My Favorite Tools to Stay Organized and on Task

As a new freelancer, I’ve learned a ton about staying on task and getting organized. I thought I was pretty organized before, but I realized that as a freelancer you need to be on top of your game or else you will suffer the consequences. When you have to follow-up about payments, stay on top of taxes, and emails are coming through at all hours, organization is key. Here are my favorite tools to stay organized and on task.

Google Tools

My second home is my email. I schedule everything in my calendar. If it’s not there, it doesn’t exist. In addition, I’ve made folders for all my clients and important projects. When I see people like my boyfriend who have thousands of emails in their inbox, I shudder. I’m not obsessed with inbox zero like some people, but I’m about inbox organized, so I rely on folders for that. I leave pertinent things that need catching up on in my inbox. I also do all my writing in Google Drive, which helps me save my work automatically and have it organized by client folder so it’s easy to access later.

Sidekick

Sidekick has been a total game-changer for me. I send out a lot of important emails and things that are time-sensitive. Because of this, when someone doesn’t respond, I often wonder, did they get my email? Well, Sidekick notifies you if people open your email! This has completely changed the way I run my business and how I follow-up with people. Enjoy a free month on me (no payment required upfront).

Asana

I use Asana to track all my deadlines and tasks. You can enter tasks, set deadlines, and add followers which is helpful if you are working with a group. I love the email reminders, as well as the organized workspace. The phone app leaves little to be desired, but I’m on my laptop most of the time.

PayPal

Even though I loathe PayPal fees, it is easy to get paid and send invoices using PayPal when you are working as a freelancer. It’s great to see invoices in one place, keep track of payments, and manage clients. For others that don’t have an online business, but have a retail business, you can track your data, sales, payments, and growth.

Focus Booster

This is a useful timer that is based on the pomodoro technique, which states we work better with frequent breaks. The timer is set to 25-minutes, and then is set for a 5-minute break. I find this great for timing my freelance work and also reminding myself to take breaks!

Songza or Focus at Will

I love music and I just work better with it. I love listening to Songza which offers curated stations based on your emotions, preferences, interests, and more. I think it is 100x better than Pandora. I love listening to Blank Page, Melancholy Morning, Girls Night Pregame Jams (ha!), and much more. Also, Focus at Will is another great music option when I’m looking to really get in the zone. Focus at Will uses neuroscience to help you stay focused. I have no idea how it works, but I dig it. It’s free for thirty days, then a nominal fee. Haven’t forked over any money yet, but I like it.

What other tools do you use to stay organized?

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Melanie

Melanie Lockert is the founder of the blog and author of the book, Dear Debt. Through her blog, she chronicled her journey out of $81,000 in student loan debt. She is also the co-founder of the Lola Retreat, which helps bold women face their fears, own their dreams and figure out a plan to be in control of their finances. She is passionate about empowering women, helping others get out of debt, and focuses on the intersection of debt and mental health. Every September she organizes a Suicide Prevention Awareness Blog Tour, to help share resources for those struggling with debt and suicide. In addition to her love of personal finance, art and music, she is also a karaoke master and a cat mom to Miles and Thelonious.

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