Freelancers: How to Manage 10 Clients Without Mixing Trello/Slack/Jira Notifications
When working for multiple clients, your inbox becomes a battlefield. Discover the compartmentalization technique to regain your peace of mind.
You’re a freelancer. You’re free. Except when you open your email.
There, it’s chaos.
- A Jira notification from Client A ("Critical Bug!").
- A Slack invitation from Client B ("Join the #random channel").
- Google Drive access from Client C ("Mockup files").
- And in the middle of it all, your tax bill.
The problem is that you use your contact@your-studio.com address for everything.
The result: when Client B spams you with Slack notifications on Sunday, they hit your personal phone. You can't switch off.
It’s time to compartmentalize.
The "Client Silo" Technique
Imagine each client is a locked room. When you enter the room, you work for them. When you leave, they cease to exist.
To do this digitally, you need distinct identities.
Step 1: Create an Alias per Project
Stop using your primary email to sign up for a client's tools. Use JunkMail Pro to create persistent aliases:
project.nike@your-studio.junkmail.siteproject.adidas@your-studio.junkmail.site
Step 2: Smart Forwarding
Set up forwarding to your primary inbox, BUT add a rule. In your Gmail/Outlook: "If recipient is project.nike@..., then:"
- Apply the label "CLIENT: NIKE."
- Do not show in inbox (Archive).
Step 3: Work Routine
In the morning, you decide to work for Nike. You open the "CLIENT: NIKE" folder. You have all the notifications, centralized and organized. You handle them. Then, you close the folder.
In the evening and on weekends, you turn off forwarding for the most "toxic" clients (the ones who send messages at 10 PM). This is your right to disconnect, activated by a simple button in the JunkMail dashboard.
The "Offboarding" Advantage
One day, the mission ends. The client removes you from their Slack... or they don't. Often, they forget. You keep getting notifications for a project you’re no longer working on.
With a single address, you have to endure it or ask to be removed. With a JunkMail alias, you delete the alias. It’s radical. The flow is cut. You’ve archived the folder. The client belongs to the past.
Conclusion
Being a freelancer means selling your time and expertise, not your soul or your peace of mind. By compartmentalizing your clients, you gain mental clarity. You’re more efficient when you work and more relaxed when you don't.
That is true freedom.
Take back control of your time. Go Pro and organize your clients.