Being a Solo Freelancer is tough, as he/she is solely responsible for the success/failure of the Business.  Everyone of us know it and I am not going to repeat it here.

What I am going to tell you are some proven and essential productivity tips, that can take your Freelancing Career on to the fast track.

Break down Tasks into ‘Atomic’ Activities

If you are not using a To-Do list, then you should send me an e-mail and tell me how you keep your Business going!

Many of us use To-Do lists.  But what we miss out is to identify the ‘Atomic’ Activities, among our tasks.

By ‘Atomic’ Activity – I mean any activity that has a definite Start and Finish and completes to achieve exactly One Objective

An example of ‘Atomic’ Activity will be – to Setup Wordpress 2.9.2 on the Customer Site and make sure it’s working.

Break down all your Tasks into ‘Atomic’ Activities, add them to your To-Do List (possible as sub-tasks) and Check one-by-one as you are done with them. You’ll feel the Power of Joy that it gives (and also the hidden benefit of improvement in Productivity)

Maintain a Library of Repetitive Tasks

Do you Write the same piece of PHP Code, for every Client Project that you do?

Do you Design the Footer same way for most of your Clients?

Then it’s time to maintain a Library of all the Repetitive Tasks – be it the Code or Copywriting Text.  You’ll immediately notice a jump in your productivity.  Guaranteed!

Start using a CRM Tool

I have spent hours digging through my E-Mails and the Documents, for information on my Clients – may be it for some Communication or a Prospective Business.  Much of this time can be saved, if a good CRM is in place.

You don’t have to spend thousands setting up a Commercial CRM tool for your Business.  If you are freelancing and have a good number of clients – then Highrise or Batchbook will be a good fit, at affordable cost.

Learn the Art of Outsourcing

As a Technology Freelancer, I have the urge to do all the Technical Work for my Business – myself.  Be it the Blog Design, Maintenance, Upgrade or New Sites – I tend to do it myself.

But as you go on doing Big Stuff, you should seriously learn the Art of Outsourcing.  There are Good Programmers around who can develop a complete PHP Website for you, at costs as low as $500, than you spending about 40+ hours on this task.

I don’t advise you to start Outsourcing everything.  But understand that it is an option and use it wherever applicable. Selective Outsourcing can improve your Productivity and give you more time to concentrate on “High Value” stuff.

P.S.: I recently received an E-Mail from Yaro about an Outsourcing Course – http://www.massoutsource.com/  You can try it out if interested but I don’t recommend it myself

Use Social Media as a Tool; Not a Habit

I don’t have to explain this.  Use Social Media just as a Tool.  Don’t make it a Habit, to spend 3+ hours everyday on Twitter.

A Simple Technique – Allot 1 or 2 Fixed Times during the day and Limit your Social Media Activities during that time.  Never get into Social Media out of this window.  Simple!

Just start practicing these Simple Productivity Tips and I am sure this would Improve your Business (and make you feel happy). Know of other tips – take a couple of minutes to let me know. Thanks!

To a freelancer, tools greatly improve productivity and much better if they are available for free.  Here is a list of simple, highly productive and FREE tools that I have been using in my various projects.  I am sure these will help you too.

1.  Skype

Skype is very commonplace nowadays, but I am surprised at a relatively low adoption rate.  It is one of the best tools I have ever used, for Internet Calling.  If you and your partner have a computer with a speaker and a microphone (or headphones), then calls can be made for virtually NO charge.  This can greatly reduce your Phone bills (if you use phone extensively) which can be substantial at the end of a month!

2.  Todoist

Todoist is a very minimal Online “to do” manager and most of its feature are FREE for use.  It is completely AJAX driven and there are NO page reloads when you use it (which I love with any application, by the way!).  I have used other tools like Toodledo and Tadalist, but love Todoist for its simplicity.  Features in the basic version include -  Creating Task Lists, Grouping them as Parent and Sub Tasks, Printer Friendly view, Assigning priorities and Due Dates.  A Premium version that comes at a very reasonable $3/month, enables you to set reminders to be sent on mobile phones.

Use this tool once you have identified the Tasks and Sub Tasks and assign due dates to stick to.  Also you can take a print of it and keep it for your reference.  Also, there is a FREE Firefox Plug-in to manage tasks without logging in every time.

