How AI Helps Freelancers Stay Organised, Connected and Produce Quality Work
How I Started
Transitioning from working full-time as a Customer Success Manager to freelancing for Scholarcy and other startups happened quite organically. Initially, when I graduated from King’s College London, I was looking for a flexible job that could accommodate my responsibilities at home, especially helping care for my disabled brother. I found a remote role with Headstart (now acquired by Sofigate) which fit perfectly and introduced me to the startup world.
Working at Headstart in the Customer Success team, I enjoyed the dynamic environment and the sense of contributing to a company's growth. On my first day, I helped the company move offices in Shoreditch, attended trade shows, and even went through a security check to work on the Royal Navy account—an intense but fascinating experience. This role made me realize how much I liked the startup industry; the work was varied and fun.
In 2023, my move to Scholarcy was somewhat serendipitous—during an interview, Emma Warren-Jones saw my talent for content writing, and that is how I stepped into freelancing. Now, I get to work on projects that align with my passions for academia and AI, making my work both exciting and fulfilling.
Biggest Challenges of Freelancing
Learning to become a freelancer came with its fair share of challenges. One of the toughest was being my own boss, which meant managing my time effectively while juggling multiple contracts. Sometimes, deadlines slipped, but maintaining transparent communication with clients helped manage expectations and build strong relationships.
Another challenge was adapting to clients' varying needs, requiring flexibility and quick thinking. Additionally, not knowing many other freelancers made me feel isolated and sometimes led to impostor syndrome. Breaking out of the traditional nine-to-five mindset was difficult, but ultimately, freelancing has been beneficial for my mental well-being and allowed me to work on projects that align with my passions.
What AI Tools Have Taught Me
Using Scholarcy and other AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT has been transformative for me. As someone who is neurodiverse and has dyslexia, I sometimes struggle with thinking on my feet and organising my thoughts. These AI tools have acted as levellers, particularly when it comes to reading, understanding and organising complex information from lots of long-form articles which I have to do a lot of. Knowledge extraction and summarisation tech help me break down complex information into bite-sized, manageable pieces, which aligns perfectly with how my brain works.
Scholarcy, in particular, is a tool that makes studying and digesting information much easier for me. It has not only improved the quality and succinctness of my work but also boosted my confidence because I know that the information within Scholarcy is accurate and reliable and links directly back to the source document. I believe these tools should be integrated into educational curriculums at all levels, as they can help students become more confident researchers and give them the support they might sometimes need to apply the knowledge they’ve acquired to their own work, whilst minimising the risk of plagiarism.
My Top AI Tools
I regularly use a few specific AI tools that have significantly enhanced my research and writing process. First and foremost is Grammarly. As someone with dyslexia, I often make repetitive mistakes like typing "they they" or "and and" without noticing. Grammarly catches these errors, saving me from the frustration and self-doubt that used to plague my writing. It helps me produce cleaner, more polished work quickly and efficiently.
Another indispensable tool for me is Otter AI. Since I frequently conduct interviews and discuss topics related to artificial intelligence, Otter AI's voice-to-text transcription is invaluable. It allows me to focus on conversations without the distraction of taking notes, and it saves me a tremendous amount of time by transcribing meetings and interviews. While not perfect, it has been a game changer in managing my workflow.
Lastly, Scholarcy has been incredibly helpful in organizing and summarizing my research, making all my information easily accessible in one place. These tools collectively save me time and enhance the quality of my work.
How AI Increased My Efficiency
AI has significantly increased my efficiency and improved the quality of my content. For example, when I first started writing for Scholarcy, I had limited knowledge of AI. I had to quickly get up to speed on how AI impacts education, neurodiversity, and mental well-being. By using AI tools myself, I was able to make my research more efficient and produce well-informed content.
Interviews with experts like Phil Gooch, the Founder of Scholarcy and Mushtaq Bilal, the Co-Founder of Research Kick broadened my understanding and inspired new ideas. By getting to sit down with these formidable minds, and learn more about their businesses, has been a huge turning point in my career. Scholarcy has seen strong growth since 2020 and has helped hundreds of thousands students.
Juggling Multiple Deadlines and Projects
AI has been a game-changer in managing my time and meeting deadlines as a freelancer. Every day, I create to-do lists.
Tools like Notion and Google Docs are invaluable for maintaining transparency with clients.
Notion is fantastic for project management, letting clients see my progress in real-time, organizing tasks, setting deadlines, and integrating various workflows in one place. It provides a clear, structured view of my workload and helps me prioritise tasks effectively. Google Docs, on the other hand, excels in real-time collaboration. It lets me tag clients and colleagues, make comments, and track changes seamlessly, which is crucial for long-form content like articles, manuals, and FAQs. This real-time interaction ensures everyone is on the same page, making feedback and revisions straightforward.
These tools help me document every step of the process and ensure the client is informed about my work and research. Juggling multiple projects is complex, but these organisational tools help me stay on top of my workload, communicate transparently, and deliver quality work on time. The combination of technology and collaborative platforms helps me to learn on the job, adapt quickly, and handle the diverse demands of freelancing with confidence.
Tips for Freelancers Integrating AI Tools
Today, integrating AI tools into your workflow is essential for efficiency and effectiveness. Use tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Scholarcy, and Grammarly to enhance your reading, writing, check grammar and spelling, and break down information into manageable sections. These tools can help you find the best route to solutions and streamline your workflow. Embrace AI as part of your toolkit to stay competitive and deliver high-quality work.
Advice for Transitioning to Freelancing
If you are considering transitioning from a full-time role to freelancing, my advice is simple: take the leap and trust the process. Believe in yourself and your ability to adapt. It can be scary, but trusting yourself and tapping into just some of the technology out there is your key to success.