Freelancer HQ : Stop losing track of clients, projects, and payments
Estimated read time: 10-12 minutes
🗒 I Spent 3 Months Losing Brilliant Ideas in ChatGPT Conversations.
My 'System' Was Notes in My Phone and Hoping for the Best.
I run two blogs from my spare room in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. SimplifyAI (this one) and a coffee blog that's basically an excuse to justify my caffeine addiction as "research." My sophisticated business system for managing it all?
ChatGPT conversations I'd never find again, notes scattered across my phone like digital confetti, and a genuine belief that I'd "just remember" important stuff.
Spoiler: I did not just remember.
Week 1: Accidentally started writing the same article for both blogs. Realised halfway through. Professional.
Week 6: Spent 45 minutes searching through ChatGPT history trying to find that brilliant hook I'd work shopped at 2 AM. Never found it. Gone forever, like my dignity.
Week 12: Stacey (who actually has her life together) asked: "Where do you keep track of your client work and content?"
"...various places?" I replied, with the confidence of someone who definitely doesn't have their shit sorted.
That's when I realised my "business system" was basically organised chaos held together by anxiety and caffeine.
In this guide, you'll discover:
The actual problems with running everything from your brain and random apps
What I tried first (spoiler: it was bollocks)
The Notion system that stopped me losing my mind
Real tools that work WITH the system (not against it)
The template that took 3 months of trial and error so you don't have to
New to organising your freelance chaos? This assumes you know the basics of staying alive as a solopreneur. If you're starting from scratch, check our How to Use AI: 4 Simple Ways guide first.
Try This Right Now
Before reading further, open your phone notes. Scroll through. Count how many notes are titled "New Note" followed by a number, or just say "Ideas" with zero context.
I'll wait.
Right. How many did you find? More than five? Welcome to the club. That's the problem we're fixing.
🙋 The "I'll Just Remember It" Delusion
Week 6 of running two blogs. Felt like I was getting the hang of it. Had systems. Sort of.
Content ideas: Voice notes I'd definitely transcribe later (never did), ChatGPT conversations I'd definitely find again (didn't), Apple Notes filed under helpful titles like "New Note 47"
Client information: Gmail for conversations, phone contacts for actual details, my increasingly unreliable memory for everything else
Project tracking: Mental calendar (terrifying), occasional 3 AM panic when I remembered something I'd forgotten
Income tracking: Bank statements when I bothered to check, vague sense of financial dread, hoping nobody had forgotten to pay me
Here's what that actually looked like:
Monday morning: "Right, what's urgent today?" Checks Gmail. Checks phone notes. Checks ChatGPT. Checks Gmail again because maybe I missed something. 45 minutes later, still haven't started actual work.
Wednesday afternoon: Client asks about that proposal I sent. Which proposal? When? Spends 20 minutes searching emails trying to look like I have my shit together.
Friday evening: Mate asks how much I made this month. "Good question," I say, which is professional speak for "absolutely no idea."
The breaking point came on a Tuesday.
I'd spent two hours the previous week crafting the perfect article outline with ChatGPT. Brilliant stuff. The kind of structure that makes writing actually enjoyable instead of painful.
Sat down Monday evening to write it. Couldn't remember which conversation.
Searched "article outline." Nothing useful.
Searched "blog structure." Found my coffee brewing guide from three months ago.
Searched "that really good outline I made." ChatGPT looked at me with what I swear was pity.
An hour later, I'd found seventeen conversations about various topics and zero about the one I needed.
That's when I admitted something uncomfortable: My brain is not a reliable filing system.
🧠 Notion users report saving an average of 8 hours weekly by centralising information in one searchable workspace.
🥇 What I Tried First (The Honest Failures)
Attempt 1: ChatGPT for everything
Sounded brilliant. AI keeps track of everything, I just have conversations, genius.
Reality: Conversations get buried within hours. Search finds everything except what you need. No way to organise by project or client. That pricing strategy you discussed three weeks ago? Good luck finding it amongst 200 other conversations about completely different things.
