The 4 pieces of technology I rely on the most as a freelancer
I’ve always been a bit of a nerd, but since I leapt into the world of freelancing, that love of technology has turned into a reliance.
This seismic career leap has made me realise that it would be near impossible for me to function on my own if I didn’t have access to the right technology. Without a team, I need tech to see me through the day and ensure I’m as productive as possible.
And it only looks set to get better. If this online tool is to be believed, by the time I’m 60-years-old, I’ll be living in a building I can talk to and which is capable of tuning itself automatically to my needs.
But before I get too ahead of myself, I thought I’d share with you my current four pieces of technology that I absolutely cannot do without as a freelancer.
1. My iPad
I jumped onboard the iPad bandwagon right at the start. And, way back in 2010, I was rightly mocked by a fair few of my friends for doing so.
“But… it’s just a massive iPhone,” they’d say. They had a point, too, because it’s taken quite a while for the iPad’s purpose to become clear.
Now, however, it can comfortably call itself a laptop replacement.
I don’t quite use it to that extent personally, but I simply couldn’t live without my iPad. At times, it really is that laptop replacement for me, but it’s just as adept at being a notebook (I love the Apple Pencil in that regard) and remains the best consumption device I own.
2. Productivity apps
There are three categories of productivity app I rely on to get my work done: to-do list management, time tracking and note taking.
Without technology of this kind, I’d have to resort to traditional methods of undertaking all three, and I’d fail, miserably.
It’s not that I’m disorganised — more that by using my smartphone to maintain a list of daily to-dos and the ability to simply click a button on my laptop to begin tracking how long it takes me to do something, I can simply get on with the actual task of getting stuff done.
We’re so lucky to have some incredibly talented software developers in this world, and in an age where most apps are either free or well below £5, that’s an incredibly special thing as a busy freelancer.
3. My smartwatch
I undertake a fair bit of social media management for my clients. Much of this revolves around keeping an eye on social mentions and interactivity from followers.
Now, if I’m out walking the dog and a client’s twitter account receives a nice mention from someone, I’m notified of it immediately, can read the message and retweet it to the world — all from a little device that’s clasped to my wrist.
Having witnessed the birth of the internet, this kind of thing still absolutely blows my mind every single time it happens.
4. My laptop
I used to be a desktop kinda guy, but over the last two years, my laptop has become my number one computing companion.
This is a classic example of a piece of technology which used to be nothing more than a hobby for me. Now, it runs every area of my business and follows me everywhere I ago.
Fellow freelancers will understand what I mean when I say this collection of metal, silicon and glass has turned into an indispensable member of staff.
Conclusion…
We therefore perhaps come to a rather startling conclusion. Bar the smartwatch, the tech I rely on day-in, day-out isn’t what you’d call groundbreaking; it’s pretty normal stuff.
By 2025, Elon Musk reckons we’ll be setting foot on Mars. Even if he’s right, I’ve come to realise that technology, for all it’s constant innovation, moves relatively slowly at ground level; the stuff I rely on now is not really any different to what it was ten years ago.
Yet, I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all.
