In our wonderful realm of freelance writing, staying organized and maintaining clear communication with clients should be at the top of your list of priorities. Communication apps like Trello, Asana, Monday, ClickUp, and Google Workspace are invaluable tools for managing projects, streamlining workflows, and enhancing collaboration with clients and their teams.
Trello
I love this program and have been using it for years for both work and personal projects. It has boards, lists, and cards to organize tasks and projects. It’s visually intuitive, making it easy for writers to track the progress of multiple projects. I like to think of it as Pinterest mixed with a calendar.
- Pros: User-friendly interface; great for visual organization
- Cons: May become cluttered with larger projects
- Cost: Free basic plan; paid plans offer additional features (clients can add you to boards for free)
Use labels and color-coding to prioritize tasks. Integrate Trello with writing tools like Google Docs for seamless project management.
Asana
Similar to Trello, Asana focuses on task lists, project timelines, and progress reports. It’s suited for managing both individual tasks and collaborative projects.
- Pros: Comprehensive task management features; robust reporting tools
- Cons: The extensive features can be overwhelming
- Cost: Free tier for basic use; premium and business tiers for advanced features (clients can invite you to collab for free)
Utilize Asana’s calendar view to keep track of deadlines and editorial calendars. Customize notifications to stay informed without getting overwhelmed. (We all know how easy that can happen.)
Monday
If you love seeing everything in one big list, Monday.com is perfect. It offers a highly customizable platform for project and task management, with a focus on collaboration and productivity.
- Pros: Extremely customizable; integrates well with other tools
- Cons: The high degree of customization can make the initial setup time-consuming
- Cost: No free tier; various pricing plans based on the number of users and features (clients can add you for free)
Use automation to streamline repetitive tasks, such as status updates and deadline reminders.
ClickUp
If you have the patience of a god, then you’ll be fine using ClickUp. It’s an all-in-one project management tool that aims to replace several productivity apps with a single platform. But it has a huge learning curve.
- Pros: A wide range of features; highly customizable
- Cons: The breadth of features can be daunting, and the interface may take time to navigate efficiently
- Cost: A free version is available; premium versions offer more features
If you have a client who prefers to use it, spend some time getting to know this software in and out so that you don’t lose notifications, assignments, etc.
Google Workspace
Formerly G Suite, Google Workspace gives you a collection of cloud-based tools for productivity and collaboration, including Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and Calendar.
- Pros: Seamless integration across tools; real-time collaboration
- Cons: Relies on the internet connection for full functionality; may lack advanced features of dedicated project management apps
- Cost: Free with a Google account
Use Google Docs for writing and commenting, Sheets for tracking submissions or deadlines, and Calendar for scheduling interviews or client meetings.