Breaking point: Spent 90 minutes looking for client requirements I'd definitely saved in a conversation. Client called asking for update. Had to admit I'd "misplaced my notes."
Duration before collapse: 6 weeks
Attempt 2: Notes apps will save me
Created folders! Used tags! Colour-coded things! Felt very organised and professional.
Then reality hit. Multiple note apps (Apple Notes, phone notes, occasional Google Doc), no connection between notes and actual work, still couldn't see what was urgent versus what could wait.
Best bit: Having six notes all titled "Ideas" with no indication which ideas or why they mattered.
Breaking point: Found note that said "brilliant hook for SimplifyAI post" with absolutely no context about what the hook actually was. Thanks, past-me. Really helpful.
Duration before abandoning: 3 weeks
Attempt 3: I'll just remember important things
This is what psychologists call "optimism bias" and what everyone else calls "being a numpty."
Your brain is designed to forget things. That's literally how it works. Keeps the important stuff, ditches the rest. Problem is, your brain's definition of "important" doesn't align with "things I need for my business."
Breaking point: Client mentioned in passing they'd paid invoice. I'd completely forgotten I'd sent it. No idea if they'd paid. Too awkward to ask. Spent week anxiously checking bank account.
Duration before complete system breakdown: 2 months
💥 The Uncomfortable Question
Met Stacey for coffee.
She runs a design business, always seems to have her shit together.
"How do you keep track of everything?" I asked.
"Like, how do you know what's urgent?"
"I've got it all in Notion," she said. "Can see exactly what needs doing."
"Yeah, I should probably sort something like that."
She gave me a look. "You're still just winging it, aren't you?"
"I mean... I have a system."
"Do you actually, though?"
Wanted to argue. Couldn't. She had a point.
🖥 What "Proper System" Actually Means
Not some complicated productivity philosophy requiring a PhD to understand. Not expensive software with 47 features you'll never use. Not another bloody course about "optimising your workflow."
Just:
One place for everything that matters
Clear view of what needs doing today
Quick access to client information without searching three apps
Actual tracking of who's paid you
Less time searching for things, more time doing actual work
That's it. That's the bar.
🤯 The System That Stopped Me Losing My Mind
After three months of chaos, one honest conversation, and accepting I needed help, I built Freelancer HQ in Notion.
Here's what's actually in it and why each bit matters.
🏠 The Dashboard (Or: How I Stopped Starting Every Day in Panic Mode)
Every Monday morning used to start the same way.
Open laptop. Immediate low-level anxiety about what's urgent. Check Gmail. Check phone notes. Check ChatGPT history. Check Gmail again because maybe I missed something. Realise I've been "getting organised" for 40 minutes and done precisely fuck all actual work.
Now I open one page.
Top 3 priorities stare back at me. No searching. No panic. No checking six different places hoping to remember what matters.
Just "right, these three things, then I can piss about on TikTok guilt-free."
What's actually on it:
The 3 things that matter today (not 17, because trying to do 17 things means doing none properly)
Quick links to clients, projects, invoices (everything important, one screen)
Motivational quote (SimplifyAI tone, not corporate "synergy" bollocks)
Time saved: 40 minutes every morning not pretending to be organised while actually just shuffling between apps.
Real impact: Started actually working by 9:15 instead of 10:00. That's an extra 45 minutes daily. Over a year, that's 195 hours. That's nearly 5 working weeks returned to my life.
🧠 Studies show people waste 4.3 hours weekly searching for information across multiple apps and platforms combined.
👥 Client CRM (Never Again Have That "Wait, Who Are You?" Moment)
Had a client call last month. They mentioned their daughter's wedding. I had absolutely no memory of them telling me about a wedding. Spent the entire call worried I'd missed something important while trying to sound like I definitely remembered.
After the call, found email from two months ago. They'd mentioned it. I'd clearly read it. Brain had filed it under "irrelevant information, delete immediately."
That's the problem with using your brain as a CRM. It's rubbish at it.
What this actually tracks:
Client name and contact info (everything in one place instead of "where did I save that email?")
