Why you should upskill as a freelancer and how to do it
By acquiring new skills, freelancers can offer more value to clients, increase their earnings, and stay relevant. Here's how to do it.
3 minutes
Imagine trying to build a house without a hammer, scaffold, or nails. Everything would take forever, be incredibly frustrating, and the result probably wouldn't be very good. That's what life as a freelancer can be like without the right tools at your disposal.
The good news is that there are several apps that can make your life easier, streamline your workflow, and help you focus on what you do best: creating.
In this post, we'll explore five free, simple, yet absolute must-have everyday tools that every freelancer should have in their toolbox for 2024. Whether you’re experienced or just starting your career, these tools will help you in your quest to become a better freelancer.
Let’s get into it:
Communication is key when freelancing (and in general). As a freelancer, you’re probably going to be writing emails, and proposals, and chatting with clients. And everyone can benefit from a little extra help when it comes to writing, grammar, and punctuation. That's where Grammarly comes in. This writing and editing tool checks your writing for errors and ensures you sound better. It’s great for editing long content like blog posts, or for a quick grammar check when drafting an email. The free version should serve you in your everyday writing needs and the best part is you can integrate it with platforms like Slack, Google Docs, and Gmail so it checks your writing in real-time without you having to visit the Grammarly app every time.
As a freelancer, you'll likely be working with clients from all over the world. That means you need a way to receive payments easily and securely. Geegpay provides you a free USD bank account in seconds and access to multiple wallets (EUR, GBP, USD, and a wallet in your local currency). You can receive payments in your bank account or wallet and convert to your local currency on the app. Geegpay comes with the best exchange rates so you can keep more of your earnings. It also has a built-in invoicing feature that lets you send invoices to clients for payment on completed tasks and allows you to automate reminders so you never miss a payment. Geegpay charges a small fee for payments received, but for Nigerians, all transfers to your local NGN wallet are completely free.
Many freelancers juggle a million things at once. Between client tracking, research, and managing workflow, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. That’s why Notion was built —to help you stay organised. This platform allows you to keep everything in one place and easily move things around and tick off to-do lists. You can create workspaces to show off your portfolio, store your contracts, manage client information and projects, and brainstorm ideas. It’s extremely valuable to freelancers. And you can use it in so many contexts and customise it however you like and share relevant pages with clients or team for collaboration.
Gone are the days where you spend hours going back and forth with clients trying to find a meeting time that works for everyone’s schedule. Calendly is a free online scheduling tool that makes booking calls with prospective or current clients easy. It syncs with your calendar and availability and generates a unique link you can share with clients which allows them to see what times you’d be available. They can then book a time that works for both of you. It's a simple yet powerful tool that can free up a ton of your time and make you look more professional.
ChatGPT is an AI tool that has become a game-changer for freelancers across industries. Contrary to popular opinion, it is not just a writing assistant for copy and articles. ChatGPT can help you with a variety of tasks including crafting engaging social media posts, brainstorming ideas and creative strategies, writing code, creating proposals and contracts, drafting emails, and so much more. You’d have to provide clear prompts and make a few tweaks to the responses to get the best results. But this tool can save you tons of time on tasks.
These five tools are indispensable when it comes to freelancing. However, there are many other options available depending on your specific needs and, of course, your budget. The important thing is to find the tools that work best for you and help you be more productive and efficient. Don’t be afraid to experiment with it and invest some time in learning more about them and their features. Because the right tools can make a big difference in your success as a freelancer.
.png)