As a freelancer, you may worry that AI could take work from you, which is a very valid concern. After all, there’s very little it can’t do! But what if you used AI to your advantage?

By treating AI as a tool rather than a replacement, freelancers could improve their work in a more efficient way. In this blog, we’ll explore how you can make AI work for your freelance business.
 

What is AI?

In simple terms, artificial intelligence is inspired by human intelligence, and its main focus is the brain – especially when it comes to how we think, learn, and execute tasks. It essentially makes computers, smartphones, and machines act more like us.
 

What do we use AI for?

AI can do a multitude of things, and at a much faster speed than humans. It can problem-solve, make decisions, search the web, and even create art – not to mention switch your lights on or off in any room, or regulate your air conditioning without you lifting a finger.

You’re likely to have interacted with AI in one way or another, whether you’ve spoken to a customer service bot, asked Siri or Alexa a question, or used an AI art generator. It’s part of our lives these days, and most people don’t even realise how much we interact with it.
 

What are the benefits of using AI as a freelancer?

As a freelancer, it can be difficult to see AI as something positive – especially when it’s being used to create art and write content – but one thing AI lacks is the human touch, meaning freelancing isn’t dead (and never will be).

There’s plenty of things AI simply can’t replicate, and collaborating with it can help:
 

Boost your efficiency

As a freelancer, you’ll spend a lot of your time on admin. In fact, lots of freelancers will admit to spending a good chunk of their working hours scheduling meetings, sending out email reminders, and ensuring there’s no clashes in calendars. Using an AI scheduling assistant app can save you hours on admin, so you can focus on what you do best.
 

If you want to be efficient as possible, an AI scheduling assistant like Clara can give you a helping hand. Apps like this give you a real-life-human virtual assistant feel, simply ask her to find a time in your diary to schedule a meeting and she will do just that.

If that feels a little weird, you can use other AI Calendar apps like Clockwise!

If the financial admin side of things is slowing you down, take a look at cloud-based bookkeeping software providers such as Pandle, which offers lots of powerful automations at a decent price.
 

Improve your accuracy

If you’re a copywriter, marketer, or someone who needs to write a lot (which is most freelancers), you’ll know mistakes are easily made. Especially when you’ve read over your work for the fifth time and words somehow lose all meaning.

Using AI tools can help you spot errors quickly, so you can focus on writing that killer article or piece of copy.
 

Tools like Grammarly highlight any errors, and in some cases offer suggestions to reword sentences so they read better for your audience. This is a massive help if you don’t have an extra pair of eyes to make use of every time you’re writing.

The likes of Grammarly aren’t there to replace you, but rather to assist you in writing clear, engaging content.
 

Assist you with ideas

We assume you have lots of ideas – after all, you’re a freelancer, and your business runs off the back of your creativity! But sometimes you need help getting the bones of an article or piece of copy, and AI can assist you in doing just that, while also keeping your content original and yours.
 

If you’re looking for inspiration on how to put an article together, AI tools like copy.ai can help get your creative juices flowing. You could use it to get the bare bones of an article or to see your topic from a different perspective. Make the article your own though, of course – the content needs your unique human perspective!
 

Keep you up-to-date

When you run your own business with clients from different industries, you’ll need to stay ahead of the curve with access to all the latest data and insights. It can be hard to do that sometimes, with information flying at you from every angle.
 

Chat GPT is big news at the moment. This AI chatbot is trained on a large dataset of up-to-date information, so asking it the right questions might be a useful way to find the latest data analysis and trends.
 

Will AI be the end of freelancing?

AI does have the capability to take some work away from freelancers – for example, if businesses want to cut costs and use AI to write a blog post – but there will always be a demand for freelance work somewhere, and this is because:
 

You can’t replicate human creativity

AI is brilliant for writing clear and concise content, but it doesn’t go much further than that. It can’t think outside of the box and it doesn’t have a deep understanding of real human emotions. So, while AI can write a decent piece of copy, it will always need a human touch to make it relatable.
 

Some content can be duplicated, and in some instances, false

There are two issues here that could damage your website authority. Firstly, if lots of us are asking for AI to write specific things, there’s a likelihood somewhere along the line content will be duplicated.

As well as this, if we were to ask AI to pull up quotes and statistics, it may pick out-of-date or incorrect information. Without human judgement, it could be tricky for AI to pull statistics that are factually correct.
 

It lacks original thought

AI is all about gathering data and looking at algorithms. It can’t come up with an idea that isn’t there, as all of its thoughts are ones that have been written before. We humans, on the other hand, can come up with a unique fresh perspective for everything we write.
 

It has knowledge, not experience

A lot of our learning is through experience, successes, or failures. And that’s what makes our content so unique. We can suggest things from our own personal experience and give examples or advice that AI can’t – simply because it hasn’t lived through it. It’s that personal touch readers want, and what clients love for their websites. Tapping into real human emotions will always be vital, whether you’re writing content, producing art, or creating designs.

Freelancers will not be replaced any time soon.
 
Head over to our Freelancer Hub where we have a whole host of guides and resources.

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What is a phishing attack?

A phishing attack is a specific category of cyber attack. They aim to manipulate victims into opening an email, text message or even an instant message sent by an attacker pretending to be a trusted sender.

Typically, it involves the recipient receiving a link to click. They’re usually then encouraged to provide sensitive data, such as credit card details or log in information.

This might sound like something you would never fall for but freelancer, trust us. These sophisticated attackers can be extremely convincing.

