger picture. They just want to ask you to do the thing so they don't have to think about it any more. Ask. Done. Gone. They're happy.
If you actually do what your bossClient asks, when they ask, you'll not really be doing your job. You'll just be an autumn leaf in the wind.
Here's FreelanceTimeManager's solution. Boss+1. BossBump, if you like. Internally, it's BossShout.
So, your bossClient calls, chases you for x. You go find the x project, click Boss+1, and its priority in your FreelanceTimeManager system is doubled. It's more likely to be suggested as the thing for you to work on next. So then, you can carry on. You've heard your boss. You've raised the priority of that project. It's much more likely now to get your attention.
Next day they mention it again. Click Boss+1 again. It's now four times more likely to get suggested as the thing for you to work on next.
Again? Now 8 times more likely.
Meanwhile, another bossClient comes along, unsuspecting of the first bossClient's requirements, and hassles you for another project. Bump that too. FreelanceTimeManager will handle it for you.
And if the boss goes on holiday, you can Boss-1, too.
So now you have a data-driven system that makes sensible decisions about the irrational things we are asked to do each day. If it's in your bossClient's head, we're measuring that and responding accordingly. If it disappears from your bossClient's head, that's great, we see that too.
I don't know if that reads as cynical, I don't mean it to be. It's a genuine response to a real-world need. You need to prioritise your work and optimise your use of time. You also need to handle the needs of the people around you. Well, now you can.
Anyway, back to Freelance Time Manager.