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Keeping Data Secure as a Freelancer
In an increasingly digital world, most businesses are relying more and more on online tools for communication, file sharing, and content creation programs.
We email, type notes, design, use software, surf the Web, enter financial information, message coworkers and clients, and even conduct calls and video chats right from our desktops, laptops, or mobile devices all day long.
Our entire existence is hosted online, for better or for worse. Though it’s beneficial to see instant results or have immediate connections, having sensitive information online makes us vulnerable to security breaches.
For the most part, companies understand the severity of this and go to great (and sometimes costly) lengths to keep data safe.
And, as a freelancer, there are a number of steps to both safeguard your own information and be a trustworthy partner for your clients.
Free Download: Client Privacy ChecklistEnterprise Cybersecurity
With compromising hacks being uncovered more frequently, businesses and individuals alike are more concerned than ever about data security.
According to a Fortune article, which cites a report by the International Data Corporation, companies are expected to spend upwards of $101.6 billion on cybersecurity software, services, and hardware by 2020.
Enterprises employ entire IT teams who are responsible for being the digital gatekeepers of the company. They ensure that devices and data remain secure by utilizing firewalls, backup systems, and sophisticated software.
This level of awareness and prevention is great when it comes to securing on-site employees’ devices and networks, but with the rise in freelancers and remote workers, how can they feel confident that confidential information is being protected?
With the rise in freelancers and remote workers, how can business owners feel confident that confidential information is protected? Share on XOne great aspect of contracting work out to freelancers is that business owners don’t have to be on the hook to provide benefits to the worker—including resources like a laptop—which can significantly decrease the cost of overhead. On the flipside, they don’t have as much control when it comes to safeguarding information or files being shared.
As a freelancer, you don’t have a dedicated IT team to back you up (literally). However, you can assure your existing or potential clients that you also take cybersecurity seriously, and here are some ways to prove it.
Secure Connections
One of the perks of being a freelancer is the freedom to work anytime and from anywhere. Though it’s a luxury to have mobile flexibility, it’s important to be mindful of your Internet connections.
Popping out to your local coffee shop, hunkering down in a hotel room, or working on the fly in an airport can provide productive changes of scenery, but they also come with some security concerns.
It’s important to avoid unsecured public Wi-Fi networks, and instead only use password-protected connections.
No secure networks available? Having an unlimited data plan with your mobile provider will ensure you can hop on your personal Wi-Fi hotspot when needed.
VPN
You can also take it a smart step further and subscribe to a credible VPN (Virtual Private Network) service.
Many businesses use a VPN for their employees, which means they are working within a secure network connection that is only accessible on specific, confirmed devices.
What makes a VPN more protected than a regular, password-enable Wi-Fi connection? All the data transmitted within the VPN is encrypted, ensuring that even if a hacker were able to crack into the system, they wouldn’t be able to decipher the information found.
As a freelancer, you can also employ your own VPN system on your computer. Note that there are both free and paid services available, but it might be worth it to spend a little for added peace of mind.
Not sure if you want to spend money on your business? Read our last article, Why it’s Crucial to Invest in Your Business, to learn why you should be shelling out for some resources.
Source: Shutterstock via www.cnet.com
There are many VPN service providers on the market, but check out CNET’s round-up picks for 2018.
Email Encryption
Using a VPN is a great way to encrypt data within your network, but there are other forms of encryption as well.
There is specific software to encrypt email, which can be one of the easiest things for a hacker to get their hands on. Email is likely how you communicate with clients, passing along critical information and files. It also may be the host for other sensitive information, such as financial account details or tax forms.
Email encryption uses a complex algorithm and encryption key to make messages and attachments unreadable to those who aren’t intended to be a recipient. Better yet? Many encryption tools are free and may be an extension of your current web browser.
In addition, you may want to set up and monitor DMARC reports for your email domain, as those can tell you when e.g. someone is trying to send unauthorized emails from your domain.
Anti-Virus Software
If you’re reading this article, then we can probably assume you’re a Mac user.
Historically, Macs have been known to be more secure than PCs. But that has changed over the years. Though a Mac may be more difficult to target, there is still a threat. User error (such as downloading spam apps) can make your MacBook vulnerable to malware.
Especially for a freelancer who has the added responsibility of keeping a client’s data safe, it’s a good idea to install anti-virus software on your computer.
Luckily, our friends at Macworld have broken down the top security software for Macs today: The best Mac antivirus of 2018.
Secure Programs
You likely use a number of programs to work at an expert level. When dealing with sensitive or proprietary projects, use software or apps that also value cybersecurity.