Current project status (so you know what you're supposed to be doing for them)
Total invoice amounts (crucial for knowing who owes you what)
Important notes (like daughter's wedding, apparently)
Filter views that save your arse:
Active clients (people you're working with right now)
Leads (potential clients you're chasing)
Completed (finished projects, kept for reference without cluttering everything)
The moment this saved me: Client emailed asking about project status. Opened CRM. Saw everything. Replied in 2 minutes with exact details. Looked competent and professional. Felt like an actual functioning adult.
Time saved: 15 minutes daily not searching for basic information. That's 1.25 hours weekly. 65 hours yearly. Nearly two full working weeks of your life not spent searching for things you definitely saved somewhere.
📅 Project Dashboard (Know What's Happening Without the 3 AM Panic)
Used to track projects mentally. Worked brilliantly until it didn't.
The incident: Woke up at 3 AM in cold panic. Certain I'd forgotten something important. Couldn't remember what. Couldn't get back to sleep. Spent an hour mentally reviewing every project. Found nothing wrong. Still felt anxious.
Next morning, discovered I had forgotten something. Due that day. Hadn't even started.
That's when mental project tracking officially became unsustainable.
What's in the dashboard:
Project name (descriptive titles, not "New Project 7")
Client (so you know who to update when things go wrong)
Due date (in scary red when overdue, because consequences)
Status (Idea → In Progress → Review → Done)
Priority (High/Medium/Low - not everything can be urgent despite what clients think)
The Kanban view: Drag projects between columns. Watching something move from "In Progress" to "Done" provides unreasonable satisfaction. Like Tetris but for your actual life.
Real benefit: No more 3 AM panic wondering if you've forgotten something. If it's not on the board, it doesn't exist. Sleep improves dramatically.
What this prevents: That moment when the client asks about project status and you have to admit you completely forgot about it. Has not happened once since implementing this system.
💸 Income & Invoice Tracker
(Or: Stop Pretending You Know Your Finances)
Had this conversation last month:
"Business going alright then?" my mate asked.
"Yeah, not bad actually."
"What you pulling in these days?"
Long pause. "You know... decent."
He laughed. "You've got no idea, have you?"
"I know roughly..."
"Mate. Roughly isn't a number."
Fair point.
The uncomfortable truth: If you're not tracking income properly, you're probably losing money. Not because you're bad at business. Because humans are terrible at remembering financial details.
What happened before tracking: Client mentioned in passing they'd sent payment. I had zero memory of the invoice amount. Too awkward to ask. Checked bank account. Three payments had come in. No idea which was theirs. Spent evening reconciling based on email timestamps.
Never again.
What this actually tracks:
Client name
Amount (the important bit)
Status (Pending/Paid - the difference between calm and low-level financial anxiety)
Payment date (so you know when to actually chase)
Payment method
The brilliant bit: Automatic monthly total formula. Shows you at a glance whether this month is brilliant or concerning. Works in Notion's free plan, which is frankly miraculous.
What this prevents: That moment six weeks later when you realise a client never paid and now it's too awkward to chase because too much time has passed.
Actual example: Noticed invoice still showing "Pending" after three weeks. Sent polite follow-up. Client had genuinely forgotten. Paid within two days. Would absolutely have lost that £400 without tracking system.
Time saved monthly: Hours reconciling bank statements with your unreliable memory. Plus the actual money you're not accidentally losing.
🧾 Proposal & Contract Templates
(Stop Reinventing the Wheel)
Used to write proposals from scratch every time. Felt very bespoke and professional.
Also took 2 hours per proposal because I kept forgetting what information to include and what professional proposal language sounds like.
What's included:
Standard proposal structure (that you just customise)
Invoice template (so you're not Googling "how to write invoice" every time)
Contract basics (editable directly in Notion)
Time saved per proposal: 45 minutes minimum. More if you're like me and used to spend ages wondering if your proposal sounded professional enough.
What this prevents: That moment when you send proposal and immediately notice you forgot to include pricing. Or timeline. Or what you're actually proposing to do.
⚙️ AI Workflow Prompts (The Bit That Actually Saves Your Sanity)
This is where real time savings live.
