Top 10 Free Time Management Tools for Freelancers
Freelancing is like going to a sushi bar – lots of variety. Freelancers live each day, working nth number of hours on multiple projects. In my recent post, I have talked about guerrilla time management techniques and now is the time to share which tools are best for time-keeping. Everyone follows a certain work habit and being a freelancer, getting access to simple and free time management tools helps a lot. If you’re missing deadlines, now is the time to get organized with these top time management tools:
1. Toggl ( www.toggl.com )
Toggl helps get things done quickly, where you can manage time, create different tasks and reports in a single click. You may sign up for free and get up to 5 users on your account, or get more user-friendly features with their plans.
2. Todoist ( www.todoist.com )
What I love about this online time management tool is that it’s free and simple to use. Your schedule don’t get in the way of doing things. You can also use keyboard shortcuts, set deadlines, and see overdue works in a single click. You can also create sub-items in your list and integrate everything with Gmail.
3. Get Harvest ( www.getharvest.com )
This tool is not only sleek, but it also offers a style that works best with small or micro businesses. Get harvest lets you track time and make online invoicing a breeze. Freelancers can save time using this tool that lets them bill their clients as well, minus the fuss of doing invoices. The site lets you try their services for free up to 30 days and if you like it, you may start with a basic plan of $12 a month.
4. Google Calendar
As long as you have a google account ( name@gmail.com ), you can use it to sign in to Google calendar and use it for free. Now, you can track everything in one place and you may share your schedule with your clients. I love the customizable reminders it offers, where you can receive alerts by SMS, email, or even to your desktop. This works well for people on the go.
5. Tickspot ( www.tickspot.com )
If you love to track time and budget on your project, Tick will be great for you. Its simple interface can help you get started in less time. You can sign up and use the basic service free and do a paid upgrade later to enjoy full services, or you may just try the service for 30 days.
6. Rescue Time ( www.rescuetime.com )
If you’re addicted to social media and useless browsing, you will love this tool that helps you track how much time you spend on your PC everyday. It works in the background so it won’t interfere with what you do. You can sign up for free or you may upgrade from $6 to $15 a month. You’ll see a graph of how much time you spend on an application or a website.
7. Remember the Milk ( www.rememberthemilk.com )
As cheesy as the name goes, the site lets you sign up for free so you can manage tasks anywhere, access them from your phone or even when you’re offline. It also works great with an iPhone, Blackberry, or iPod Touch. A worthy rival of Todoist, this tool promises cool features to get you organized easily.
8. NowDoThis ( www.nowdothis.com )
If all those features get you more confused, this tool is the extreme opposite. It’s more like a zen of your to-do list where you get to do one task at a time.
9. Checkvist ( www.checkvist.com )
This free tool lets you collaborate your project and manage tasks with your team. You can do quick brainstorming sessions with keyboard shortcuts. You can also import and export files, as well as alert your team of changes to it. With its open API, sharing data has never been this easy.
10. Ta-da List ( www.tadalist.com )
A simpler version created by the brains behind Basecamp and Highrise, this free tool is like your online Post-It, where you can create tasks and tick off those you have done. That simple.
You can use these free tools to help you manage your time when working on freelance projects. The best things in life are free!
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