7 Free Tools I’ve Found Useful As A New Freelancer
For many of us, when we begin freelancing, we are starting from scratch — and it takes time to make our freelancing dreams a reality — so we hustle however we can to pay those important things like rent and bills. Although I started freelance writing four months ago, I’ve also been working for a client reviewing their contracts and selling books on Depop.
I know many freelancers are in the same boat, trying to launch their business in one area while juggling work in others, hustling to pay the bills. So although paid tools promise the world, it’s not always feasible to get them on a just-starting-out freelance budget.
There is a solution though (that doesn’t involve shelling out loads of dough), as there are free tools out there that are actually helpful! These are 7 free tools I’ve found useful as a new freelancer.
These are not affiliate, sponsored or paid in any way. I just love these tools!
Canva
I am no graphic designer. Canva — a free graphic design platform — has been an absolute lifesaver and a huge help to me as a new freelancer. I’ve created banners for my book blog, Instagram templates for my social media, and my first ever creative CV (which actually landed me a writing job!)
The paid function offers you nicer graphics to add to your templates, but there are loads of sites where you can get high quality copyright-free images to use instead, like Pexels, which you can then upload into your Canva templates.
OutWrite
Having discovered Grammarly doesn’t work with Google Docs — which is where I write most of my articles — I’ve been using OutWrite. Its free functions cover the basics: spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. It also gives you writing statistics on readability and the grade level of what you’ve written.
Although its paid function offers loads more benefits, I found a nifty way to get more out of it without initially paying. OutWrite has a drop down list with sub-items that you can unselect individually, so that you can see what the type of problem with a piece of text is. Even if you can’t access the solution, you know what’s wrong with it, and can use Google or your general knowledge to fix it. It’s a great workaround for new freelancers, particularly writers like me.
The Forest App
Procrastination is the bane of my existence. Forest is an app that helps you stay focused by growing trees in a virtual forest. There are soothing background sounds you can play — you start with Forest Rain — building up virtual coins for every tree you successfully plant, so you can buy more from the store! I recently bought Night Forest, which is the perfect soundtrack for late-night writing sessions.
Combined with the pomodoro technique, it’s the perfect way to avoid procrastination, especially working from home with tonnes of distraction.
When you’ve got a small (read: minimal) budget, social media is your best friend. There are platforms for just about everything, with every target market at your fingertips, and they’re absolutely free. Sure, it takes some legwork, but no actual cost involved. It’s also a great way to find people in the same boat as you, network and even find clients or freelance gigs.
I’ve discovered some writing freelancers who have greatly influenced me, as well as lots of useful information about freelancing and writing. On Instagram, I talk mostly about books and writing — with plenty of shelfies — if that sounds like your cup of tea, you can connect with me here.
Google Drive
I have been working erratically the past couple of months. I work on my tablet, phone, and paper, depending on the time of day and my mood. I work from a table, in bed and on commutes, so an online suite where I can create, edit, plan and organise has been essential. The Google Suite — with a variety of applications, all for free — has been my saving grace.
I use Google Docs for article drafts, and Google Sheets for keeping track of my drafts, submissions and potential venues to submit to. I can access them anywhere with internet connection, which as an inner-city girl is most places to be honest, and they automatically save. Hurray to not losing work!
A mobile banking app
Gosh, who knew finances got so complicated when you start freelancing! Having a banking app on my phone has been quintessential, allowing me to keep track of what’s coming in and out easily, and move cash around when invoices go unpaid past the expected pay date, ahem. Most banks offer free banking apps now, and if not, maybe it’s a good time to switch to one that does.
Notion
I discovered Notion in my second-month of freelancing, and it has been an actual lifesaver for my (numerous!) notebooks. Notion — a note-based application — allows you to link, sub-categorise and sort notes into categories. Whereas my written notes were scattered, and it was hard to find that thing I wrote about what that woman said in the webinar, I’ve now got this organised structure of notes about the different types of things I write about — books, board games, freelancing, writing, introversion — with lists of ideas underneath them and drafts of pieces.
It hasn’t quite replaced the Google Drive entirely for me, but it is perfect for organising my notes, and for that I am very thankful. It’s also entirely free for one user for personal use. Winner-winner!
If you’re not already, consider following me. Medium recently changed its Partner Program so that I need to reach 100 followers to be eligible to earn money for the content I publish. It doesn’t cost you a penny, but the extra money goes towards helping me pursue my freelance dreams, and I would appreciate it so much!
