Being self-employed or an entrepreneur is not easy. It can be extremely challenging to create your own routine and summon enough discipline to stick to it without a micro-manager peeking over your shoulder.
Luckily, being a freelancer opens up a world of possibilities. Not only can you manage your time the way you see fit, but you can find others that are trying the exact same thing. Working from home is ideal, but surrounding yourself with industry peers is even better. One of the greatest perks of freelancing is that it can be ‘free’ to start. Have a look at some of the best free online workspaces and tools available for freelancers:
Trello – Project Management
Trello is an excellent project management tool for both freelance teams and individuals. It’s a free web application that allows you to create profiles for every freelancer and assign tasks to them. Think of it as a digital whiteboard where you can move around projects and make comments within each tasks.
This is ideal for freelance editors and project managers since they will be able to communicate with their teams via this platform. The Trello boards can be named according to project and in case of an editing team; ‘moved’ to the relevant boards such as ‘in progress’, ‘editing’ or ‘published’. This is the ideal way to see who’s been working on what and when the next deadline is coming up.
Mint – Finances
As a freelancer you are most probably your own accountant. Freelance writers might know how daunting it can be to do the accounts when mathematics is just a vague high school memory. Luckily Mint is here to save the day. As a financial management tool Mint will help freelancers keep track of their expenditures and income – and it’s easy to use as well.
Oh Don’t Forget – Reminder Tool
This is just a handy tool for scheduling reminders to your phone. Sometimes managing your Google Calendar gets a bit overwhelming and you just need ‘quick’ reminders of smaller tasks. Being a freelancer means that you might have to manage the household, drop off the kids at the dentist and remember to submit your tax. Being reminded of the smaller tasks via Oh Don’t Forget will help you to increase your productivity and stay on top of things.
Evernote
Managing your own business can have you think of way too many things at once. Evernote will help you give structure to all these free-flowing thoughts. Evernote is a multi-feature tool that allows you to create journal entries and sort your favourite articles. With the Evernote plug-in you will be able to save entire pages, or just sections to your account.
Bidsketch – Proposals
As you would know, freelancers are responsible for marketing themselves as their product. You are your brand and in order to win some clients you have to send our proposals. Bidsketch is the ideal tool to help you create and manage your proposals. You don’t need to be a graphic designer or copywriter – this platform will guide you through the process of creating killer marketing content.
Join.Me – Customer Relations
Freelancers know what it’s like to wake-up in the middle of the night to Skype with a client on the other side of the world. Telecommuting can be a challenge if you don’t have the right tools. Join.Me will help you simplify your online communication by allowing you to share your screen so that they can view your progress.
The Renegade Writer
If you are a freelance writer, you need to include Linda Formichelli’s blog on your RSS feed straight away. This platform is a great resource for freelance professionals, sharing informative content, relevant guides and freelance advice in general
Treehouse Blog – Design and Development
As freelancers we have to take time out of our practice to continue our independent studies. Freelancers don’t only compete with local job seekers, but against applicants all over the internet. That’s why we have to stay on top of our games through personal growth and studies. This is where the Treehouse Blog comes in – it’s the ideal resource and online workspace for designers and developers and even lists some invaluable tutorials.
These are just some of the freelancer resources and online materials available to assist you in succeeding in your self-employed journey. Which tools have you been using?
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