A few readers have asked about my methods for staying organized as a freelance designer. Working from home can be difficult but here are some simple methods that I use. Overall, I try to keep it simple because the more difficult you make the solution, the harder it is to keep up.
No Such Thing as Too Many Calendars or Lists
I have used both Wunderlist and TeuxDeux for task management and love them both! Recently 6Wunderkinder released Wunderkit so I am in the process of switching over to see how I like it. Wunderkit helps with the grander scheme of organizing and accomplishing things through workspaces, tasks, notes and even allows collaborating with others! All three options are FREE and sync with your iphone! This is really a personal decision on how simple or complex you need your system to be.
iCal works best for my events and meeting. I really like that you can create multiple calendars, set alerts as messages or emails and it syncs right to my phone.
Last but not least, I’ll always have sketchpads and notebooks around. No matter how many lists and reminders I have scheduled on my computer, I still need to have written reminders, by my side, at all times… and I like the feeling of crossing items off. I also keep a separate paper calendar for blog post scheduling.
Easy Access for Supplies
I love using pretty cups or jars to keep my clips, washi tape, pens and office supplies organized. It keeps my desk neat while I still have easy access to supplies.
Photos At Your Fingertips
I upload all of my photos to Flickr and organize them into Collections and Sets. I also use Flickr to host most of my blog photos. It is an easy way to keep backup copies of images and a great way to search through old photographs.
Inspiration Overload
Delicious comes in handy for bookmarking blog posts or articles that I find inspiring or want to remember. I add tags to organize them into categories and personalize each link with my comments. You can choose to keep your links private or share them.
Pinterest boards are a great way to keep track of visual inspiration and pretty things in one central location.
Google Reader is where I keep track of all the blogs I follow. You can add stars to favorite posts or tags to sort them. It’s a great way to save your favorite blog content.
Files, Files, Files
On the Computer:
Folders, I use lots of them and color code like crazy. When clients hire me for a design job, it’s important to keep everything organized. If I need a file a few years from now, I will not have any trouble locating it.
Dropbox is a free service that is great for accessing your files from multiple computers and for sharing files. Anything you save to your Dropbox will automatically save to all your computers, phones and even the Dropbox website.
In real life:
I use a file cabinet and binders to store paper files. I have a basket that I drop everything in until I get to file it properly. I also use flat files for loose inspiration, reference materials, samples of work I have done and any artwork or larger files.
Get Timekeeping and Billing Straight
Billings keeps me sane. I use it for timekeeping and invoicing. If I did not have a timer running I would never be able to keep track of how long I was spending on something. Once a job is complete, I just mark the tasks as done and send an invoice right from there! I really don’t know what I would have done if I never discovered this.
Sync It and Back It Up
It is important for calendars, contacts and files to be syned and backed up! Keep your really important files backed up on TWO separate drives or an online system, Dropbox can also be used for this. I use LaCie external hard drives and Mac’s Time Machine for my backups. I just plug in and don’t need to think about it again!
This is what works for me and hopefully it can be a starting point to help you discover some methods that work for you! Is there anything you think I left out or would like to hear more about? Just let me know in the comments below!
Top left image via Poketo all others are by me.