3.  Freshbooks

Freshbooks is an online Project tracking and Invoicing tool, that works like a Pro.  The interface is very simple and there are NO steep learning curves.  You can try the product for FREE but it comes with a few hooks.  Using the FREE version, you cannot handle more than 3 clients or customize the Invoice format. But nevertheless, following features are worth a try and possibly an upgrade to the Premium version at $19.99/month

• Create Multiple Projects and link with Clients
• Allow Clients to login and see the Project status
• Setup Team members and enable them to fill Time Sheets
• Desktop Time tracking tools to sync up with the online account
• Billing and Invoicing both through E-Mails and Snail Mails

4.  Google Docs

Google Docs doesn’t need a lot of pre-selling.  I am sure you already have it setup.  I use Google Docs extensively for the following activities:

• Creating Requirements and Specifications document for Projects
• Creating Task breakdown Spreadsheets with Milestone dates
• Sharing these documents with Clients and making them as Collaborators
• Creating Forms and Questionnaires when the Clients are not exactly clear about Requirements
• and so on…

This way Google Docs is extremely helpful in my projects and the FREE price tag comes in very handy.  Another useful alternative to try out is Zoho Docs.

5.  Google Calendar

Google Calendar is another product that is extremely helpful for a freelancer.  I use it primarily to:

• Setup SMS and E-mail reminders about – Project Milestones, Client meetings and Blogging Schedules

Personally, I also use it aggressively for reminders on Birthdays, Wedding anniversaries and other important dates.  I really love the SMS reminders, as they make the “free” service extremely attractive!

6.  Mindmeister

Mindmeister is an online Mind Mapping tool, especially useful at the inception of a Project.  This is a collaborative tool, that allows your Clients and other stakeholders to participate.  Once the base Requirements are in place, use Mindmeister to come up with all related requirements and their dependencies, in the form of a Mind Map.  Also, this can be used to identify some hidden or unstated requirements, that can be crucial for your projects at a later stage.

Now, Mindmeister also has an iPhone version, which I have not tried though.  Basic FREE Version limits you to only 3 Mind maps, but you can download them as PDF once done. A moderately priced Premium Version (at $4/month) is available, if you need more features and flexibility.

7.  Dropbox

Dropbox is a very simple tool to sync your files online across computers, store them securely and share it with anyone.  Using the client application that is available for both Mac and PC, you can seamlessly sync and upload files for sharing.  Also, you can invite people to view or download your documents or files with ease.

The FREE version comes with a 2 GB storage space, which can be increased up to 100 GB with the Premium account.  Also available are the possibilities of Web and Mobile Access to your account.  This is another indispensable tool, if you are a freelancer.

My list ends here, but the tools are a lot more.  If you know of any better alternatives to this list or some new tools that can help a Freelancer, feel free to add them as comments.  If suitable tools are mentioned, I will update the post with the details and give attribution to your Name and Website.

Photo Credit: CREEPETZ

Business is all about happy clients.  A happy client creates a repeat business and brings in much more happy clients.  As a freelancer, the biggest challenge is to establish long term relationship with clients.  So how do you make sure to win clients?  Once won, how do you keep them happy and bring in repeat business?

Winning clients

Negotiating and winning clients is an art. Success doesn’t endorse you always, when it comes to winning clients.  So what are the basic criteria to increase the probability?

1. Be Reasonable

Always be reasonable with your clients.  Especially, your initial clients.  There are many factors where you have to be reasonable – cost, effort and duration. Never quote sky-high costs or absurd time lines.  Make sure to understand the project and quote reasonably.  Remember – whatever compromise you make here is an investment into your future relationship with the client.

2. Be Clear and Informative

Whether it comes to your understanding of the project or putting forward your suggestions – be very clear and informative. Never confuse the client with jargons – as 80% of the time they are unclear about the technology. Also, when you assume or suggest something, make sure to be informative.  Don’t do these without backing them up with real facts or analysis data.

3. Be Precise

Be very precise with your commitments, time lines, payment schedule and the overall cost.  Never let your assumptions come in here.  I have seen instances where freelancers assume a monthly payment schedule, just to know later that the client committed only at pay-for-deliverables. Make sure this doesn’t happen with you.

4. Be Honest

This is subjective, but yet very critical.  Be honest with the feasibility of the solution and the timeline.  Don’t commit for a solution that you are unsure of, with an assumption to further analyze it after the project start.  If you are unsure, let the client know about it and give a “go ahead”.  Such an honesty will do a lot of good.

Keep them Happy Forever

So you won the client? Now what?  How to make sure that they are happy with the relationship?  How to make them bring repeat business?

1. Be Committed

Try your level best to meet all the commitments.  If you foresee any problems, bring it to the notice of the client as early as possible.  Never take back commitments at last stages.  This makes you look unprofessional and poses a risk of losing the client.

2.  Be Punctual

Deliver or complete the committed work, in the time frame agreed upon.  Though there are instances where the project might overrun, try your best to keep it on time.  Again, intimate the client about anticipated delays and keep them in the loop.

