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8 Free Tools For Work at Home Success

8 Free Tools For Work at Home Success

Working from home requires strong organizational and time-management skill. It also requires a fair amount of collaboration with clients and even other team members. Equipping yourself with the right tools is imperative to any work at home mom’s success.

Here are a list of tools that not only help simplify your day and your workload, but that won’t break the bank in the process. While there are premium versions of some of the items I’m about to share, all can be used for free. Here we go:

TRELLO

A project management tool, Trello helps compartmentalize tasks whether you’re working with a team or solo. By creating boards for individual projects, a user can create separate lists for main tasks and break each one down into smaller ones just by adding a card. Managers of a Trello board can delegate tasks to members or members can volunteer for a task simply by adding themselves to a card.

Trello is also perfect for working solo as it allows you to set up todo lists, move tasks around and see, at-a-glance, exactly where you are in your workday or project. The free version is good for all of this, but a premium version offers a few additional perks like adding your own background image to cards, attaching power-up stickers, etc. At this time, members can earn a free month of premium service each time someone they refer signs up to become a Trello user. (Disclosure: The link above is my referral link.)

Here’s a brief video allowing you to see Trello in action:

HARVEST

For time-tracking and invoicing, Harvest is an excellent tool. There is a free 30-day trial version which allows you and your team to use it for multiple clients and projects. After the trial period ends, you can select the membership that best suits your needs or you can continue to use the free version, but only for one person (you!) and up to four clients.

Right now, their solo plan is only $12 per month. It allows one user to manage an unlimited number of clients and projects. You also receive $10 off for each person you refer who eventually signs up for premium service. Your referral gets $10 off of their first month, too. (Disclosure: The link above is my referral link.)

While there are other free tools that also offer time-tracking and invoicing, I chose Harvest because I like its user-interface best. I added the Google Chrome extension to my dashboard and also use it inside of Trello, which gives added convenience when tracking time spent on specific tasks.

Harvest is also useful for saving money on PayPal fees since an account can be configured to assess flat fees of only 50 cents per transaction as opposed to PayPal’s usual 2.9% PLUS 30 cents per transaction. With another service, called Stripe, each one of my online invoices features separate buttons allowing clients to either pay by credit card (via Stripe) or PayPal, with payments being automatically deposit into my business checking account. Payments take a few additional days for payments to actually clear, but it beats losing money to PayPal, depositing checks, etc. (NOTE: Use PayPal’s standard invoicing and cough up the fees if you can’t afford to wait the additional processing time through PayPal Business Payments.)

GOOGLE DRIVE

Having ditched Word years ago, Google Drive is my go-to for creating new documents, spreadsheets, sharing files, saving files, etc. Today, Word can be accessed from the cloud, but when I first began using Google Drive, this wasn’t the case. Drive was also (and still is) free with any Google account. I find it to be more user-friendly than anything else and I value being able to log into it from any browser on any device (or through an app on my tablet or phone). I also appreciate being able to collaborate in real time with others when I need to. Working on the same file or document at the same time is never an issue and work is saved with every single keystroke, so nothing is ever lost.

Contrary to what some may believe, Google Drive can also be set to work offline when needed and all work done offline immediately syncs as soon as your device reconnects to the Internet.

JOIN.ME

Need to share your screen with an individual or group? Join.Me gets the job done and doesn’t cost a cent to use. I often use this when teaching or consulting with someone who needs to see exactly how a thing should be done. While I also use Skype for screen-sharing, Join.Me is good for those times when the person I’m speaking to isn’t on Skype. Of course, upgrading to a paid service get you things like audio conferencing and other collaboration tools, but for basic screen-sharing, the free service is good enough.

SKYPE

By now, everyone has heard of Skype. Free VOIP service, some extra perks for paid service, unlimited Skype to Skype calling, group video calls, yada-yada-yada. Since many of my clients don’t reside in the same country as me, I find that Skype closes our communication gap quite nicely. Plus, I can always be online for instant messaging when someone needs me…or I need them. As mentioned above, it’s also a good tool for screen-sharing. (NOTE: My Skype I.D. is Lamasa7 if you ever need to connect.)

GOOGLE HANGOUTS

Another free VOIP service and it comes standard with every Google account. Hangouts was actually the first to start free group video calls, which made meetings so much easier. Today, I don’t use it as frequently as I once did mainly because most of the people I talk to prefer or only use Skype. Still a good tool to have in your arsenal, though.

SOCOCO

A virtual office space, which allows you to collaborate with a team. Their starter package is free to use and comes with a Project Room for group meetings and a Breakout room. Perfect for getting that “always on” vibe going with a team who needs to interact from time-to-time, but still work solo. Gives work at home moms (and everyone else!) the feel of an office environment by allowing you to see (and know) others are working around you without sacrificing the peace and quiet needed to work alone.

