The Freelancer Tech Stack: Tools You Need To Increase Efficiency

Forbes

a day ago

Freelancer man working on laptop while sitting at a desk at home.
Being a freelancer comes with a unique set of challenges, one of the most universal challenges being that we are strapped for time.
There are only so many hours in the day to complete client work, let alone manage your own marketing and the administration side of your business. But the fact of the matter is that time is money.
Implementing an efficient tech stack is one way to free up your time so that you can focus on needle-moving, revenue-generating activities. Your tech stack needs tools to help you streamline your workflows, offset basic administrative tasks, and use your time more effectively. From there, you can scale your business to new heights.
Here are some tools that freelancers can implement in their business right away.
Every hour you waste hunting down client timelines, briefs, and documents, let alone switching between tools, is time not spent delivering value to clients and increasing your revenue.
An all-in-one project management tool will centralize your tasks, documents, and timelines, which is crucial for any freelancer's tech stack, especially when managing several clients simultaneously. It will help to keep you organized and efficient, and may even help to prevent overwhelm! Some project management tools can even be shared with clients, which improves transparency and efficiency in your communications.
Some popular freelancer tools include Notion, Trello, ClickUp, and Asana. The right tool for you will depend on your preferred workflow and what appeals to you visually.
Time is your most important asset. Every freelancer needs tools to help manage their time on projects and busy calendars.
It's exhausting to send back-and-forth emails to determine each person's availability. Freelancers need to make it as easy and streamlined as possible for prospects to book discovery calls into their calendars and for clients to book meetings.
One such way is with Calendly. Prospects and clients can choose a time in your calendar that suits them. You've already labeled the available times and days, so there's no clash! Calendly then syncs with your calendar so that the appointments will populate automatically.
Are you sick of repetitive and mundane tasks? A tool like Zapier lets you create automatic connections between your tools, saving you time and fuss. For example, when a client emails you with a request, Zapier can automatically attach that request to your project management board so that it's filed correctly and doesn't fall through the cracks.
Another way to manage your time more efficiently is to track it. Tools like Toggl Track or RescueTime will report your time on a specific task. No more guessing games, just pure data on how much time you're spending, and from there, you can take steps to improve your efficiency.
Want to go a step further? Create a 'Zap' in Zapier to send your time-tracking data to Google Sheets or Notion for streamlined reporting and analysis.
You may not be a designer yourself, but every freelancer must invest in their own marketing. This is where design and content tools are important additions to your tech stack. Here are a few tools that can keep you efficient and also improve the professionalism and quality of your marketing.
First, Canva is a popular tool amongst freelancers - for good reason. It empowers freelancers to upgrade their marketing assets, digital products, reports, and even invoices with pre-designed templates and drag-and-drop builders. Canva also has its own AI tools that freelancers can use which is helpful for non-designers and those quick turnaround requests.
Speaking of AI, you may already be using generative AI tools in some shape or form. If not, choose at least one to keep in your tech stack. Highly popular ones include ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, which can be helpful to freelancers for super quick brainstorming or drafting of content.
Lastly, a round-up of tools for freelancers wouldn't be complete without a grammar checker. It may not be the flashiest of tools in your tech stack. However, a tool like this is important for picking up typos and mistakes in your writing, which can ultimately help you save time on editing and prevent you from second-guessing your communication with clients. Popular ones include Grammarly, Quillbot, and Hemingway Editor.
The right tools don't just save freelancer's time and money. They empower you to work with clients more efficiently and confidently. Add some of these tools to your tech stack and watch how they improve your business's operations and even help you scale your business in the future.