In no particular order, here are my top apps and tools that I use when running my freelance virtual assistant business:
- Canva – Graphic design app. Great for creating beautiful graphics in a few clicks either on the web app or on my phone.
- Toggl – Time-tracking app. Great for knowing where your time goes each day and seeing how long certain tasks take, even if you don’t charge by the hour.
- Asana – A project management tool. Great for managing task to-do lists. Also as an ideas receptacle and life-admin organiser, brain-dumping random ideas, reminders, lists, boards, hatching plans and tracking loads of things.
- Loom – Screen recording app. Great for sharing feedback or mini explainer-type videos, you can record yourself talking and sharing your screen.
- Grammarly – Proofreading tool. Great for catching slip-ups and sloppy sentences, so useful to have ticking away as a browser extension.
- Hootsuite – Social media scheduler. Great for batch-writing and batch-posting content across different platforms.
- Quickbooks – Bookkeeping and invoicing app. Great for professional-looking invoices and keeping track of payments and expenses.
- Mailchimp – Email newsletter tool. Great for audience building, CRM and creating on-brand communications for your community.
- Calendly – Appointment scheduling app. Great for avoiding back and forth emails to book meetings. Send them a link, they chose from the date – done.
- Outlook – Emails app and more. Great for not only managing your emails but for tasks, quick and consistent replies, meeting dates, Zoom links…