My organizational strategies as a freelancer are not particularly modern or meticulous. I just list all of my assignments — including their fees and deadlines — in a Google spreadsheet. I keep a messy, running list of story ideas in a Google doc, and file all rejected or ignored pitches in yet another Google doc, where they rest until they find the right home. (This post is not sponsored by Google.)
I also use my Notes app as host to my ongoing to-do list, to flag which sources I’ve reached out to and when, and to contain what I call “scraps” — pieces of story drafts I’ve demoted to the cutting room floor.
That’s pretty much it: I don’t have separate work and life email addresses (let alone email filters and folders), don’t consolidate transcripts and drafts for each story in any sort of logical way (the search function suffices), and it works for me, for now.
But some freelancers want, need or thrive on more intricate systems, and there are increasingly more clever tools out there that deliver them. After all, the more you can streamline the administrative sludge successful freelancing requires, the more time and energy you can spend doing what makes you valuable: coming up with story ideas, pitching, reporting, interviewing and writing.
That was the focus of February’s Lunch and Learn, during which AHCJ freelance members shared the practices and products that help them boost productivity, track time and assignments, and organize research and to-do lists. Here’s a summary of their main suggestions.
Take your Reminders app to the next level
Reminders is a free app built into Apple products. Though I’ve never thought to use it, many of my fellow freelancers swear by it. More than acting as an alarm to remind you to pick up a child’s prescription or file that invoice, the program allows you to make sections and lists for various projects, maintain a master list and even tag things like “#AHCJ” that then get automatically sorted into appropriate folders.
Consider Scrivener to manage long-form projects
Think of Scrivener as a superiorly organized alternative to standard word processing programs. I’d heard of authors using it to draft their books — it allows you to write, organize, rearrange and view chapters without scrolling through one big long document of text — but several freelancers use it for writing their journalistic assignments, too. One AHCJ member also relies on Scrivener to house everything from source lists to application essays to story ideas. It’s searchable and can be color-coded, too. Another freelancer likes Airtable for some similar purposes.
Use Gmail more wisely
You can do what I do and get saddled with over 200,300 unread emails — or take advantage of Gmail’s many organizational features. One freelancer, for instance, uses labels for things like emails that need replies, filters to weed out or organize incoming messages, and the star function to indicate she’s sent published stories to sources.
Consider a personal assistant
One member said her virtual personal assistant — a human, not an AI bot — has been “worth her weight in gold” since she was hired about seven years ago from the company Time etc. The assistant helps handle non-creative tasks like invoicing clients, keeping a log of published stories and managing spreadsheets of assignments, travel plans and source contacts. The assistant also fills out the freelancer’s onboarding paperwork, reminds her of deadlines and skims through emails to make sure nothing’s slipped through the cracks.
Look into Tripit for frequent travel
If you travel a fair amount for things like medical conferences and reporting trips, Tripit is an app that seamlessly integrates all of your plans and itineraries, so you don’t have to toggle between sites like Travelocity, your airline, your hotel and your car rental. It makes reimbursing for work-related expenses simple, too.
Get creative with your phone
Your alarm can double as a deadline reminder, your Notes app can be sorted into folders and shared with others, and the Voice Memo app can act like a reporter’s notebook in moments when it’s easier to talk than write. I also use the built-in recording feature on regular phone calls to record most interviews, then share them in a Slack conversation with myself, where they’re automatically transcribed.
Maintain healthy habits
At the end of the day, productivity as a freelancer isn’t about making sure you use all the latest tools. It’s about finding systems that work for you and about taking care of your physical and mental health along the way. If you’re burnt out and exhausted, a slick gadget is a drop in the bucket. So it bears repeating: Take breaks. Prioritize sleep. Pursue hobbies. Eat well. Move regularly. Call your friends. Engage in your community. Your journalism work will only benefit.
