5 apps to make your freelance life easier in 2024

You have a few deadlines approaching, your accounts and your house are a mess, and your brain could do with a boost. But how do you find the time to do it all? 

Even the most organised self-employed person could use a little help, so let me introduce you to a few apps that have made my freelance life easier (and that I’ll continue to use in 2024).

First, let’s tackle your messy house. If you’re like me, you work better in a less cluttered environment.

1. Sweepy (free & paid version)

Sweepy really has helped me get on top of a lot of chores without feeling overwhelmed. Its secret: it gamifies the tasks you add, so you’ll get a satisfying little dopamine hit when completing each chore.

Although it calls itself a “cleaning agent”, you don’t have to use this app just for household chores. But more on that later.

First, download Sweepy (Android & iPhone) and set it up. It’ll only take you a few minutes, as the app suggests rooms and chores that you can easily edit. Let’s say you’ve added your home office. Sweepy will now recommend a few tasks you should do frequently, such as “tidy up desk”, “organise bookshelves”, “vacuum floor”, or “clean PC/keyboard”. 

But, you could also create new tasks, e.g. “sort out paperwork”, “send invoices”, “apply to a translation/content writing agency” (in my case), “unsubscribe from newsletters”, “tidy up emails”, and so on.

Why you’ll love it

You can rate each task’s difficulty level, set its frequency, and add the last time you did the chore. Sweepy then works out what needs to be done most urgently. 

If you stick with the free version, you’ll get a colour-coded list of all your rooms and tasks (red for “time for action”, yellow for “good enough”, and green for “it’s shiny clean/perfect”). You’ll then just have to make your way through the rooms and pick out the red tasks first (ideally).

And, if you’re not a morning person, you can schedule to do it all after your freelance work has been done.

What you get if you go Premium

Sweepy’s algorithm will work out a daily to-do list based on your tasks and their difficulty/frequency levels. You’ll only have to complete a few each day and won’t feel overwhelmed. 

Plus, you can add family members to the app (cue evil cackle), so why not delegate certain tasks to them? You’ll also get a few other bonuses, such as a pre-set decluttering or digital detox challenge.

Cost

The basic version is free. The cost of the Premium option is reasonable at around £16 per year. Certainly cheaper than a cleaner or a personal assistant, and you can customise your own schedule. Freelance life (at home or in your co-working space) has never been so easy!

2. Xero (paid)

I know there are free accounting apps out there, but I’ve only ever used Xero. The reason: my accountant recommended it. As they use it, too, they can view my accounts directly (a great time-saver for both of us).

Why you’ll love it

The nice thing about Xero is that it connects to your UK business bank account. So, any GBP payments you’ll receive will automatically show up in Xero. You’ll only need to quickly reconcile these to any invoices or any purchases you’ve made. Easy!

I also love the professional look of their invoices. Setting them up correctly can take a bit of time, but it’s worth it. The help section and some YouTube tutorials are definitely handy.

You can, if you wish, automise payment reminders, though I prefer to write customised emails.

What could be improved

Many freelancers have clients all around the world, so a multi-currency option for basic/standard Xero packages would be great. At the moment, I can only invoice in GBP and have to revert to manually invoicing clients who pay in e.g. Euro.

Cost

Starter accounts begin at £15 per month, though if you want to use multiple currencies, you’d need to fork out £42 per month. Other pricing plans are available, too.

3. Freedom (paid)

Freedom calls itself “the world’s best website and app blocker”, and I won’t disagree. With its help, I can focus better while researching, writing, and translating. I also find that switching off is better for my mental health.

Simply choose the websites and apps that you find most distracting, decide how long you want Freedom to run, and voilà: you can’t access your chosen sites/apps for that period of time.

Why you’ll love it

It’s easy to use, and you can install it on family members’ devices, too. Unlike other blocking apps, there’s no easy way to switch it off, which I think is good. No cheating allowed…

Cost

There’s no free version, but you can trial Freedom for 7 sessions without paying. Prices start from $3.33 per month, though they often have special life-time offers, too. It’s worth waiting for those before you buy.

4. NeuroNation (free & paid)

Having a slow day? Need to get your brain into gear? Then I have a nice little app to help you do just that — available on Android & iPhone.

NeuroNation was developed with the help of scientists at the Free University of Berlin. Its main focus is on training your brain with short memory, numeracy, and logic games. It also offers some physical exercises, though I find the mental ones are more fun.

First, you’ll get a few tests to evaluate your current mental skills. Any weaknesses will then be targeted. Think of it as your personal mental fitness trainer!

Why you’ll love it

It’s fun and easy to integrate into daily life. Select just one exercise if you’re short on time, or enjoy a wide variety of sessions that’ll get trickier each time.

The main thing is consistency: try to play every day. You may want to switch on the notifications so you don’t forget…

What you get if you go Premium

If you’d like to get additional, more varied exercises, choose to go Premium. You’ll get 30 exercises on 250 difficulty levels.

Cost

The free version is fine to get you started. Premium will normally cost you £8.99 per month, though they currently offer a “smart savings” discount for £25.99 / 12 months (£2.17 per month).

5. Brainsparker (free & paid)

Experiencing writer’s block? No idea where to go with your next article or social media post? Brainsparker may help you.

This app is currently available on the App Store (an Android app is being planned). However, you can also use their creativity tools for free on their website.

Why you’ll love it

I can only review their website tools at the moment, as I don’t have an iPhone. Here, you can draw inspiring questions or prompts from their range of online card decks. This may be especially useful if you need to change your current perspective on a particular topic. If a prompt doesn’t work for you, just draw another one.

Additionally, why not sign up to their daily creativity newsletter?

Cost

Their basic range of cards is free. With the app version, you’ll get access to free and paid tools, such as micro-courses on creative thinking and techniques. According to their App Store info, a monthly subscription starts from $7.99.

So, there we have it: a bunch of free and paid apps that’ll hopefully make your freelance life easier, too. Let me know which ones are your favourites.

PS. You’d still like a bit of extra help with planning, writing or translating your digital marketing copy ? No problem. Let’s chat.