3.  Be Regular

Regular updates to the client, makes sure that the project proceeds in the right direction.  This also enables your client to provide periodic feedback – that can eliminate last minute surprises. Come up with an update schedule with your client – may be weekly – and stick to it.  Even if there is little progress during a week, update the client at the stipulated time, as it creates a positive image around you.

4.  Be Patient

There are many clients who are very unsure about the requirements at the beginning of a project and develop ideas during the project life cycle.  It might require you to make a big change in the design, to accommodate the ideas.  Be patient when such things happen.  If the change is unfeasible within the given budget, let your client know about it in a professional manner.  Never lose your patience and this can reap you benefits.

These are some basic tips to win and retain clients.  So what is that you do to win clients?  How do you make sure they are happy with the relationship? Shoot in your comments and I love to hear them all.

Photo Credit: Cocoabiscuit

If you are into web development and do a lot of funny stuff like me, then I would recommend to follow these 5 sites.  The mode of follow – Bookmarking, RSS, Email Feed – might differ from me, but the one thing I am sure of is the quality of information.

1. Smashing Magazine

Link to: Smashing Magazine

2.  Woork

Link to: Woork

3.  Nettuts

Link to: Nettuts

4.  SpeckyBoy

Link to: SpeckyBoy

5.  Ajaxian

Link to: Ajaxian

This list is completely based on my experience with these sites or blogs.  There is absolutely nothing between the authors of these blogs and me, except that I am a reader of theirs.  Feel free to suggest more useful blogs and I will be more than pleased to add them to the list.

I came across the blog – Woork – by Antonio Lupetti a few months back.  It is one of the blogs that can catch your attention almost instantly.

Nowadays, when I am stuck on something during my web development projects – like choosing a font, implementing Captcha or some AJAX controls – I instantly look up to Woork.  There is a good 90% probability that you will find the relevant information there.

Just thought of sharing this info with you.  Let me know if it helps…

When venturing into part-time blogging or freelancing, the first challenge that comes up is the lack of time.  Everyone of us have 24 hours a day!  A major portion of it is consumed by your full time job, family and entertainment.  In this post, I will share a few tips on how to find some quality “time” for freelancing activities – whether it is blogging, web design or any other activity.

Optimize your Sleeping Time

Finding out the sleeping time needed by your body and the mind, is what I call an “optimal sleeping time”. For me, 7 hours is a good time for quality sleep and I feel fresh and rejuvenated, once awake.

Experiment different sleeping times.  Find out the optimal time that suits your body and the mind. (You should feel fresh and rejuvenated).  Doing so, can gain you somewhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours of extra time everyday

Learn to Read Fast

Learn to read fast.  You know what you read everyday.  So for a given amount of information, you start spending lesser time than usual.  This can gain you about 30 minutes a day (may be the time for a blog post!)

Spend less time in front of the Television

Some spend time on television, to watch a favorite show with their family.  Nothing wrong with that!! But if you are spending more that 2 hours a day in front it – there is something to think about

Find out how much of your time is spent in front of a television.  Try to minimize this time and use it only for essential reasons.  This may gain you about 1 hour a day

Use Commuting time for Generating Ideas

Make better use of your commuting time.  Use it for blogging and other ideas.  Keep a notepad handy for jotting down your ideas – otherwise the whole purpose might be defeated

Saturday is a source of “time”

Use your Saturday effectively.  Try to wake up early and catch up some good quality time for the freelancing activities

All these tips were derived from my personal experience with time management.  You are welcome to differ with those!  Also, feel free to convey your thoughts as comments to this post.  You can follow me on Twitter @thotsunlimited

Photo Credit: FABIOLA MEDEIROS- direção de arte

If you are planning to get into software freelancing, the first thing to care about is developing the right skill sets for your job.  If you are learning something, it is better to know about the demand for each of the skill and choose the right ones that suit you.

July marks the end of an year for me, into part-time freelancing.  Based on my project hunt so far, I am sharing with you the list of “on demand” skills in this blog post.  Please note that the list is solely based on my experience and understanding of the freelancing market.  Perception definitely varies!!

The list is meant to be read in the exact order – the skill with the most demand is listed first and so on…

1. PHP

I can seriously bet – if you are looking at 5 freelancing projects, at least one would be based on PHP.

PHP is a server side scripting language, that helps you develop professional web applications with an emphasis on functionality, usability, reliability and security.  The major advantage of PHP is that, it works with Apache Web Server which most of the web hosting solutions (like MediaTemple etc.) use.  So PHP guarantees the portability of your web application across different web hosting solutions.

If you had worked on any server side scripting language like ASP/JSP, then getting started with PHP is just a breeze.