29 ready-to-use prompts for common freelance tasks.
Examples of what's included:
The "Professional Follow-Up": Used when client's gone quiet and you need to check in without sounding desperate.
The "Polite Payment Reminder": For when invoice is overdue but you still need to sound friendly. Harder than it sounds. AI helps.
The "This Will Take Longer" Explanation: When scope has changed but client thinks timeline hasn't. Requires diplomacy. AI provides diplomatic language so you can say "this is taking longer because you changed everything" without actually saying that.
Project outline creation: Stop staring at blank documents wondering where to start. Feed topic to AI, get structure, spend time writing instead of procrastinating.
Content re-purposing: Turn one blog post into 20+ social media pieces. One piece of content becomes five TikToks, three Instagram carousels, multiple posts. Tracked so you know what's been repurposed where.
Meeting note summaries: Record conversation (with permission, obviously). Feed recording to AI. Get organised notes with action items highlighted.
Plus prompts for: Contract reviews, pricing decisions, testimonial requests, scope change negotiations, competitor analysis, portfolio case studies, and more.
Real example: Used to spend 45 minutes outlining blog posts. Now spend 5 minutes with AI, 40 minutes actually writing. Same quality outline. 40 minutes saved per article. Write 8 articles monthly. That's 5 hours returned every month.
What this prevents: Finishing client call, immediately forgetting half of what was discussed, spending 30 minutes trying to remember what you agreed to do.
🪛 The Tools That Actually Work With This System
Right, the honest bit about tools I use daily.
Perplexity - Before writing anything, I use Perplexity to research what people actually ask about the topic. Searches current web, gives sources, stops me writing blog posts about things nobody's searching for. Saved me writing three articles last month that would've got zero traffic.
Systeme.io - Both blogs run on Systeme.io. Everything in one place - hosting, email marketing, payment processing. Means my content system in Notion actually connects to my publishing system. No juggling six different platforms.
Gamma - Those carousel posts that actually get engagement on TikTok? Created in Gamma in five minutes. Feed it bullet points, AI turns them into visual slides. Beats spending an hour in Canva trying to make things look professional while questioning your design skills.
Claude/Rytr - For writing, I use Claude. But Rytr works brilliantly for shorter content and social posts. Less sophisticated than Claude, but for "write me three Instagram captions about coffee" it's perfect and faster.
CustomGPT.ai - If you create similar content repeatedly (I write both coffee and AI content, very different audiences), CustomGPT lets you build an AI trained on your specific style for each audience. Like having two writing assistants who know your different brand voices instead of one generic AI that makes everything sound the same. Worth it when you're managing multiple content streams with different tones.
Jotform - For client intake forms that feed directly into your CRM. Send one form, get everything you need, automatically organised in Notion. Jotform integrates nicely. Stops the "can you send me your details again?" email chain.
Honest truth about all these tools: You don't need them all. Start with free versions. Add paid tools only when you're genuinely frustrated by limitations. Don't buy tools because they sound useful. Buying them when not having them is actively making your life worse.
🖲 What This System Actually Changed
Monday Morning: Before vs After
Before:
9:00 - Open laptop with vague sense of dread
9:05 - Check Gmail to see what's urgent
9:12 - Check phone notes because maybe something important is there
9:18 - Check ChatGPT history for that thing I definitely saved
9:30 - Check Gmail again because anxiety
9:45 - Still haven't started actual work, feeling behind before day's even started
10:00 - Finally start working, already exhausted from being "organised"
After:
9:00 - Open Notion dashboard
9:02 - See top 3 priorities clearly
9:05 - Start working on priority 1
10:00 - Priority 1 done, feel like functional adult
Time saved: 45 minutes not spent in organisational anxiety
Mental state improvement: Immeasurable
Client Call: Before vs After
Before:
Client: "Just following up on the proposal."
Me: panic "Ah yes, the proposal..." frantically searching Gmail while trying to sound professional
Client: "We discussed the timeline last week."
Me: "Absolutely, let me just..." definitely don't remember what we discussed "...pull up those notes."
