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Freelance in Style

By Kate Pruitt (from Design Sponge) on September 13, 2011

I often see the standard 9-to-5 crowd pass by the coffee shops on their way to work or lunch. They can't help but cast a little scowl at us freelancers, cozying up to our lattes and laptops as if we have all the time in the world to kill. But honestly, working as a freelancer comes with its own set of worries: health care, steady paychecks and workload, taxes--these are the obstacles the freelancer is constantly butting up against, and it can cause quite a headache if you aren't properly prepared. One of the biggest issues for freelancers is managing their time--a wide open work schedule can often mean an inefficient use of time, which can lead to missed deadlines, underpricing, over-committing, over-stressing, budget woes and so on. What's a freelancer to do?

Enter the savior: technology. With the invention of apps, the world of freelancing became a much more manageable (and fun) place to live. I've rounded up 15 tech tools and accessories to help you make the most of your time and conduct your freelance business in a highly professional an well-organized manner: time management and time sheet software, budget tracking, list-making apps, portable storage devices, and more. Many of these devices and apps are low cost or free, and you should be able to write off every one of them as a valuable business expense, because nothing will improve your freelance career more than to be on top of your workload, your tools, and the great impression you give clients when you have every detail planned and no worries at all. So enjoy that mid-day latte, you've earned it!

Calling you freelancers! What are the tech tools that helped you get your career on track?

1. Harvest Time Tracking and Employee Timesheet software, $12/mo for solo account
This is a great software package for freelancers either working on their own or as part of a small team. With a great interface and an equally well designed app version, you can track your hours and manage your time sheets anywhere and everywhere. If you tend to have a few coals in the fire at once, as many freelancers often do, this is a small monthly investment for some serious peace of mind.
2. chronoTrack widget for Mac, free
I've used this widget in the past for time management, and while it doesn't offer much, it's free, easy to access on the dashboard, and helpful when you just need a simple clock running. One thing to remember: the timer keeps going even if your computer goes to sleep, so remember to re-visit it when you're done for the day.

3. TeuxDeux app for Mac, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, free for Mac/$2.99 for app

4. Toggl Time Tracking software, $5/mo for solo user
Another simple, easy to use interface for tracking time spent on different projects. It boasts fewer features than Harvest (shown above), but starts at a much lower monthly fee. If you're looking for an organized way to keep track of various projects, this can be an excellent, budget-friendly choice.
5. MyWi wireless tethering service
If you travel frequently and need wireless anywhere anytime for your business, consider using tethering to turn your cell phone into a wireless hub for your laptop. Most carriers will require that you purchase a data plan for this to work, and the costs can add up quickly if you need to tether for long periods of time, but it can be a great backup source when you need to access the web from anywhere.
6. Procrastinator's Clock Google gadget, free
For all you hopelessly late people out there, this clock gives you the chance to trick yourself into being on time. It might at any given time be fifteen minutes fast, but then again...it might not be.

1. Incase coated canvas laptop sleeve, $50

2. Western Digital My Passport 1TB portable hard drive, $90

3. Working Class Heroes suede iPad 2 case, $124

4. Lacie Minimus 2TB hard drive, $129

5. Kate Spade Roseland Calista laptop case, $325

6. Oyen Digital 1TB mini portable hard drive, $110

7. Mophie juice pack air for iPhone 4, $80

8. Ace Hotel for Incase laptop sleeve, $80

9. Trent Airbender iPad 2 case with wireless keyboard, $50

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See all articles from Grace Bonney

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Design*Sponge is a daily website dedicated to home and product design run by Brooklyn-based writer, Grace Bonney. Launched in August of 2004, Design*Sponge features store and product reviews, sale and contest announcements, new designer profiles, trend forecasting and store/studio tours. In addition, Design*Sponge features a unique section dedicated to covering student design, national and international design shows. The site is updated constantly throughout the day (with an average of 6-10 posts a day), and attracts a core group of devoted readers. Design*Sponge currently has over 60,000 daily readers. As a Contributing Editor at Design Sponge, artist Kate Pruitt shares DIY projects each Wednesday. Kate lives in Oakland, California and has a background in art/art history and recently left her job creating window displays to pursue her own work full time. Growing up in New Hampshire, Kate spent a lot of time building machines out of paper and scotch tape, and thus discovered her first DIY impulses.

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