Flightplan tasks are categorised into one of five levels - understand what each level means and which tasks you should focus on.
Flightplan has over 100 tasks for your first years of freelancing, but you’ll not need to complete all of them.
We’ve categorised them into five levels to help you understand which tasks are most important.
Mandatory tasks are legally required - and you may face penalties if you complete them.
This includes things like registering for self-assessment, paying your income tax, keeping good records, registering for VAT over certain thresholds, and more.
Ensure you complete these tasks, to avoid any penalties or being subject to investigation or fines.
Critical tasks are things which can put you and your business at risk if you don’t complete them.
This might include things like getting a contract in place before you do any work, or putting support in place for your mental health.
Whilst they’re not legally required, they’re things which protect you and your business, and avoiding them can lead to issues.
Essential tasks are things which are hugely important for you and your business.
This might include things like developing a new business strategy, working with an accountant, or putting insurance in place.
They’re not legally required, they’re not critical, but they will help you and your business do better.
Recommended tasks are things which we’ve found can really help freelancers.
This might include things like joining communities, staying on top of trends in your industry, or finding fellow freelancers to collaborate with.
These tasks might not be relevant to everyone, they’re certainly not essential, but thinking about whether you might want to action these tasks can help your freelancing journey.
Considerations are not always tasks to get done - and may not going to be relevant to everyone, but provide useful context, additional information, or are incredibly helpful to know.
You might not need to complete these tasks or get something done immediately, but they could be useful to read, review and refer back to in the future, if it’s useful and relevant to you and your business.
Our task levels are designed to be a guide to help you not get overwhelmed, but also not miss out on important tasks.
Focus on the mandatory and critical tasks first - as these are required for you to establish yourself in self-employment.