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My first job handed me everything I needed to succeed. My outfit, my schedule, the words I was allowed to say to customers: all of these were handpicked for me so that I could thrive in that environment.
Freelancing…well, that’s a whole different beast entirely. You’re responsible for your own schedule, your clothing, and your own work ethic. No one will be there holding your hand while you type up those articles. No one will be there guiding your hand as you draw up a commission.
This sudden shift in responsibility forced me to adapt, and I’m sure many of you struggle with the same things. It’s strange not having people tell us what to do and how to do it.
However, there are tools out there that make life as a freelancer just a little easier. Today, I want to go over a few of these tools so young, aspiring freelancers can get a leg-up in the—admittedly ruthless—freelancing world.
7 Tools to Help You as a Freelancer
In this list, I’ll be going over and describing 7 tools that will help boost your productivity, keep you disciplined, and improve your workflow. Your need for these tools will depend on what you do, but all of these have some use for any freelancer or entrepreneur.
1. Asana
Let’s kick off this list with Asana, perhaps the most popular project management tool out there. With Asana, you’ll be able to manage your projects, set due dates, check up on the progress of each project, and communicate with clients.
It’s not the simplest tool out there, but it allows for a lot of freedom in how you approach projects, and for that, I routinely use the program.
2. Trello
But what if you don’t need the capabilities of Asana, but prefers an easy-to-learn, card-based project management program? In that case, I recommend Trello.
While Trello doesn’t sport the depth of Asana, it streamlines project management through its card-based system, allowing you to add, modify, and move projects in seconds.
3. Zoom
Communication is key to succeeding as a freelancer, and it’s imperative you have some type of way to communicate with your clients and/or team. This is where Zoom comes in.
Zoom’s grown exponentially in the past few months due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and for good reason. It’s simple to use, allows for group calls, and is free.
You could use Skype instead of Zoom, but I find Zoom’s modern presentation easier to navigate than Skype’s admittedly dated design.
4. Hootsuite
Now let’s talk productivity. Having a social media presence helps you stick out above the rest, allowing you to form connections with others in your industry. But managing a social media account can be difficult, especially when you’re drowning in work.
With Hootsuite, you’re able to manage all your social media accounts at once. And don’t worry about not having the time to tweet or share a post on LinkedIn—Hootsuite allows you to schedule tweets and posts ahead of time.
While not essential, Hootsuite helps alleviate a ton of stress and saves a ton of time, so there’s no reason not to use it. After all, social media is an important part of building your brand.
5. Workfrom
Being a freelancer means being able to choose where you work. Many of us work from home, but sitting in the same room for days on end can be draining. Fortunately, Workfrom allows you to search for the best places to sit down and work.
Workfrom scans areas near you for places that allow you to change your scenery for the day. Recommendations vary from coffee shops to places that allow you to rent out rooms.
6. A VPN
If you plan on working away from home, I highly recommend you use some type of virtual private network (VPN).
Public networks are rarely secure and present opportunities for cybercriminals to hack unsuspecting users and steal their information. A VPN encrypts your data on a network, making this impossible.
A simple VPN download is essential especially if you’re someone that connects to public networks frequently. A decent one doesn’t cost much and works 100% of the time.
7. QueText
Turnitin.com ruled my school and university. From middle school to AP English II, my teachers and professors counted on Turnitin.com to determine whether or not esports and essays were genuine or if they were plagiarized from the closest news article.
But once you’re out of college, Turnitin becomes an obsolete choice to check for plagiarism. And if you’re paranoid—like me—you definitely want one.
For this, I use QueText. You do need to pay for QueText, but its deep-learning algorithm ensures that your article, essay, and vice versa doesn’t match with any other work on the Internet.