The most essential tools for a freelance job

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Remote work, or freelancing, is becoming more and more popular. And if you believe the experts, then in 10 years more than half of the population will work remotely. Of course, a freelancer uses his own set of tools in his workflow. We have compiled a list of the coolest and most useful ones.

Task list

It is very important for a freelancer to be able to organize themselves. After all, it is very difficult to force yourself to work when your boss is not above your heart. Therefore, you need to set yourself goals for the day, week, month and be sure to fulfill them. And special services for maintaining task lists will help you with this.

For example, I am using Todoist. This service has "karma". It increases as you complete tasks. This adds to the sporting interest, and it's just nice to see the completed task being crossed out on the smartphone screen. Alternative services are Any.do with a very nice interface and Things, but it is only for iOS and Mac OS users.

Dropbox

If you don't have Dropbox yet, then I suggest you get one. I have not yet met people who would be dissatisfied with the work of this wonderful service. It allows you to store your files in the cloud. And this ! After all, thanks to this, you have access to your files anywhere in the world. The main thing is to have the Internet and you remember your username and password.

Keeping files in will allow you not to lose the files you need, even if you delete them from the folder on your computer. After all, Dropbox has a great feature that allows you to see deleted files. To do this, on the service website, just click on the icon with the basket.

Evernote

Records need to be kept somewhere. Details of the order, your thoughts on the project, notes, etc., etc., etc. Previously, this could be done with notebooks and notebooks. But today, in the era of computers and smartphones, it is better to do it electronically. You no longer need to get your hands dirty with ink. They just took out the phone and quickly made a note or corrected an existing one.

You can simply create a text document on your computer and write everything there. And you can use a cool service for this. Thanks to him, you will have access to your notes both on your computer and on your phone. Even if you forget or lose your phone, just go to the service website and you will get access to your notes.

If Evernote is too busy for you, I can recommend Google Keep. A very lightweight service that allows you to create text notes extremely quickly. And in some cases, this service is even better than the "green elephant". For example, it is much easier to maintain a shopping list in Google Keep.

Music

As strange as it sounds, music can help you work. After all, the right music sets the pace for work and helps not to be distracted by background noise. A convenient service for storing and listening to music - Google Music. We have already introduced you to him.

If you are distracted by ambient noises, such as the sound of an air conditioner or people chatting, you should try Spotify. This service allows you to choose the music that suits your mood or what you are doing at the moment. Unfortunately, registration in this service is not available for Russian citizens. But you can use our instructions and solve this problem.

Online payments

The theater starts with the coat rack, and the freelance job starts with the payment. After all, you need to get money somehow. This is where electronic payments and online banking come to the rescue. From services for working with electronic payments, I can advise "" or. The first will allow you to easily settle and accept payments from people in the CIS. But if you cooperate, for example, with an American who lives in Italy, then PayPal is your way out.

Messengers

To communicate with customers or performers, you also need some kind of tool. Today one of the most popular messengers is WhatsApp. It allows you to instantly exchange messages using your smartphones. All you need to know is the mobile number of your interlocutor. An alternative is Viber, which allows you to make calls.

For video calls, the best and most popular means is Skype. Despite its clumsy work and sometimes poor connection quality, this service has been the leader in its field for a long time. It was Skype that virtually destroyed the international calling business. Plus Skype allows you to make group video calls.

Online office

Google Docs can be an extremely handy tool for a freelancer. This is an almost fully functional office that is available online. If you need to make an online presentation of the result of your work, then Google Docs is just for you. And yet it is completely free.

Email

Today, there is nowhere on the Internet without mail. No email, I mean. It is she who is the key to creating an account on almost any site and service. Email allows you to correspond with your customers. By the way, the letters that were received by e-mail can serve as evidence in court. If such a need arises at all. The leader in this area is Gmail. A lot of services are sharpened for it, which improve its work. Although Gmail itself is constantly improving. Among the competitors, Yahoo and Outlook can be noted, which are also very good services.

Our blog

Yes! A life hacker is also a very powerful tool for a freelancer. After all, here you can find a lot of advice on motivation, job search and customers, communication with bosses and other important issues. We also select the best programs and services, try them on ourselves and then write reviews of these services for you. In general, I strongly advise you to subscribe to us.

Are you a freelancer? What tools do you use in your work? Recommend good tools and services in the comments.