Creative people are often labelled, sometimes accurately, other times not so much, as lacking in the organizational and planning departments. Scattered minds also tend to be the most creative, but the organization is rarely their strong suit. Luckily, there are myriad apps and tools out there to help you keep track of everything you need to while running a freelance creative business. Below are 5 admin tools that every creative should know about and incorporate in their daily work lives.
Excel
Excel might not have that modern software as a service touch that many of the new organizational and project management programs have, but it remains one of the most useful and widely used data management and analysis programs out there. There is so much to do and learn with Microsoft Excel that the average user will only ever end up barely scratching the surface of this immense program.
Using Excel to manage your costs, keep track of projects you are working on, pay any vendors you might be working with, or extract and crunch data from the web can save you a ton of time and, in the long run, money if used right. There are shortcuts, hacks, and in-depth tutorials for virtually anything, from date conversion to complex data-ripping macros. If you consider yourself an Excel neophyte, look into one of the many free and paid excel courses that exist online.
Notion
Notion is a multifaceted admin tool that functions as a day planner, a note pad, a calendar, reminder and wiki. It can be used as an independent, but it is best put to use if you work with other creatives, or you run a small agency with a few employees and you want to coordinate different tasks, share ideas or make suggestions for and improvements to various workflows.
This is a highly versatile program with many applications, and the best part is it’s free. It is a popular tool with digital marketing agencies and online entrepreneurs because it allows for easy idea-sharing and collaboration.
Google Calendar
Google calendar is another one of those organizational and admin tools that are right under many people’s nose, but they forget to take full advantage of it. One of the most attractive features of Google Calendar is how easy it is to sync with other devices and applications you might be using.
Apps and programs with which you can sync Google Calendar include Asana, Todoist, Google Tasks, Toodledo, Week Plan, Nozbe and Remember the Milk. It can take a bit of time to fully integrate Google Calendar into your life as a freelance creative, but once you do, you will be very glad you did.
Trello
Trello is one of those productivity tools without which it is hard to be a successful entrepreneur–and makes no mistake, that is precisely what you are when you are a freelance creative. Trello provides you with a colour-coded organization that is versatile while also being simple. It is very effective for both individuals and teams looking for a dynamic way to constantly stay on top of new and evolving tasks and workflows.
Trello is also a great collaboration tool if you are working with a team (your own or as part of someone else’s). Each card in the board can be packed full of useful information and instructions, meaning clients and team members can provide you with notes and feedback while you work and, if you are working remotely (which you most likely are if you’re a freelance creative), you can get to on your own time and avoid the hassle of trying to coordinate zoom calls across time zones.
QuickBooks Self-Employed
The only two things that are guaranteed in life are death and taxes and QuickBooks Self-Employed is a great way for freelance creatives to make sure they are always on top of the fiscal side of their business. This particular QuickBooks program was created specifically with self-employed and freelance people in mind and provides breakdowns of tax instructions and, importantly, breaks and deductions that you can claim as a freelance, self-employed person.
If you are just starting out as a freelance creative, the best thing you can do for yourself is to get into good tax habits early on so that you don’t panic or get penalized come tax season. Keep detailed records, when in doubt, always verify with a tax specialist whether or not you are able to claim a business expense, file on time and you will have no problems as a self-employed person.
Conclusion
If you have gone from working for someone who takes care of all of the administrative side of the business to having to manage it entirely on your own, it can be a little overwhelming at first. Luckily, there are a plethora of tools out there to make handling it all straightforward. Keep the above admin tools for freelance creatives in mind and you will never have to worry that running your business is getting in the way of your creativity.
