They say a person is only as good as their tools. For freelance writers in the digital age, having the right applications, web-based tools, skills, and knowledge is key. Freelancer Ryan Robinson shared his experience of working in the gig economy, saying there are so many competing priorities, incoming requests, and demands to deal with that having the right tools for communication, productivity and time-keeping is essential. On top of that, clients and companies today are drawing from a large pool of highly-skilled candidates, with the pool continuing to grow at an incredibly fast rate. Yoss reveals that a whopping one-third of American workers are now freelancers, and an estimated half of all workers will be freelancing within the next decade. This exponential growth has resulted in a very competitive job market filled with talented freelancers. This means that as a freelancer, you need to be well versed in the latest apps to ensure that you not only stand out from the crowd but perform well when you do get a freelance job.
So with that in mind, these three business apps will help you have a successful freelance career:
Trello
Mike Lechter’s list of three apps for work and life balance includes Trello, which gives you a perspective over all of your projects at work and at home. It’s great if you want to stay organized and on top of everything you need to do, whether it’s doing your groceries or meeting your deadlines. You can use it on your own or collaboratively with a team. The app allows you to assign tasks, customize workflows, attach files, and share comments among others. Trello is free to use and doesn’t have any in-app purchases, which is great if you’re keeping to a budget.
RescueTime
One of the main challenges for freelancers is making sure they get things done and are productive with their time. After all, it can be easy to get sucked into a wormhole of YouTube videos. Lifehack suggests RescueTime, which lets you keep track of how you spend your time on your computer. Later on, you can analyze that data and see when you’re most productive and when you find it hard to concentrate. It works in the background and gives you down-to-the-minute detailed reports on your activities. The app also has goal-setting tools and alarms that will help you stay focused on all your tasks.
Wave
Wave is a financial software designed for accounting, invoicing, and payments—three things successful freelancers can’t take for granted. Wave allows you to add your own branding to your invoices so you can create something personalized and professional at the same time. Wave also allows you to create invoices from your phone, which makes it easier for clients to pay you. Entrepreneur explains that the app makes it easy for you to manage your business as it connects to your bank accounts, syncs your expenses, and balances your books for you. When it comes to invoicing, it allows you to send an estimate and then turn it into an invoice upon approval. You can send statements to follow up on overdue clients, too.
These three apps can help you get started in the world of freelancing. If you’ve been in the business for quite some time already, you’ll know that staying on top of your game means constantly improving your tools. Those who don’t take advantage of the latest technological developments will quickly fall behind, and find it harder to find work.