SELF EMPLOYED TIPS: STAY ORGANISED WITH THESE ESSENTIAL TOOLS AND APPS
Being self-employed has its positives and its negatives, and one thing for sure is that it requires a lot of organisation. In this article I will go into why it is so important to stay organised, and share the essential tools I cannot live without as a self-employed freelancer. So, whether you are looking to become a self employed freelancer, or you are one but want to scale your business, buckle up!
Being organised as a self-employed freelancer is crucial for so many reasons. Firstly, it is going to help you manage your time and tasks effectively, ensuring deadlines are met and clients are kept happy - it’s going to make you work more efficiently. Secondly, staying organised reflects well on your business, making you appear reliable to clients. Never underestimate the power of ‘word of mouth marketing’ - the more you impress your client, the higher chance of them recommending you to their peers so staying professional could get you new clients. Thirdly, if you are anything like me and are someone who can get anxious quickly, an organised workflow is really going to help to manage your stress levels. Fourthly, it’s so key to stay on top your finances and self-employed admin, and being organised is key for this [i.e. keeping track of your expenses, invoicing, tax calculations and tax returns]. And finally, if you want to grow your business you gotta keep organised - it is vital for scaleability.
So, now we know how important it is to keep organised, how can you actually do it effectively? I have worked for myself for over six years now, and have tried and tested plenty of tools and systems over the years so I’m excited to share my list of favourites when it comes to managing projects, communicating with clients, handling finances, and more.
Task Management: The Notes app - I tried others but for me the Notes app is the GOAT. Why? Because it’s simple! It has a user-friendly interface makes it easy to quickly jot down tasks, and it easily syncs across Apple devices, meaning I can update it easily, and its always accessible. There is nothing worse than having a light bulb moment and then forgetting it 5 minutes later. Every thought I have goes in my Notes app [I even use the voice recording feature when driving so I never miss anything!]. I also love being able to create checklists, folders, and sub-folders, and that you can add images, links, and documents to your notes. Plus it has a collaboration feature which is great when you want top share notes with collegues etc.
Google: I use Google Mail for my email hosting, so it was an easy choice to use the Drive for file storage and the Meet for face-to-face client meetings. I also use the Excel, Powerpoint and Word docs when creating documents. I like having everything ‘online’ so that I can edit things on the go, form both my phone and laptop.
Accounting: The LITT app for invoicing, expense tracking, and tax calculations. This one is simple and effective - the perfect solution for me as a sole trader. And now I am in the habit of taking a photo of every receipet I get, I am saving money every day on my taxes! Winning.
File Storage: Google Drive or Dropbox for cloud storage.
Design: I know graphic designers hate it, but Canva is just the best for quick and easy graphic design - I use it for social media posts, presentations, strategy decks, and more! It is well worth the pro monthly cost.
Social Media Management: I flit between Hootsuite and Later to schedule social media posts, and always used the Google News function to find trending topics that I can create content around.
Website: I use Squarespace to host my website, and GoDaddy to host my domain for my website. I find Squarespace very easy to navigate and customised, so if you aren’t a coder but want to build a simple website for your business, Squarespace is a great option.
So there you have it - I hope the above is helpful, and if you have any tools that you love and recommend, drop them below in the comments - I’d love to hear about them!