There’s an app for almost everything these days. I'm quick to jump on them but equally quick delete when they don’t work for my business. Here are the 7 tool's that have stood the test of time and will continue to help me run my freelance business. I hope they help you too!

#1 Trello

Best for tracking anything

Trello is a completely flexible tool to keep track of ALL OF THE THINGS. Seriously, there are no limits to how you can use this to track projects, lists, work or life. I personally set up client boards to share project docs, I store content ideas and editorial calendars, plan my business workflows, and also use it to manage my team tasks. It is a bit of a blank canvas to begin, so jump on YouTube for inspiration on how others are using it, and feel free to shoot me a message and I’d be happy to share how I’m using it too. Give it a go here.

#2 Dubsado

Best for managing client relationships

This has been a total game-changer for my copywriting biz and something I’ve only recently invested in. Dubsado is a client relationship management tool designed with creative entrepreneurs in mind. It can send contracts, invoices, questionnaires, forms and manage all things business in one system, on AUTOPILOT. But there is a learning curve to this one, and you do have to put in the time to set up your docs and custom workflows. The great news is their support team are amazing and offer live chat and free video calls so you can walk through your own goals and ideas to make it work for you. Their templates can all be customised and they don’t plaster their logo on anything (so if you are like me and always thinking about brand experience, this is especially appealing). It is a paid tool but you can try it for free for a month. Try it out here and if you fall in love I have, use code ‘coolwow’ to get 20% OFF your first month or year.

#3 Toggl Track

Best for time tracking

If you are billing clients based on hours, or if you simply want to get a better understanding of where you spend those hours and minutes, you’ll need a time tracker. Toggl is super simple and free to use. Plus at the end of the month, you can download reports based on client, project, dates. I attach monthly reports to my retainer clients so they can see what’s going on. Try Toggl Track here.

#4 Pomodoro Timer

Best for focused work sprints

I love the Pomodoro method for productivity. The Pomodoro Technique is a time management system that encourages you to work with the time you have—rather than against it. Using this method, you break your workday into 25-minute chunks separated by five-minute breaks. These intervals are referred to as pomodoros. After about four pomodoros, you take a longer break of about 15 to 20 minutes.

How this works is it instils a sense of urgency into the work. When you have a frame of time to complete something, you are less likely to meander off task.

25mins is an achievable amount of time to stay on task so you do it. You can guard this precious focus time. It takes some practice, but you will soon move right into focus as you know time is limited.

At first working in such small increments may feel weird, especially if you are used to chaining yourself to the desk for hours. The break will also feel like a disturbance at first, but it's critical for our mind to take a rest, it's a muscle and deserves a lil rest too.

Some Pomodoro timers I use:

Focus Keeper (an app I use if I want to use my phone as the timer…and not feel tempted to pick it up for scrolling)
Pomofocus (a super basic desktop timer that is responsive on mobile too).
Cuckoo (a shared productivity timer for remote teams so you can all see the same clock).

#5 Planoly

Best for visually planning Instagram

As someone who has managed a lot of social media accounts for clients in my career, I’ve tried almost all of the social media management tools including Hootsuite, Sprout, Later, Planoly, UNUM and PLANN. They’re all great for different reasons, but the one I love using for my own business and personal account is Planoly. This beautiful app makes editing, planning and analysing your Instagram feed and stories easy and stylish. And you can get started for free for one user, two accounts and up to 30 posts per month. Get started.

tools I can't live without as a freelancer

#6 Xero

Best for managing money

Money - it’s important and essential to get on top of when managing your own freelance business. Xero makes it super easy to track whats coming in and out with a pretty simple and handsome dashboard. Invoices take no time to set up and send, so if you are still manually writing these up and don’t have a system to track your finances, try this. You’ll definitely get brownie points from accountants and bookkeepers if you use it too and it’s never to early to start! It does come at a cost (the basic package is $25 p/month) but it’s totally worth it. Check it out here and up-level your money game.

#7 Canva

Best for making beautiful graphics

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you’ve probably heard about Canva. If you haven’t then I’m excited for you! Welcome to the easiest online tool around to create beautiful designs with ZERO design skills. And it’s FREE to use. Canva has drag-and-drop features and pre-set layouts to help you create handsome graphics for your social media channels, presentations, documents and more. Be warned, this can be addictive (I have to give myself a time limit). And remember, this will never replace the skills of a talented graphic designer when it comes to building a cohesive and considered brand. Start creating here.

And a bonus item … #8 Legal Templates

While this is not technically a tool, it is certainly a freelancer essential. No matter what stage you’e in, it’s incredibly important as a freelancer to have rock solid contracts or agreements with your clients. If you’re based in Australia, the team at Foundd Legal have made it affordable to whip one up in no time with their legal template shop. Check out Foundd Legal templates here, and if you find the perfect fit, before buy, pop in code ‘COOLWOW15’ to get 15% OFF.

Over to you!

What tools can’t you live without to run your freelance business? I’d love to hear about them, feel free to DM me on Instagram @coolwowcollective. Note: Some items feature affiliate links, but we only share the things we truly love and that add value to our freelance business.

7 tools I can't live without as a freelancer