Freelancing is found its place and it is not a hidden topic today thousands of people are depended on Freelancing work and they are making some good money.
Anyone can start freelancer work there are plenty of work available in different category from web designing, graphic designing to writing, teaching and much more. You can get lot of work as freelancer; you can work alone or partner with your friends and family. Managing lot of work alone can be a difficult task thus you need some tools which can help you reduce your work load, help you make more productive and help you manage your freelancing finance. Here are some useful tools for freelancers which will help you a lot.
Useful Freelancing Tools
1. Project Management tools
Before initiating any project or any task one needs proper planning, scheduling, costing, etc. in other words, he requires good management for the completion of the task smoothly and timely. For the freelancers to setup their process or for any web related tasks a project management tool is necessary.
Project management software covers many types of software, including estimation and planning, scheduling, cost control and budget management, resource allocation, quality management and documentation. Below are the useful management tools:
Basecamp: Basecamp is online project management software. People can create, manage and communicate tasks, files and to-do lists. Basecamp also provides features like RSS feeds, time tracking, email sending, etc. BAsecamp is one of the easiest tools and is important for first-time-users.
HiTask: HiTask is a web based task manager and to do list tool. You can handle your to do list, manage teamwork, and use it as your personal scheduler and appointment setter. Individual freelancers, professional teams and even creative agencies can use these tools very easily.
2. Financial tools and applications
Financing is related to funds management. As the whole race is about the money, so whether it is an individual, small office or any enterprise everybody has to deal with accounting and money management. Every step in any business incurs some cost so to manage all these costing, generating invoices, accounting of any transaction or even payment options one require some easy way to get out of this.
There are some web based financial tools which help you out to manage all these tasks in a proper and efficient way. Below are some best financial software to manage all your finance related tasks.
a. Invoicing Applications:
Invoicera: Invoicera is online billing software which is specifically designed keeping simplicity and online invoicing convenience in mind. In addition to invoicing, you can use it to create and send expenses/estimate, thus track expenses and track your clients along with invoice scheduling.
Invoice Machine: Invoice machine is an online invoicing service which makes your invoicing easier and it’s beautiful and simple-to-use interface makes professional looking invoices a very pleasant experience.
b. Accounting Softwares:
Lessaccounting: Lessaccounting is a business accounting software. It manages billing, expenses and mileage. With the ability to import data directly from your bank, expense overview, chart cash flow and other features it manages all your accountings in a simple and efficient way.
c. Payments:
PayPal: PayPal is an incredibly useful tool for receiving and sending money all around the world. PayPal allows any business or freelancer with an email address to securely, conveniently and quickly send and receive payments online. PayPal serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper methods such as cheques and money orders.
Google checkout
3. Calendars and time tracking tools
Time and event management is the most important part of any project. You need to track your time for the completion of task within limits and that too successfully.
Time tracking software allows users to record time spent on tasks. This software is typically useful to freelancers who bill their customers online. It represents an electronic version of the traditional paper timesheet.
Online calendars, to do list softwares and time tracking tools thus can be a useful utility for any projects or tasks.
Google Calendar: Google calendar is a free online calendar powered by Google; it’s easy to keep track of important tasks and events all in one place. It helps you to organize your schedule and share events with friends, so you’ll always know exactly what you need to be working on.
SlimTimer: SlimTimer is a useful tool for tracking how much time you’ve spent working on a particular task. You can create tasks, click on a task to start the clock and click again when you’re finished and even it exports the reports to coworkers and clients.
4. Communication tools
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Time regularly keeps on changing the means of communication. Different means of communication are like posting letters, telephones, mobiles, emails, chats and video conferencing. Now in this global world internet is the fastest means of communication. Whether to your clients, to your relatives and friends you need to communicate for some or the other reason. Now you can video chat with the other person sitting in any part of the world. Freelancers too need this conveying method to interact with their clients and to build a strong camaraderie with them.
There are many communicating tools available over the internet for contacting the persons. Some best Ones are listed below:
Skype: Skype is the most popular chat software application that allows users to make voice calls over the Internet. You can chat with your friends and clients over skype. Moreover, calls to other landlines and mobile phones can be made for a fee. Additional features include instant messaging, file transfer and video conferencing.- very useful for general meetings.
Jajah: Jajah is an innovative and customer-friendly VoIP (voice over internet protocol) service that facilitates its users to make long distance calls at the cheapest rates, without necessitating them to buy any headphones, microphones or installing any software. To access this application, users need nothing except a standard website connection.
Vonage
Evaphone
VoIPStunt
5. Collaboration tools
If you are working in a team and all the members are distant placed then how will you share your work with all at the same time. Now no need to email your copies of work to all members, use the collaboration tools which allows you to share the content of the project at every member’s screen.
Freelancers are people who need to have first-hand knowledge about effective collaboration. Often they have to deal with remote teams. So having a common workspace with all the necessary collaboration and project management (PM) tools in one place makes the task much easier and more effective.
IBN (instant business network): This tool is from Mediachase and provides reliable project and issues management capabilities. It offers users with an open source solution so that the platform can be modified to meet your needs.
IBN also has a document workflow system. You can download docs, attach them to concrete projects, set up the priority and even project work(ing) hours, so that your client is able to see how long it will take you to get things done.
Freedcamp: This is one of the newest and the most promising collaboration solutions.
Freedcamp offers an extremely easy, yet fully customizable user permission system of choosing what your co-workers and clients can see. You can receive instant notifications of everything happening within Freedcamp and can quickly gather valuable information on all of your managed projects directly from the dashboard.
The system also provides users with instant communication tools such as the built-in Meebo Chat that can easily be integrated not only with Gtalk and ICQ, but also with Facebook Chat and other IM clients.
Teamwork
Projectpier
6. Online Portfolio and Resume Applications
The first impact about your abilities and skills can be judged through your portfolio or resume. If you are about to start new as a freelancer than you must present a good impressive and conveying portfolio.
You can act as a freelancer to any company in any part of the world. So for that you must have an online portfolio or resume. There are some web based applications and sites where you can develop and submit your portfolios.
DeviantArt: DeviantArt is a worldwide online community representing various forms of user-made artwork. DeviantArt aims to provide a place for any artist to exhibit and discuss works.
You can easily upload your work or portfolio over there. Works are organized in various categories, including photography, digital art, traditional art, literature, Flash, film making, skins for applications and others. You can learn the idea and can make your work most impressive over there.
Qfolio: Qfolio offers the complete online visual portfolio solution for Designers, Freelancers, Architects, Artists or anyone with a visual portfolio to present. Your Qfolio is your stand-alone visual portfolio website. It contains images of your work as well as the text documents of your choosing organized to your liking. Thus, Interview with someone 7000 miles away and get your job while you are sleeping.
Hi Ravi,
Very nice site , I found you in indiblogger’s kanpur list.
Keep it up.
khalid
Great list Ravi, these useful tools are very essential for freelancers that can help them do work effectively and efficiently. Time management is also essential to freelancers where you can do more work with less time and effort. It is also the key to finish tasks on time and meet deadlines. As a freelancer I personally use this time management tool which helps me track time accurately when working on different tasks. I also use it to bill clients for the hours of work doing tasks.
For me the productivity comes up with the usage of tools that can manage the work and gives the legitimate output. And to have the control on that the tool that I have been using for the same purpose is the cloud based task management software from Replicon ( http://www.replicon.com/olp/expense-reports.aspx ) which is better meant for the good rise of productivity and manageability.