October 9th, 2020 | Updated on June 28th, 2022
I’ve learned many things about myself since I started freelancing. One of those things is how much I depend on certain software to get my work done. If the Internet were to go down tomorrow, I’d never be able to finish another article!
Maybe you’re a starting freelancer wondering how you can make life easier. Maybe you’re an existing freelancer hoping to learn how to improve your efficiency and save some time. Don’t worry, I got you covered with this list of 10 tools you should take a look at!
Top 10 Tools To Use
1. Trello
Staying organized proved as one of the most challenging aspects of freelancing. That is, until I discovered Trello.
Trello uses a card-based system to help you organize projects. You can create cards to represent projects, move them into different sections, and keep tabs on all of them through notifications.
2. Asana
Keeping in touch with your clients is a key part to making it as a freelancer, and Asana helps you do just that. With Asana, you’ll be able to communicate with your clients, keep track of your projects, and have an all-in-one hub for your work.
3. Slack
If you’re not in the market for an all-in-one hub, however, and just need a simple communication platform for clients, use Slack. Slack makes communication easy and allows you to organize topics in different rooms. It’s like a forum, but for freelancing.
4. Skype
But messages and a forum setting may not be enough for your line of work. Sometimes, you need a way to have a one-on-one with your clients, AKA a video chat. For that, I recommend Skype.
Skype is the classic video chat platform, having Microsoft’s support and tons of features to enhance your calls.
5. Zoom
However, if you’re not the biggest fan of Skype or Microsoft, there’s always Zoom. Zoom works similarly to Skype but allows for easier group calls. If you’re working with multiple clients or are part of a “team”, Zoom is a good option for you.
6. VPN
Part of being a freelancer is living a borderless lifestyle. Part of living a borderless lifestyle includes going out and using public wi-fi to work. And while I love doing this, I concede that using public wi-fi introduces many security risks onto my device.
And depending on the network you’re using, you may not even be able to access the sites you need to! Fortunately, you can protect yourself and unblock sites with a VPN.
A VPN encrypts your information and helps keep you secure, whether you’re on your home network or the coffee shop’s.
7. Todoist
Let’s talk about staying organized. If you’re a freelancer, I don’t need to tell you how difficult it is to stay organized and keep yourself from being distracted.
Fortunately, Todoist helps you by…being a to-do list. Yeah, there’s not much to this software, but it’s a lifesaver to staying on track!
8. Clockify
But what if you need to keep track of your time? You could use a stopwatch, but that’d be difficult to keep track of. Clockify allows you to track your time and record in timesheets, and I highly recommend it.
9. Microsoft OneDrive
Storage can become a problem later in a freelancer’s career, and for that, I recommend using Microsoft OneDrive (if you use Windows). You do need to pay for increased storage, but it’s plenty worth it.
10. iCloud
However, if you use Apple devices for work, you’ll want to use iCloud. Plus, iCloud gives you plenty of storage to start off, and you can unlock much more with only .99 cents per month.