Some apps may store your information online, or even sell it to third parties. Terrible, we know. Of course, a company that would put your privacy at risk is not one that you should partner with—whether in business or personally.
Here at Timing, we treat your privacy with the utmost respect, and would never compromise your data or the data of your clients. When using Timing, everything being tracked is kept locally right on your Mac, with nothing getting released or exported until you explicitly say so (let’s say, for example, for a client report).
We also give you the option to pause your time tracking within Timing, or even designate certain apps, websites, or file folders to not be tracked at all using our “Blacklist” feature.
Whether it’s with us or with another resource you use daily or sporadically, it’s critical to understand the privacy policies of each and every software program you consider.
Free Download: Client Privacy ChecklistFinal Thoughts
In addition to the measures above, it’s best practice to regularly update your devices to the newest operating system and switch up your passwords regularly.
We know you have a lot to juggle, and who can remember multiple passwords—especially if you are changing them frequently? Luckily, free apps like 1Password have your back, and can help keep all of your passwords in one, secure place (with only one ultimate password needed to access them all). As an alternative you can use open source password managers like Psono which offer flexibility without the cost, making them a great option for managing your passwords securely.
Taking the steps necessary to keep data safe doesn’t just place you in good standing with your clients and protect against risky leaks, but it also keeps your own personal information safe from hacks and identity theft.
You know what they always say: It’s better to be safe than sorry!
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Why it’s Crucial to Invest in Your Business
It’s no secret that we all want to make as much money as possible—to fulfill our essential needs, and to offer us some freedom and security in life.
It’s been embedded in our brains since a young age that money makes the world go ‘round, and as we’ve grown older we can see just how much that rings true.
For most of us, this means that we want to keep a tight grip on any money coming in, and be mindful about how it eventually (and inevitably) slips from our grasp—especially for freelancers.
Without the safety and consistency of a salary, it’s understandable that you would want to reserve as much of that hard-earned coin as possible.
However, as a one-person show, you are essentially running a business. And, whether or not you have an LLC, personal website, or lawyer and accountant on speed dial, your work should be treated as such.
Just as the success of a large corporation depends deeply on the funds being invested back into the company, so does the success of your personal business.
In order to get the best results, it’s important to know where to focus your finances. Let’s get started.
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Steps for Finding (and Securing) New Business Opportunities
We talk a lot about being a freelancer or small business owner, and the benefits of being your own boss.
You can be selective about projects, have flexibility in your schedule, and control your own processes and outcomes. We outlined a lot of the advantages of being out on your own in our previous article, Are You Ready to Freelance?
However, being the CEO of your one-person business comes with additional, CEO-level responsibilities, including project management, bookkeeping, new business development, and billing.
Your income (and, likely, livelihood) is dependent on your ability to maximize your time and pack as much work into your desired daily, weekly, or monthly goal.
Throughout every freelancer’s journey, there is a constant need to assess workflow—have you taken on too much at once, or are you actually not filling enough of your time?
In this article, we take a look at how to know when it’s time to take on new projects, and the steps necessary to do just that.
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Timing’s Look at the iOS 12 Update
There’s always a lot of excitement surrounding an Apple announcement—and for good reason.
The brand is an innovative leader in technology, and has made many products that have seamlessly integrated into our lives to make our daily routines easier, smarter, and better connected.
It should come as no surprise that we here at Timing are big Apple fans (Timing tracks all your time spent on your Mac—and off of it—after all). We love perusing what experts and customers alike have to say following a big announcement from the industry giant.
New iPhones, an Apple Watch update, and iOS 12 were all topics of discussion at Apple’s September 12 press conference, and we’re going to take a look at all of them.
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How to Structure Your Timing Projects When Working with Multiple Clients
If you’re already a user of Timing, then we don’t need to tell you how time tracking can seriously improve your productivity, earning potential, and attitude.
Facebook even recently announced that it will allow users to track and limit the amount of time spent on its social media app to have a positive impact on mental health.
And, as a Timing customer, you likely immersed yourself (or hopefully at least skimmed) our email course during your first week playing around with the app.
Timing offers a lot of capabilities and features, but your situation might not require every single one. To get the most out of the software and become as efficient as possible when tracking time, we rounded up our best tips and tricks in one place.
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How to Make This School Year Your Best Yet
Hey, students! You’ve likely spent your summer break traveling (lucky duck), interning, on your parents’ couch, or working to pay for next semester’s tuition (kudos to you).
Whatever the case, it’s time to dust off the notebooks and hit the library stacks, because university is back in session.