The facts and figures of phishing attacks

According to recent research published by cyber security experts, Centrify, the majority of UK business decision-makers are bracing themselves for a sharp spike in COVID-related phishing attacks.

The survey includes large and medium enterprises across the country, with 64% anticipating an increase in attacks.

The same set of findings also reveals that 52% expect to see a hike in cyber attacks following lockdowns across the UK.

A lack of cyber preparation

Despite concerns, Centrify found a significant 37% have no plans to train employees on the cyber security risks businesses are facing. Nor do they have any current data management policies.

Even more worryingly, a further 37% admitted having inadequate systems to verify the identities of employees accessing company data.

According to Chief Revenue Officer at Centrify, Howard Greenfield, COVID-themed email, SMS and web-based phishing attacks have not been uncommon over the last year.

“So far we’ve seen cyber attack campaigns using the guise of charity, government financial aid initiatives, and business support schemes already lure thousands of victims into leaking sensitive information, such as log-in credentials and payment details.”

He went on to add how important it is that companies adopt a zero trust approach to protecting their data. Greenfield urges businesses to ensure that leaked log-in credentials do not necessarily translate to a breach of data.

Does it affect freelancers?

As a freelancer, you may read this and feel that these kinds of issues only really impact larger businesses.

You would be right in assuming that the risk is certainly higher for companies over freelance professionals. In reality, when it comes to cyber attacks, nobody is completely safe.

With that in mind, we’ve put together some advice on how you can protect yourself against online scams and cyber attacks.

Our top cyber security tips for freelancers in 2021

The International Data Corporation (IDC) expects the worldwide security spend to surpass $174 by 2024. This would be a compound annual growth rate of more than 8% between 2020-2024 (Forbes).

If you don’t have a huge budget to allocate to cyber security there are still a few simple things to help you protect your business.

Ensure all passwords are strong

Many websites, systems and software now prompt you to create a password that is a unique combination of upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers and symbols.

Browsers such as Chrome have a feature to suggest strong passwords. It’ll even store it in a password manager for you.

Change passwords regularly

Changing your passwords on a regular basis is a great way to bolster your online protection. Experts recommend doing this every three months, so set a reminder so you never forget to do it.

Where it’s an option, it’s also worth taking advantage of two-factor authentication. This digital tools allows you to implement an additional layer of security.

Your initial login will trigger a request for further credentials, such as texting you a code to provide.

Invest in antivirus software

Some people make the mistake of thinking that a firewall provides sufficient cyber protection but quite often, this isn’t true.

Boost your defences by investing in an antivirus programme that will assess things like websites, emails and downloads for any potential risk.

Keep all of your devices and software up-to-date

Ensure that you stay on top of system updates and software updates on all of your devices. Doing so helps them remain effective against current threats as they evolve.

Failing to do so might leave you vulnerable to attack, despite other security measures in place.

Always work from a place with a secure connection

One of the most appealing things about being a freelancer is the ability to remain flexible when choosing where you work from.

Sometimes it might be from the comfort of your own sofa. Other times it’s from a local cafe, or a hotel lobby on the other side of the world.

The consequence of this is that you’re often changing the network you’re working from and not all of these networks will offer a secure connection.

To defend yourself from cybercrime more effectively, ensure you’re using a secure connection, if you can.

Your online presence and data is extremely precious so it’s important to stay vigilant out there, freelancer!

Still thinking about freelancing? Check out our articles and guides about starting out as a freelancer.

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However, it can be stressful when work threatens to overwhelm you and you don’t have a team to fall back on. Here are some ways you can juggle several clients at once.

Use project management software

Keep all your projects, tasks and deadlines organised with project management software. Asana is a popular choice and it’s not just for teams. Individuals can use it no problem.

You can create tasks (with comments, links, attachments and due dates) which can then be added to different projects and calendars. This gives you a clear overview of all the work you need to do and when.

Get smart about your daily schedule

Managing your time is all about getting smart with your schedule. If you are naturally more productive in the morning, make sure you schedule your more creative or demanding work then, so you get the most out of the day.

Another way to get more time out of your day is to track where you’re spending it. There will be little bits of “dead time” throughout the day, perhaps spent waiting for something or just procrastinating on Instagram. Get into the habit of recognising these, and use that time more effectively. A few minutes here and there add up to a significant part of your day if you’re not careful.

Don’t be afraid to outsource

Outsourcing is something a lot of freelancers are hesitant to do. It’s understandable. You’ve worked hard to get these clients, so of course you want to keep all the money. But remember, if you’re simply juggling too much to the point where you physically can’t complete the work at the standard you would usually, then outsourcing is a good idea.

Outsourcing to another freelancer is always a good move because you don’t have to commit in the same way as you would when hiring an employee. They’ll be able to cover during your busy periods, and you get to maintain the reputation for reliability and quality you’ve spent so long building.

Bonus tip: Raise your rates to keep your client list manageable

While this won’t help you complete more work, it could go a long way in making your workload more manageable.

If you find you have lots of clients paying low rates, no wonder you’re burnt out. Ideally, you should be getting higher rates for less work (more time and money).

This is the dream but it can be hard to move towards this working method. Many of us are wary of raising our rates in case it loses us work, but in this scenario, that’s sort of the point. The logic is, you won’t need as many clients if you’re charging them higher rates (and so maybe then you’ll be able to take a break).

We hope these quick tips can help you in your slightly-frazzled state. There are ways to work around being busy as a freelancer without giving up the work. However, it’s important to recognise when you can’t do it all yourself and need to get help.

How do you manage your time and workload as a freelancer? Let us know your tips and tricks in the comments.

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