For those that know me well, they will tell you that I’m an ardent fan of the basic spreadsheet. So, when it comes to recommending what to use as a Freelancer to record all daily activity, I will always tell people to start with a spreadsheet!
You don’t have to be an expert or even have any extensive knowledge about finances to begin using a spreadsheet. They are perhaps one of the easiest of tools to create and use as they allow you to tailor every cell, tab, and worksheet to your very own individual circumstances.
How To Efficiently Use a Spreadsheet for ALL Your Freelance Needs
First and foremost, a spreadsheet is what many Freelancers will use to control and maintain their finances. In fact, most start out freelancing with just the basic of spreadsheets before they think about turning to accounting packages.
They are indeed great tools to record income and expenditure, as well as offering you a place to budget and download bank statements into. However, they are just as capable with other information, including:
To Do Lists
A spreadsheet can be labeled and used to input various to-do lists. With the opportunity to color block cells, you can then use a few select colors to highlight work in progress items, ongoing items, to do items and even completed items.
Projects
With the ability to set your own number of tabs up on a spreadsheet, they are perfect for planning projects as well as seeing them through. Not only can you write out proposals here, but you can also insert financial data into your projects, along with some wonderful data graphics!
Everything Else
There is no limit to what you can add to a spreadsheet. From clients lists to general note taking, if you want all your admin, finances and planning in the one place, why not look at what a spreadsheet could do for your freelancing career?
