Contractors are busy people, typically required to juggle deadlines, track task management and take care of timesheets. So, it’s important that they’re organised and well prepared.

53% of workers state that apps improve business processes and productivity. In the world of smartphones, it’s never been easier to keep your contractual work on track with the help of these handy little apps.

In this article we’ve put together this list of 5 apps every contractor needs to know about. Ready to head into 2020 planned, prepared and rearing to go!

Harvest – easily track your time and expenses

Contractors know that keeping track of time is crucial for getting paid by the client. Whatever type of contractor you are – whether you work through an umbrella company who you hand you timesheets in to, or run your own limited company, tracking your time is an unavoidable part of being a contractor.

So why not make your life that whole lot easier by utilising an easy-to-use app to take care of time management? Harvest is a great option for contractors, making time tracking a simple, seamless process.

Harvest is also a great option for contractors working in teams, allowing whole groups to download the app and record time spent on tasks – even when they’re not online.

There’s also the option to remind team members to submit their timesheets, with the option for the business owner to edit, review and approve team timesheets.

Harvest can also be integrated with other productivity apps contractors may use, including the likes of Asana, Basecamp and Trello to name just a few, tracking working hours directly from these external apps.

What’s more, Harvest can also log your all-important expenses. Simply snap a picture of your receipt, add the details and save.

Harvest is a great way for contractors to easily track and store their team’s time, turning your billable time and expenses into professional invoices. With a click of a button they’re sent to your clients, making getting paid that whole lot easier.

Trello – the ultimate project management app

Meet the ultimate productivity app – Trello.

Trello creates a visual workflow and process management system for your projects, performing as both a tracking tool and a to-do list. What’s more, Trello allows contractors to work with collaborators, meaning you can communicate with everyone working on the project in one handy, central space.

Users are able to set up to-do lists, checklists, add comments, tag other users, attach documents, images, videos and colour-code content, keeping everything organised and in one place. Lists can also be viewed in calendar view, meaning it’s super easy to monitor and track your deadlines.

Trello is user-friendly, free and easy to use and makes goal setting and progress tracking a stress-free, easy task.

Dropbox – store and access your files on the go

Contractors are often on the go, working from different locations, on different devices. Remember that time you got to site only to realise you didn’t have access to that spreadsheet on your phone? That’s where Dropbox comes in.

A cloud storage system like Dropbox could save the day when it comes to having access to that all important report on the go. It’s no wonder Dropbox has 500 million users with 400,000 work teams using Dropbox Business.

Within the Dropbox app contractors can preview, edit and share files to their smartphone or tablet. What’s more, because of the cloud storage, it won’t take up all your mobile data or storage space.

Built into the app is a handy document scanner, allowing you to keep track of offline notes, documents and receipts online. Plus, there’s always the option to select files to be available offline for those moments when your signal or WiFi aren’t playing ball.

Dropbox is fully integrated with Microsoft Office, meaning you can edit and create files easily within the app.

When it comes to document management, Dropbox will be a contractor’s best friend.

Google Calendar – the calendar that helps improve efficiency

Google Calendar isn’t’ just any old calendar. It’s one that will help you spend less time managing your schedule, giving you more time to get on with the important stuff.

The Google Calendar app gives users smart suggestions to help increase productivity throughout the day. Whether it’s finding times for meetings to how to quickly book meeting rooms.

Invite your team members to join events and set up repeat notifications for both personal and group events.

The Google Calendar app will help contractors seamlessly manage their own and their team’s time, meaning you can focus on the contract at hand.

Google Keep – your digital post-it-note

Remember that time on site when you noted down that crucial reference or figure, just to get back to the office to have misplaced it? For contractors that find themselves needing to jot down information quickly, on the move, Google Keep could save you a lot of time and stress.

Think of Google Keep a bit like a virtual post-it-note.

Within the app users can create quick notes, lists, record a voice notes and set reminders. Then, organise your notes by colour, category and label.

This is a simple, easy way to stay organised on the go – and never lose those important notes again.

Now you’re planned and prepared for 2020 why not find the right umbrella company for you?

Here at Umbrella Broker we make it simple to choose between the best umbrella companies out there with our easy-to-use umbrella comparison tool. We measure up your options based on a wide range of metrics – not just price, meaning you can pick the best umbrella company for you.