Toolbox
Recommended Resources
The following is a list of resources we highly recommend for anyone starting out as a telecommuter or freelancer.
We’re continuously learning about new software, tech and services so we might be updating this page every once in awhile.
Online Freelance Skills Training
If you don’t think you have any freelancing compatible work skills, but are interested to learn some, the sites below may be able to help..
Adobe Design Center Video Workshop
One of the best places I’ve found online to get started learning how to use Adobe products. They have heaps of free video tutorials run by certified Adobe Trainers.
Another great place with heaps of not only Adobe video tutorials is Creative Cow.net. Here they have an extended list of video tutorials that include Autodesk and Apple software.
Probably one of the most extensive Online Training Libraries on the web, Lynda.com boasts a database of 700 self paced training courses and over 43,900 training videos which continues to grow on a monthly basis.
Voip and Video Conferencing
Skype offers you a free way to communicate nationally and internationally. If you have never heard of VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), this is basically voice communication that is delivered through IP networks such as the Internet rather than through the standard telephone network.
The benefits of communicating via the internet is free to to extremely low cost global communication. An added plus of online voice communication with Skype is that you’re able to do video conferencing that allows you to literally communicate face to face with friends, family or clients.
The software is free to download and allows you to make free Skype to Skype calls from your computer or a mobile device. Only the paid option allows you call land line numbers directly, however even this is very affordable with additional features like voice mail and call forwarding to boot.
For 8.95 Euro’s/mth, you can make UNLIMITED calls to landlines in over 40 select countries worldwide. If you consider how much you’re currently paying monthly just to keep your regular land line phone connected, being able to pay a flat rate monthly to make as many international calls you want starts to look pretty appealing.
While their are many more software applications that also offer VOIP calling, Skype is a software that we have used for many years and as such can give our full tick of approval. We continue to use this software to communicate with family, friends and clients overseas.
Remote Desktop and Screen Sharing
Yuuguu is a cross platform software that allows remote desktop control and screen sharing among users with different operating systems.
A web based software, only the person who is hosting the session needs to have the software downloaded. Anyone who is invited to view or remotely control the hosts desktop can do so via any existing web browser.
The free version of Yuuguu allows unlimited screen sharing with other Yuuguu users. This is similar to Skype that allows unlimited free Skype to Skype calls.
To perform screen sharing with non-Yuuguu users, the free version allocates you 100 complimentary minutes per month. It is recommended that these be used sparingly as needed and to have members of your main team register as Yuuguu users.
Screen sharing sessions in the free version of Yuuguu are limited to 5 people however this is sufficient in most cases.
If you’re looking for an easy free way to collaborate as a virtual team, Yuuguu is definitely a tool you’ll want handy.
Online Backup Service
Personal
Do you have more than one computer and constantly find yourself having to transfer files between them manually. Do you fear the worst that one day something might happen and you could lose ALL of your work and hard drive backups.
Introducing Dropbox, an online backup solution that helps you protect your precious data online in a secure location.
While there are many online backup services that boast larger free storage options, we like Dropbox.
The reason we like them is not just because of their informative yet snazzy intro video or web 2.0, generation-Y style website, but mainly because of their transparent company philosophy.
When it comes to backing up our precious data, we like to know exactly who we are dealing with. At Dropbox.com, smacking the faces and names of all the people who work in the company right on your website is one way to do it.
They also encourage user interaction and communication via their facebook and twitter page that also allows you to keep track of what they are doing in the business.
While they only sport 2GB of storage for free users, their paid options of USD9.99/mth and USD19.99/mth that offer 50GB and 100GB of storage respectively are barely a drop in the bucket when you consider the organizational benefits and peace of mind.
When it comes to our precious data, we value quality over quantity. If you’re looking for a quality service that is guaranteed to take care of your digital property, Dropbox.com gets our tick of approval.
Business
Affiliated with the likes of eBay, Lenovo and Iomega, Mozy is a favorite among serious business owners with large amounts of digital data.
With two levels of encryption, Mozy uses the same 128-bit SSL encryption used by banks to secure your data while it is being backed up. This is followed up with a 448-bit Blowfish encryption that protects your files from potential hackers while it is in storage.
Mozy can be set to perform scheduled automated backups meaning you don’t need to constantly remind yourself to backup your data. Their system will detect even the smallest changes you make to selected files and will sync the changes on your computer seamlessly with the online backup.
At only USD4.95/mth/computer, Mozy Home version allows you unlimited backup. While they do offer a Mozy Pro version for larger business’s, the Home version is more than sufficient for telecommuters or self-employed freelancers who want to ensure their data is secure, even if something happens to their computer or hard drive backup.
Mozy’s Home version like Dropbox also comes with 2GB of storage for free users.
While Dropbox is great for backing up and sharing personal files across multiple platforms and mobile devices, we highly recommend Mozy if you are backing up highly proprietary information that is crucial to your work or business.
Team and Project Management
If you ever find yourself in a position where you’re having trouble tracking all your projects, team members and associated deliverables, Pelotonics is the answer.
Giving team members the opportunity for 100% visibility of where they and other team members are in a project, this allows for better prioritizing of tasks, better self-management and more involved participation of team members.
Working for location based business’s as well as virtual teams, Pelotonics is a managers dream as it allows them to track the progression of a project at a glance.
When changes are made to deliverables, any team members associated with that deliverable are automatically notified. Deliverables that are falling behind schedule are also immediately visible to everyone in the project team.
This encourages team members to self manage and to be proactive in completing their work tasks. For managers, this ultimately means less required intervention and much less stress.
The free version of the software only allows 2 projects and 50mb of storage, however for only USD9/mth, you can open up to 5 projects and have access to 1GB of storage.
As a telecommuter working full-time for a company, introducing Pelotonics to them is a great way to help them manage you better if they don’t already have an effective project management system.
For self-employed freelancers, Pelotonics helps you keep track of your projects and stay on-top of your deliverables at all times.
Pelotonics will help you work more efficiently and with less stress by giving you the peace of mind that you are always on top of your tasks.
Books
Here is just a short list of our recommended readings that we have found the most useful for helping us become better at self-management, change the mental paradigms that hold us back and negotiate a life that suits us best.
Book Yourself Solid The Fastest, Easiest and Most Reliable System For Gettting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even If You Hate Marketing And Selling by Michael Port
Getting Things Done The Art Of Stress Free Productivity by David Allen
The 4-Hour Work Week Escape the 9-to-5, Live Anywhere and Join The New Rich by Timothy Ferriss
What Colour is Your Parachute A Practical Manual For Job-Hunters and Career Changers by Richard Nelson Bolles
Getting To YES Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William L. Ury
