We all freelance now and again.

It’s a great way of making a little cash on the side when a little free time comes round. And hey, money doesn’t make the world go round, but it does pay rent, tuition fees and buy gifts for girlfriends.

But, like every freelancer knows, working independently brings a new set of challenges. You are no longer just a designer. You’re the suave representative, the account manager, traffic controller, strategist, copywriter, coder and in the end deign something in a reasonable amount of time.

So how does a freelancer handle the multi-dimensional job description while maintaining some semblance of a life? Well, there are hundreds of ways, and everyone has their own tactics and ideas of how to freelance.

For everyone else who feels lost and frustrated by crazy mid-development changes, and unbelievable client requests, here’s some free help from me.

I’ve work freelance for a few years, and though I have no pretensions of being authoritative on the subject, I’ve developed the Account Toolkit (cc), a simple 10 page document that will help the struggling freelancer take a website from start to finish without the headaches.

We all need a little free help every now and then. So if you want to, feel free to send yourself the Account Toolkit. Free.

Essentially:

• It helps developing a brief.
  Sticking to it is up to you.
• It sets out timelines so you can schedule your life.
  So you can live that 4 day week dream.
• Helps confirm the aesthetics of the site to
  stick to your clients overarching brand strategy.
• Has a standard freelance contract that
  will protect you legally in case ... well, let’s not go there.

If the Account Toolkit helped you out tell me about it.
I’m always open to suggestions!