3 Easy Hacks for Freelancers to Save Time (and Money!)
Less work. More fun.
Over the past year, I’ve been focusing on developing processes for my freelance Squarespace design work. I was finding myself repeating tasks that were 1) not fun and 2) taking up too much time. I’ve found a few simple solutions that give me some extra time in my day. Here are 3 ways I save time as a Squarespace freelance designer:
1. Save money on your taxes with keeper.
Before I found Keeper, I was creating a pdf of each business receipt and then saving each one to my Google Drive. Then I’d log it in a spreadsheet to use as a write-off come tax time. So, every order of office supplies, every client gift, client lunch, phone bill, electric bill, water bill, etc. was saved as a pdf and then logged into a spreadsheet… you get the picture.
Not anymore. Not only does Keeper automatically log each of my work expenses, it even recognizes when something might be a write-off and asks me about it. So, that lunch with a client when I forgot to grab the receipt? I get a text, I reply, and BOOM: write-off is done.
This receipt-saving, spreadsheet-filling nonsense is now off my plate.
2. Voice typing in Google Docs.
While Siri is my nemesis, Google gets me. Rather than typing out notes in Google Docs, I use Voice Typing (⌘+Shift+S) to quickly get my thoughts on paper. Then I can go back and style them into an outline format so they are easily readable.
I’m a decent typist, and this still saves me tons of time.
3. Scheduling client calls through Acuity.
Before I started using Acuity Scheduling, I spent way too many emails going back and forth with potential web design clients trying to figure out the best time for a call. Now I just send them a link to my booking page and not only can they schedule at their convenience, they can cancel or reschedule without emailing me! Acuity integrates seamlessly with my calendar and only shows times I’m available. Pro tip: you can also add a time-zone dropdown if your clients aren’t local.
I use this same process for booking my Designer for a Day® and Squarespace Help services. I select my office hours and Acuity takes care of the rest, even integrating with Stripe to collect payment.
