Freelance work can be liberating; you get to make your own hours, set your own prices, and work at your own pace. Every freelancer can use little push to be more productive, punctual, and organized. We’ve created this comprehensive list of seven apps you’ll need as a freelancer. Each app is designed for a different aspect of productivity and offers amazing benefits to its users.
1. Wunderlist
Wunderlist is a list creation application which allows you to create and share lists from the comfort of your smartphone or tablet.
Not only is this app great for managing extensive lists for work, but you can also use it to help organize your personal lists as well. Condensing everything into one application can make the execution of your to-do lists simple and effective.
Wunderlist’s interface is simple to use and can sync data between all of your devices, meaning you can update your lists from anywhere, on any device. That’s efficiency.
2. Rescue Time
The freedom to make your own schedule often requires a certain amount of discipline to maintain. If you’re working from your computer, it’s all too tempting to open another tab and browse Facebook when you should be working.
That’s where Rescue Time comes in. It’s a time management app that helps you monitor the sites you visit, and for how long you visit them. That way you can hold yourself accountable for not getting that presentation ready on time.
Your results will allow you to pinpoint the times of day you’re least productive, and work your schedule around these times. If you find that you browse Facebook more in the evening, perhaps starting your work earlier in the day is a viable option.
3. Wave
Wave is a well designed and easy to use app that lets you handle your finances from your smartphone. The app itself is lightweight and powerful, allowing you to send invoices, estimates, and accept payments from a single interface.
If you’re a looking for an invoice maker for Mac or PC, Wave has you covered. Their invoice generator will assist you in creating professional looking invoices and track their progress.
By condensing all of your finances into one place, you save time and money that would otherwise be spent on accountants or bookkeepers. Take control of your finances with Wave, and you’ll find that sending invoices has never been simpler.
4. Lastpass
As a freelancer, you probably have dozens of accounts on different sites for clients and supplies. Keeping all of your passwords in a book or in your phone as contacts can be risky and downright dangerous if they were to be misplaced.
Lastpass is a password management app that allows you to store your passwords in a single account, protected by one master password. Each password is organized and filed by website or app and stored in its own folder complete with site details and usernames.
The service boasts excellent cyber security features, so rest assured your passwords are safe in their online database. Best of all, you can ditch that old notepad and store your passwords somewhere they won’t get misplaced.
5. Evernote
Task management has never been easier with Evernote. This app helps you organize your projects, set deadlines and reminders, and write down ideas as they come.
You can also share files with clients and team members via the app, saving the time of having to upload them to an email or cloud account.
Evernote allows complete customization of your files, from adding audio and video to formats and fonts. It also includes a web clipping tool, which lets you save your favorite articles or websites for later.
6. Hootsuite
If you have multiple social media accounts or pages, Hootsuite is here to help you organize them into a central hub from which you can update and post to each account.
The app also offers analytics on your post, so you can generate more effective social media posts and learn what your audience is.
Social media can be time-exhaustive, so centralizing your accounts to one place is a great way to get back some of that lost time you spend posting to each individual account.
7. Stride
When it comes to managing projects and effectively communicating with a team, cloud-based communication tools are the way of the future. No more frustrating conference room meetings or delays. With Stride, team management and communication are simple.
Stride provides a central hub for your team members to communicate through. Here, you can post projects, assign jobs, send messages, and receive updates on assignments. Your team members will be on task and held accountable for their part in the project.
An effective team can mean the difference between high-quality and sub-par effort. Good management starts at the base level, which means that providing a solid foundation in a central meeting hub is key to keeping your team on task and on time.
Freelance Work Requires Discipline
While these apps can help you be more productive and cooperative, your success as a freelancer depends on your drive, commitment, and discipline. In order to acquire work and make a name for yourself, you must generate high-quality content that makes you competitive.
There are thousands of other freelancers out there, but what sets the best of them apart from the rest is their discipline. The most disciplined freelancers are usually the most successful and recommended.