GOOGLE CALENDAR

Something else that comes standard with every Google account is Google Calendar. Very user-friendly, you can keep separate calendars for business, personal, family, specific projects, etc. or even combine them into one view. Calendars can be shared with others and it even integrates well with other apps (like Trello). Seriously perfect for creating and sharing things like meeting schedules and editorial calendars.

Apps and Extensions

For most of the tools named here, there are, of course, mobile apps and browser extensions available. All of this makes collaborating and working on the go pretty seamless.

What Tools Do You Use?

So, there you have a (short) list of free tools that will help improve productivity and collaboration. Do you use any of these? Do you have other favorites not mentioned here? Feel free to add your recommendations in the comments section before you go.

Procrastination: The Enemy of All Work at Home Jobs for Moms

Most work at home jobs for moms allow you the freedom of creating your own schedule. For many, this is the primary draw in working from home to begin with. While this is a rewarding luxury, the fact of the matter is that most of us with work at home jobs for moms fall victim to frequent procrastination.

The following tips are ones that I’ve used at various times to beat the procrastination monster:

1. Work with a timer. I’m a fan of dividing my work time into smaller portions. In fact, I also use this method to get chores done around the house. For instance, I’ll set my timer for 20 minutes and tell myself that I only have to do a task for this long. Whether it’s vacuuming floors or writing an article, when my timer goes off, I move on to something else. Since most work at home jobs for moms are performed online, I highly recommend this timer, as it’s the one I’ve used for years. It sits right on your desktop and it gets the job done.

2. Take it one step at a time. Sometimes just getting started is the real barrier in completing work at home jobs for moms. We begin to think about all that we have to do, we become overwhelmed and we convince ourselves that it’s easier to hang out on Twitter a little while longer  or play a computer game instead of working. My suggestion, however, is to take baby steps. When you’re not in the mood to work instead of gallivanting off to your favorite work at home jobs for moms forum, set yourself up to work first. For instance, when I’m in procrastination mode, I tell myself that I don’t have to work, but I’m just going to open a new document and type a single sentence before I go play. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to push myself toward typing more, but if it isn’t, I set my timer for a few minutes and tell myself I’ll return to my work when my timer goes off (and I go play somewhere in the meantime). Often, I’ll even set my timer for a few minutes and tell myself that it’s okay if I write something completely crappy and unusable, as long as I don’t stop writing for those few minutes. Believe it or not, these baby steps (and my handy dandy timer) are all it takes to get my juices flowing and help me enter a full-on work mode.

3. Stage a friendly competition. Work at home jobs for moms can be lonely, since you don’t technically have co-workers. This loneliness, however, often leads us to find online networks with other home workers or self-employed individuals. When you’re in a work slump these relationships can really come in handy. For one thing, engaging in a competition for who will complete the most work-related activities over a set period of time can really boost your energy. All work at home jobs for moms are not the same, however, so it really helps to find a forum of others working in your field when you select a competition. If you haven’t done so already, visit the WAHM.com forums to find a forum that’s perfect for you. WAHM.com is also a good place for information on various work at home jobs for moms.

4. Step away from the computer…or telephone…or whatever. Get away from your desk for a while by taking a walk, engaging in a little exercise, spending time with the kids or working on a hobby. Sometimes your procrastination isn’t due to laziness…you might just be overworked. Burnout is common in work at home jobs for moms and it’s important to know your limits. When you just can’t push yourself any further, place yourself in time out and DO NOT return until you feel rejuvenated and ready to move on.

5. Find your golden time of day. For me, I find that I’m at my personal best at 5:30a or 6a. Even though I’m not a morning person in real life, I find that training myself to arise early helps me hit my “productive spot”. I can get more done before 10a than I can get done all day when I arise later. I also know that I’m no good working in the afternoons, so I’m almost certain to miss my goals if I sleep in and start working late. I often take afternoon breaks and hit another “productive spot” later in the evening, which helps me prepare for the next day. When I work with my natural rhythm, I don’t burn out as often and procrastination is kept at a minimum because I’m more focused than ever. While most work at home jobs allow you to design your own work schedule, some do not. So, while this tip may not work for everyone, if you’re able to do it, by all means, work to find your optimal work hours and schedule yourself accordingly.

Just like other jobs in the workforce, work at home jobs for moms can often be draining and it’s easy to lose focus when you become overworked or when there are too many distractions in your immediate area.  Learn to work around interruptions (and train your family to respect your work hours, if possible) in order to maximize your productivity. Work at home jobs for moms are usually not as stressful as other jobs, but they can easily become so when procrastination persists and you miss your work goals. Use these tips to kick yourself in gear and be sure to share any tips for tackling procrastination in work at home jobs for moms in the comments section below.