Hey everybody!
So being a digital nomad can be a tough job where you’re required to wear many hats and do tons of things.
The prospect of being able to #workanywhere and be a perpetual traveler, getting to know new people, new cultures, new awesome places… all while working in more countries than there are top ten videos on YouTube.
Without the right tools you can end up shooting yourself in the foot and missing out on possible time and money you could save. To make life on the road easier, I’ve compiled a list of organizational tools necessary for the everyday solopreneur in 2020.
You can also download my pdf on “50 online business tools for entrepreneurs” and check out my resources page for even more important tools I can’t live without.
Take out a pen and paper cause we’re about to compare some things. Knowing your SMART goals will help in prioritizing what tools would be most helpful.
Ready? Let’s dive in!
(I’ll include a table of contents when uploaded to wp)
(I’d like to also include a small snapshot of each site in order to add something visual)
99 Designs – For help with creation and design
99 Designs is a site where you can hire designers to create anything from illustrations to logos and brand identity. This is beyond helpful when you’re in need of a quick illustration and you don’t have the time to make it yourself!
Fiverr is also a good alternative, although the quality can vary and therefore I prefer 99 designs.
QuickBooks – For all your tax purposes
You hear that?
It’s the sound of the IRS knocking on your door because you didn’t pay your taxes!
Kidding, of course, because you’re a responsible travelling entrepreneur that would never make that mistake. Tax season 2020 is already here and if you’re self employed, you’d really be in need of some kind of tax software to stay on top of things.
I personally use QuickBooks self-employed and could not live without it.
You can track income & expenses, send invoice & accept payments and track your miles.
Plans start as low as $15/Month.
There’s other options out there like Freshbooks but I’ve only used QuickBooks.
If you’d like more information to make up your mind my buddies over at dailylogochallenge
wrote a great article comparing quickbooks with freshbooks and xero.
Dropbox – Cloud storage for your stuff
Dropbox is a cloud storage service where you can store and access your files anytime anywhere without fear of losing it. It is also convenient for sharing files with other people, saving you time to download or upload files. All you need to do is send a link to other people and they will be able to view the file anywhere in the world.
This is huge when you’re working with freelancers or with a team of your own.
Dropbox also offers 2 GB of storage space with their free plan so if you just need it to hold your project files, this is a grand option.
HoneyBook – Cloud CRM tool
Manage projects, book clients, send invoices and get paid — all on HoneyBook.
Why over complicate the process? You’ve got enough to do as is, HoneyBook helps creative entrepreneurs and freelancers book more clients, manage projects and get paid all in one place.
One of the main ways HoneyBook differentiates itself from competitors is by enabling its users to accept online payments without integrating with a third party service. It’s recent partnership with Citi Ventures will allow for even more diverse services!
HoneyBook pricing starts at $40.00 per month, there’s a free trial too if you’d like to give it a shot before committing.
StrongVPN – Browsing security
When you’re constantly on the move, you don’t have the luxury of using your own private Wi-Fi. It’s no secret connecting to public connections at coffee shops and fast food restaurants could leave you vulnerable to bad people with way too much time on their hands.
There’s just no way around it, you need to use a VPN, I recommend StrongVPN. Having been in business for more than 20 years, StrongVPN are also one of the few VPN providers with an absolute zero log keeping policy (that means they don’t record your data) so you can watch cat videos without worrying about getting your search history sold.
They also don’t block or throttle traffic, including torrents. They offer two plans, one where you pay $10 every month or $5.83/month billed annually.
Freedom – Productivity app
Working online has its perks, but you ever just had a day where you couldn’t get anything done?
Whether you were stuck scrolling through your instagram feed, watching youtube videos or texting — your focus where it needed to be. I’ve been down the unproductive rabbit hole, I think it’s hard not to in this day and age. Thankfully I found Freedom.to and it’s helped me block out all distractions keeping me away from growing my business.
You can sync your blocks across all your devices, whitelist sites, and even schedule blocks of productivity where you can do nothing but work. Life changer for anyone struggling to balance their work and personal life. You can get started with Freedom for free today.
Toggl – Time management tool
Having a hard time improving your time management? Toggl helps you keep track of your time so nothing is wasted.
It also provides pretty visual reports of your team progress and billable time which you can share with your clients and team. This popular cloud-based time tracking app is one of the simplest to use time tracking tools on the market. It’s great for several reasons, but you may be interested to know you can use it both online and offline. It is mostly web-based, but does have apps for desktop, iOS, and Android that will sync together in real time.
In terms of project management, Toggl allows you to break down exactly how much time a project took, as well as the tasks that made it up.
This helps so much in estimating how long a project will take and pricing accordingly. Toggl also integrates with iCal feed, Asana, Basecamp, Freshbooks, GitHub, and Teamweek; That way, you can keep track of your time and benefit from features Toggl doesn’t offer. There’s no reason to not use a time tracking app, Toggl is free to use for 30 days so give it a try.
Noisli – Background noise for concentration
Noisli was made with the intention of helping you concentrate and focus on work. There are plenty of studies online suggesting that ambient sounds are beneficial to concentration and focus.
Noisli offers a variety of background sounds in order to make your study, work or research session impactful. You can create your own combinations of sounds, add favorites and curate playlists for just the right occasion. Noisli offers sounds for sleeping, commuting or just hanging out!
Being alone at home or anywhere in the world can affect your productivity because you don’t feel like it. Noisli offers a free version, to be honest it’s all you need, there’s no harm in upgrading should you feel the need to. Plans start at $10/month and offer more customization.
What are your thoughts on these tools?
Useful?
Useless?
Shoot me a message, I’d love to hear from you!
XOXO
