As a freelancer and digital nomad, it is critical for me to be able to manage all aspects of my business from my laptop. Over the years I have researched and tested several business tools to help me streamline my daily workflow.
One of my favourite productivity apps is Paymo* – the simplest and most feature-rich tool I have found for project tracking and invoicing. You can review all the feature details on their site, but here are a few reasons why I love this app.
Project Timer
My favourite Paymo feature is the project timer. Each time I sit down to work on a project, I click on a button at the top of my Mac’s menu bar, select the project I am working on, add a few notes about the tasks I am focusing on, and start the timer. If I take a break, the timer is stopped. If you get interrupted mid-project and you forget to stop the timer, the timer can tell that you are not at your computer and gives you the option to count or to not count the off-line time after 5 minutes of inactivity. How cool is that?! You can also manually add time to the time sheet if, for example, you get a client call while you are away from your desk.
Super simple invoicing
Managing invoices is super easy. You simply create a new invoice, select the client, click a button to automatically add all the un-billed time entries for your client/project, and voila – done! You can also track expenses and add those to your invoices with one click.
Invoices are sent electronically, and you can enable online payments via PayPal or your preferred payment gateway. The system also allows you to set up your payment terms and generate automatic payment reminders. No paper, no hassles!
Transparency for clients
Your clients will love Paymo as well. You can create a real-time, online report that your clients can view from a private link to get an up-to-the minute view of all the time you are spending on tasks, including the running total of costs to date.
Check out the Paymo* site for lots more detail on all the features of this app. Effectively managing your time and money is the key to freelancer success – make it fun and stress-free with Paymo.
There is a fee for this app, but if you are the only person in your organization, the cost is less than $20 a month. Customer support is amazing, and you can send in a question via a chat window directly from the Paymo dashboard.
Give Paymo a try free for 15 days!
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* This link is an affiliate link. When I share a link to a product that I really like and you choose to purchase that product from my link, I might earn a small commission. I only do this for products that I use myself and believe would be of benefit to my clients.
Photo Credit: unsplash.com/@oria_hector