Every server application has an associated database to persist information.  MySQL is a very common and popular database in the freelancing world.  If you have the SQL basics right, working with MySQL is straightforward.

Recommended Resources:

Getting started with PHP

PHP – A Simple tutorial

MySQL Tutorial

Once you are comfortable with the basics of PHP, I would strongly recommend to get familiar with a PHP framework like – CakePHP or Zend.  You would see that they reduce the development time by almost half, taking care of most of the boilerplate code!

2.  HTML / CSS

So, to develop a web application, using PHP or any other scripting language, HTML and CSS skills becomes a mandate.  I am sure you know the basics – but if you are serious about getting into a web development project, an advanced knowledge of both these technologies are recommended.

Recommended Resources:

W3Schools – HTML Tutorial

W3Schools – CSS Tutorial

3.  AJAX and JavaScript

Since AJAX extensively uses JavaScript, a basic understanding of the latter would help you learn AJAX really fast.  I find most of the freelancing projects in offer, require the usage of AJAX and adding it to your skill set will definitely reap benefits.

There are numerous AJAX / JavaScript frameworks for you to choose from.  Since most of them provide similar functionalities, I would recommend learning one of those and use it in most of your projects.

Recommended Resources:

W3Schools – JavaScript Tutorial

W3Schools – AJAX Tutorial

jQuery

Scriptaculous

Mootools

YUI (Yahoo! User Interface Library)

4.  Flash Applications

Flash Applications are quite a rage still, considering their thick client characteristics.  If you have this skill, then you are in game for quite a few freelancing projects.  Also, Flash player based applications and presentations are pretty popular.

The major downside is the commercial aspect of the product – Adobe Flash, used to create Flash applications.

Recommended Resources:

Learn Flash

5.  Java

Java is a very popular freelancing technology – since it is open source and characterized by its “write once run anywhere” philosophy.

Java is just a programming language and there are various technologies built around it.  To mention a few popular ones – Servlets/JSP (server side scripting), Java AWT/Swing (client applications), J2ME (mobile technologies), EJB (business components) – and so on.

Nevertheless, a thorough understanding of the Java Programming Language and OOP (Object Oriented Programming) concepts are recommended to get started.

Recommended Resources:

One stop shop – for all Java Tutorials

6.  CMS (Wordpress, Joomla!, Drupal etc.)

Though a CMS like Wordpress or Joomla! provides the basic features that every web application needs, there is always a need for customization based on the requirements.

Customization usually falls into one of these two categories:

• Themes – to customize the look and feel of the applications
• Extensions / Plugins – to extend the existing functionality or develop a whole new one

I have seen a good demand in the freelancing market for – Wordpress Theme / Plugin development, Joomla! Theme / Component development and Drupal module development.

Again, since most of these CMS use PHP as their base technology, an understanding of it is mandatory before working with these CMS.

Recommended Resources:

Wordpress Theme Development from scratch

Wordpress Plugin Development from scratch

Crash course for Wordpress Plugin Development

Creating your first Joomla! template

Intro to Drupal

Joomla! component development is a vast topic and I would recommend you to grab a copy of this book, if you are serious! – http://www.packtpub.com/Joomla-Extensions/book

7.  Microsoft .NET

Since I am not too much an expert with .NET, I would recommend you to visit their website for learning resources.

8.  SEO and Link Building

But there is a good demand for quality SEO and link building experts.  In short, it is all about making your site Search engine friendly and increasingly popular in the process.

Primarily the content is what that makes a site popular – but there are some optimizations one can do at the site level, to let search engines take a note of them.  This is not a skill that you learn overnight!  You learn the best practices, put them into use and keep improving as time goes on.  So it may take a while to succeed, if you planning for these projects.

Recommended Resources:

Google SEO Starter Guide [PDF]

Official Google Webmaster Blog

9.  Facebook Applications

Provided this extensibility, the scope of applications that can be developed is almost infinite.  There are already numerous applications developed for Facebook – like Twitter clients, games, calendar apps, etc.  You may find projects for developing some interesting social or commercial applications on Facebook.

Recommended Resources:

Facebook for Developers

10.  XML

Though you won’t be developing an application just based on XML – there will be many components that are wired using XML.  So an understanding of the basics is mandatory, before you venture into web application development.

XML is a document standard.  Ancillary components that can be developed around XML would include – XML generators, XML parsers, XML-Object Mapping, Validations, XSL etc.

Recommended Resources:

W3Schools Tutorial for XML

Though I have shared most of the popular technologies in demand, this is definitely not an exhaustive list.

Feel free to add any missing ones as comments to this blog post.

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