How to Set Up Your Week

Planning your week with intention helps you stay on top of client commitments, manage retainers properly and protect your own availability. Quivva is built around a weekly rhythm because most freelancers make better decisions when they can see their load across a short and realistic timeframe. This guide walks you through a simple way to set up your week using the tools inside Quivva.

Start with your confirmed workload

Before adding anything new, list the work that is already locked in. These are commitments you cannot move or skip. Most freelancers underestimate how much these items eat into the week.

Examples include:

• Retainer allocations already agreed with clients
• Project milestones due this week
• Meetings you have booked
• Tasks carried over from the previous week

Getting this down early prevents accidental overbooking later.

Review each client’s available hours

Open your client list in Quivva and check how many hours remain for each retainer. This gives you a realistic picture of where your time must go.

A typical pattern looks like this:

• One or two clients with a significant block of hours left
• One client sitting close to the retainer limit
• A couple of small retainer budgets with five hours or less

This breakdown usually surprises freelancers. When you see it clearly, planning becomes far easier. You know which clients need attention and which ones should be scheduled lightly.

Add your non billable work

Non billable tasks matter because they impact real capacity. If you do not include them, the week will look possible on paper and impossible in practice.

Add things like:

• Admin and invoicing
• Sales calls or proposals
• Product development work if you are building something
• Learning time
• Buffer time for unexpected issues

A common rule of thumb is to assume ten to twenty percent of your week is non billable. Many freelancers land closer to thirty percent once they measure it accurately.

Map out your week using realistic blocks

Now that you know the commitments, client hours and essential non billable time, drop your tasks into the calendar or weekly view inside Quivva.

A few guidelines help avoid stress:

• Keep task blocks at sizes you can genuinely finish
• Avoid stacking all your heavy tasks on the same day
• Leave small gaps so tasks have room to run slightly long
• Give yourself a minimum of one lighter day to prevent burnout

Your schedule should look achievable when you read it back.

Compare the week to your capacity

Quivva calculates weekly capacity based on your set availability. Once your tasks are in place, look at the remaining hours. If you are over or right on the limit, reduce or shift work so the week becomes manageable.

Most freelancers experience better performance when they leave ten to fifteen percent of the week unplanned. This creates space for changes, new requests or emergencies without derailing everything.

Check your income runway

Once the week is arranged, take a quick look at your runway. This is especially relevant if retainers form most of your revenue. If runway is shrinking, consider nudging a client for upcoming work or setting aside time for outreach.

Small reactions early are more effective than scrambling later.

Review and adjust each morning

A weekly plan works best when you revisit it daily. Spend a couple of minutes each morning adjusting tasks based on progress or shifting priorities. This keeps the plan grounded and avoids the frustration of falling behind by Wednesday.

What a good weekly setup accomplishes

A well planned week does not just feel calmer. It directly affects your financial and operational performance.

You gain:

• Clear visibility across all clients
• Better pacing of retainer usage
• Fewer last minute surprises
• Higher quality output because you are not rushing
• More confidence in saying yes or no to new work

A steady weekly rhythm is one of the most reliable ways to reduce stress and stay in control of your freelancing workload.