The back-to-school wave can bring on a number of emotions. We always personally loved the feeling of starting a fresh chapter—it seemed like an infinite oasis of opportunity to take the bull by its horns and really live up to the potential we knew was inside of us. We wanted to commit to our studies and accomplish a laundry list of endeavors for the year. (A little overzealous, but a good attitude nonetheless.)
On the other hand, it can feel a bit daunting. You go from having at least some control over your schedule to being inundated with lectures, class assignments, pressures to map out the future, and the non-stop flow of social engagements.
But, our friend, have no fear. Timing is here to help you tackle the new semester and set yourself up to have your best school year yet.
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Are You Ready to Freelance?
Have you noticed how much more common the concept of freelancing is today?
What used to be a term seemingly reserved for writers—reporters, columnists, copyeditors, etc.—has now transcended across nearly every industry.
(According to Merriam-Webster, the word “freelance” seems to have started in the early 1800s to describe a medieval soldier who would fight for the side willing to pay him the most. It was first mentioned in Ivanhoe, a novel by Sir Walter Scott.)
Especially in an increasingly digital world, the demand for developers, digital marketers, and tech whizzes has skyrocketed. Particularly when it comes to specialized needs, experts can find themselves in a position where they are being paid top dollar without having to make a full-time, on-site commitment.
Are you in a place in your career where going out on your own and “being your own boss” is something that feels right?
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3 Mistakes You’re Making When Tracking Time (and How to Fix Them)
Chances are that if you’re a freelancer or business owner, you are all too familiar with the practice of tracking your time.
Whether it’s necessary to properly bill clients or is just a good habit developed out of the desire to be more productive, you already know that the minimal time it actually takes to track time (especially if you take advantage of helpful tools, hint hint) is well worth the payoff.
And, if you work in an office environment and haven’t been required to track your time yet, get ready—it’s probably coming soon.
That’s why it’s important to understand how to properly track time and avoid some common mistakes.
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Night Owl or Early Bird: How to be Productive at Night?
Because you don’t have to be up at the crack of dawn to be productive!
I really wish that I could bounce out of bed at 4am, drink some lemon water, and be on with the day. In fact, I once did that for a week and was a crying wreck by 7pm on Thursday. My coworker made me promise I’d stop.
Were I to believe many of the productivity articles and entrepreneurs out there, this flaw means I’ll never be successful.
When entrepreneurs talk about their morning routines, I feel like I’m in a locker room conversation of everyone one-upping the next. “I wake up at 5am and spend 90 minutes working out,” “Well I wake up at 4am, run a 10k, then mentor underprivileged kids and found a new NGO before checking emails by 8am.”
Sir Richard Branson wakes up every day at 5am and encourages everyone to do the same. Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo is up at 4. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is up at 5:30am and out the door for a jog. They’re not the anomalies. In an informal survey, 90 percent of executives identified as being early risers.
Feeling guilty for sleeping in till 7?
This guilt made me want to explore a radical concept: what if you can sleep in, but still absolutely crush the heck out of your day?
Some entrepreneurs, like Elon Musk, seem to be both lark and owl — getting 6 hours of sleep a night. Other CEOs swear by 4 solid hours, and even advise on how to cut your sleep down to that little.
The thought of only 4 hours sleep a night, though, is a little horrifying. So we talked to some real-life night owls, and guess what? They’re still getting loads done, and getting plenty of sleep in the process. Here’s why our successful night owls swear by the evening hours for their productivity.
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Time Scarcity Can Be Beaten! Here’s How to Break Free
Do you say ‘I don’t have time’ too much? Here’s how to manage your time better with a change in mindset, and Mac productivity apps that will restore the hours in your day.
It’s already July. Where has the year gone? For that matter, do you remember the millenium? Children born in the Millenium will now be graduating from high school and heading off to college. Where has the time gone?
“I don’t have time” is said way. Too. Much. Period. Yet we all have 24 hours in the day, so how do some people seem to have so much more?
Statistics are now showing us how “I don’t have time” is just blatantly wrong. We work less than we used to, and we have more free time. Yet that is far from the experience of most people.
But why? There’s one simple explanation, which is that we’re spending too much time on our screens, even when we’re not working. In a 2017 Ted Talk, psychologist Adam Alter analysed why our screens are stealing our time, and the reasons why this isn’t good for our mental health.
It goes beyond our screens though. Being busy has become fashionable, a badge of success. It used to be that having made it meant that you had leisure time. Now, it seems that the wealthy and successful have more jam-packed schedules than any of us.
So how do you break out of this culture where being busy is a status symbol, and develop a mindset of time abundance, rather than poverty. From work time apps and Mac productivity apps to a change in the words you use in daily life, here are some ways to reclaim the hours in your day.
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