Starting a freelance business requires effective workflow systems to boost your income. One crucial tool is a project management system that provides a clear overview of your work. In this post, I’ll introduce you to various options and share my recommendations for productive project management tools for freelancers, web designers, and creative entrepreneurs.
As I often guide and coach beginner freelancers, I will be including an introduction here first. I’ll share a few notes on why you want to use a proper to-do app or project management tool.
Why is a project management tools for freelancers so important?
You could keep sketching and scribbling notes in your Moleskine book. But that should just be a first-stage idea management, not a to-do list. Instead, there are a bunch of productive project management to-do list apps available.
If you are new to the world of freelancing and doing paid client work, here are a few reasons why we should use proper tools to manage projects and tasks:
- To keep reminders on what work you agreed to complete
- To clearly see progress on to-do’s: what’s completed, pending, and stuck tasks
- To add relevant comments and files to tasks
- To keep track of pending responses from clients
- To be able to go back in time to see what was done, said, and agreed upon
- To be able to track what NEW tasks are requested by the client
These are just a few of the important reasons to use a project management tool for Web Designers and other freelance creatives.
When you add a project and all the to-do’s for a client job, you will reduce the time spent on each project you work on because you have more control.
Overall, you will make fewer mistakes and eliminate double work due to clutter with what’s been done, added, changed, or agreed upon.
Keep track of a project’s changes and added tasks
Often, throughout the creative and technical work for your client, there will be times when a client requests changes to some parts of the project. This needs to be clearly documented by you. You want to make sure you add this to a separate list.
Why?
Because you most likely want to add it as extra paid work at the end of the project. So keep track of this.
I can guarantee that there WILL be confusion and some time-consuming problem-solving on various projects unless you keep a tight and streamlined workflow in a to-do app or project management tool. And this is why it is so important to have proper project management tools for freelancers and creatives.
Here are some of the project management tools for Web Designers and freelancers.
1 – Plutio – All project management tools in one app
Plutio has become a solid and very affordable project management and to-do list solution. I recommend it for beginners as well, because it has everything you need to keep track of:
- Clients and contacts
- Overview of full projects
- Task lists organized in groups
- Invoicing
Before you consider starting with a free service, sign up for a free trial of Plutio. What you get here is a complete bundle of what you often would have to combine with various other tools and apps.
You’re not just managing your customer projects and tasks in Plutio, you can also communicate with your team here (when you have one).
You can brand your Plutio account with your own freelance business name and logo and send out customer invoices using your branding. Your customers can pay the invoice straight from their email by clicking the link and choosing credit card or PayPal.
Project invoice proposals are built into the Plutio platform, so it’s easy to send prices and project agreements for digital signing with your customers.
Timesheets are included, so you can track your work time and add it to customers’ invoices. A calendar is also at your disposal, which you can use to show task dates or content publish dates.
You will also get a good mobile app for Plutio to keep you updated while you’re away from your computer.
Cost example when using Plutio vs. other apps:
Instead of paying $16 monthly for FreeAgent to send my invoices, $29 monthly for Basecamp as a project management tool, and maybe a monthly variable cost for Slack, you could pay $19 monthly for Plutio. There are a lot of project management tools for freelancers that just becomes overpriced. Especially when you start out.
2 – Asana – Free project management tool that’s less visual
I have been using Asana with both a free and a paid account. It’s a clean and elegant project management solution.
You can sign up for Asana and use it completely free. The app is less visual than Plutio, and your tasks appear as a long list down a center column.
If you’re looking to start out with paying nothing for a to-do app and project management system, Asana can be a great start. It’s a very well-known app in the industry, and they have a slick mobile app to stay updated on the go.
I recommend Asana for beginners as it’s simple and easy to use and can be used for free. It’s also an “industry standard,” so Asana will support integration with other systems (including Zapier integrations).
If you want more features in Asana, such as custom fields and other improvements, you will have to pay for it. Be aware that it can be costly if you want to add a few users.
You can sign up for Asana here.
3. Basecamp — Top of the game project management tool
I like Basecamp because it is more visual compared to Asana. It’s easy to use, and it’s available as both a desktop app and a mobile app. In my experience, it has been pleasant to work with, and I think you will feel the same. I’m currently using Basecamp with a client team in the U.S.
You will have to pay to use Basecamp. For freelancers, it would be $15 per user. If you are alone, that is absolutely affordable. And you can add your client contacts to join in on a project for free.
Basecamp is awesome, and it has been around forever. They are considered the top, industry-standard service for project management, tasks, and team chats.
You can sign up for Basecamp here starting at $29 monthly.
Important insights to know when picking a Project Management system
Here are a few useful tips and important notes to keep in mind when you’re choosing a productivity tool to manage your projects and your business.
Go for a browser-based app
Choose an app that is an online (in-browser) service. Then you won’t need one specific app installed on one specific computer. Good project management tools for freelancers and entrepreneurs should be cloud-based and usually have a desktop and mobile app anyway. If your Windows computer explodes and your Android phone gets hacked, you can still access your work online on any computer. You’re also not bound to stay with either a Mac or Windows operating system. Plutio, Asana, and Basecamp are all good here.
Look for these features in an app
Pick a tool that includes subtasks, recurring tasks, and preferably, an app where you can set up your own custom fields. This way you can add and modify specific fields for your business and workflow, which is very useful. Plutio has subtasks, recurring tasks, and custom fields included. Asana has subtasks and recurring tasks, but you need to pay for custom fields. Basecamp does not have subtasks or custom fields. But they do have recurring tasks.
Limit the number of apps you use
Consider limiting the number of apps and tools you use. Instead of using and paying for three different services, try out Plutio. You have time tracking, chat, and invoicing included.
When we work on projects that include chatting and planning with other people, it’s good to pick an app that at least has chat and communication features.
Conclusion on recommended project management systems for Web Designers
The advice I gave you is for tools and apps that are popular and well-known, which cover a lot of features and can expand with you as you grow your online business.
I recommend Plutio for freelancers who would like an all-in-one solution. Especially the invoicing feature will serve you well.
Asana is great if you want to pay nothing and start out with a more sterile interface. There are a lot of things you can do to fit Asana into your workflow, but keep in mind—it’s less visual. And it gets expensive and a bit overpriced if you expand its features.
That leaves us with Basecamp, which is the one I would recommend next. For freelancers, it’s not expensive at all. I currently use Basecamp with my team for the client projects we are working on. I also keep some clients as guests in the account so they can join in on their projects.