As a freelance designer, writer, or developer, being good at what you do does not necessarily equate success. You need to be adept at time management as well as sourcing for your next project. Freelancers spend a lot of time online, and as such, they are prone to hacking or malware and virus attacks. Luckily, there are tools that every freelancer should have to help deal with project management.
Freelancers face many challenges in their line of work. The major challenges include but are not limited to:
Time management
Being your boss may sound exciting. For most employed people, they work with deadlines and mostly under supervision. Once they break free of employment, they are suddenly faced with the freedom they were not used to.
Meeting deadlines as a freelancer is critical if you want to retain clients. Most freelancers find themselves putting off work till the last minute, or take on a lot of work they cannot handle on time. Being your boss is a lot trickier than it sounds, and while taking breaks is important, breaks that include social media are huge distractions that end up wasting your time.
Cyber Risk – Phishing
Freelancers often use emails, where hackers use phishing scams to target them. Phishing involves the use of email attachments and links to dupe an individual into thinking they are dealing with a legitimate source. For example, the hacker may send an email purportedly from your bank.
The minute you open the email and click on the attachment, the link redirects you to a fake website built by the hacker. The site asks for your details such as username and passwords, and you can easily be hacked, leading to loss of information or finances.
There is no challenge without a solution, and these challenges can be solved by taking some measures such as investing in tools such as:
e.ggtimer
There are plenty of productivity tools in the market, which helps you in managing your time. Tools such as e.ggtimer help you in scheduling your breaks and helping you end them when you should. We all know some breaks end up taking u more time than they should.
A VPN
To avoid getting hacked, you need a security tool, and you can install a VPN to secure your connection. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) creates a private and secure tunnel between your device and the internet. The VPN hides your location, masks your VPN, and encrypts your communication.
Freelancers mostly work on the go, and it is common for them to work from coffee houses or airport lounges. Hackers are often on the prowl on unsecured networks, looking for networks to hack. With a VPN, you do not have to worry about anyone intercepting your data in transit.
Clockify
Clockify is a timesheet and time tracking app that helps you to manage your billable hours and track how productive you are while working. It involves a manual time entry option, four different hourly rates, the option of setting your billable hours, visual and weekly reports, which show you time, spent on clients, tasks, or projects. Clockify also gives you a productivity dashboard that breaks down all the hours you have tracked.
Conclusion
Working as a freelancer has its perks, but also has some shortcomings. Working from home might feel as if you are constantly on holiday mode unless you put some strict measures. Freelancing pays your bills, and as such, you have to ensure you and others respect this fact.
Invest in some productivity tools that ensure you take your work seriously and some security tools such as a VPN, which ensure you, are well protected while working online. Logging out of social media networks and putting your phone on flight mode also keep you away from distractions.
See also: Guide to Remote Work in the Computer Science and Tech Industries
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