Five minutes of awkward searching later
Me: "Here we are!" sound of relief, not professionalism
After:
Client: "Just following up on the proposal."
Me: opens CRM, sees everything "Yes, the SimplifyAI content package. We discussed 8 articles over 2 months, starting mid-November."
Client: "Perfect, that's what I remembered."
Me: sounds like actual professional, not fraud pretending to have shit together
Difference: Competence versus constant low-level panic
Month End: Before vs After
Before:
Need to do taxes.
Need to know how much I made.
Check bank account.
See numbers. No context.
Check Gmail for invoices. Find some. Probably not all.
Cross-reference with bank account. Doesn't match.
Spend 3 hours reconciling. Still not certain I've found everything.
Feel financially anxious and incompetent.
After:
Open income tracker.
See exact monthly total.
See which invoices are pending.
Send polite reminders.
Done in 15 minutes.
Feel like adult with functioning business.
Time saved: 2.75 hours monthly. 33 hours yearly. Nearly a full working week.
Stress reduced: Significantly
Content Creation: Before vs After
Before:
Have idea for blog post.
Forget idea.
Remember idea three days later.
Can't find notes about idea.
Search ChatGPT. Search phone. Search emails.
Give up, write different article.
Two weeks later, find original idea. Realise it was better than what I wrote.
Feel annoyed at past-me.
After:
Have idea.
Add to content database immediately.
See all ideas in one place.
Choose best idea for next post.
Use AI workflow to outline.
Actually write the better article.
Feel competent.
Difference: Writing what I planned versus writing whatever I can remember
🚫 What This System Won't Fix
Right, let's be brutally honest about limitations.
This WILL:
Stop you losing important information in the ChatGPT void
Give you clear view of what's actually urgent
Save hours weekly once you're using it consistently (8-10 hours after first month)
Make you look like you've got your shit together (appearance of competence is half the battle)
Reduce 3 AM anxiety about forgotten tasks
This WON'T:
Make you suddenly love admin (nobody loves admin, it's admin)
Work if you don't actually use it (it's a system, not magic)
Fix fundamental business problems (if nobody wants what you're selling, organisation won't help)
Transform you into productivity guru overnight (you'll still occasionally spend 3 hours on TikTok instead of working)
Eliminate all chaos from your life (you're still human, chaos happens)
The actual requirement: 30 minutes setup, 5 minutes daily maintenance. That's it. That's the deal.
If you're looking for system that requires zero effort and magically makes everything perfect, this isn't it.
If you're looking for something that takes minimal daily effort to stop your brain melting from organisational chaos, keep reading.
Reality check: First week you'll forget to use it. Second week you'll use it inconsistently. Third week it becomes habit. Month two onwards, you'll wonder how you survived without it.
That's normal. That's how habit formation works.
Stick with it.
🤕 Getting Started Without My Three Months of Pain
Right, you've got two options.
Option 1: Build it yourself
Time investment: 10-15 hours over 2-3 weeks
Cost: Free plus your time and inevitable frustration
Learning curve: Steep (lots of "how do I make Notion do this?" googling)
Risk: Abandoning halfway through when you get busy or frustrated
Option 2: Use the template I already built
Time investment: 30 minutes setup
Cost: £15 (less than takeaway for two)
Learning curve: Tutorial page walks you through everything
Risk: Minimal, you're organised by lunchtime
Honest assessment: If you're the type who enjoys building systems and has 15 hours spare, build it yourself. If you just want your shit organised so you can do actual work, use the template.
🏢 What's Actually In Freelancer HQ
Complete Notion template including:
✅ Dashboard with daily priorities and quick links
✅ Client CRM with Active/Leads/Completed filter views
✅ Project dashboard with Kanban board
✅ Income & invoice tracker with automatic monthly totals
✅ Proposal and contract templates ready to customise
✅ AI workflow prompts for common tasks
✅ Step-by-step tutorial (SimplifyAI tone, not corporate manual)
✅ Lifetime updates as I improve it
Everything is completely editable. Customise sections for your business, delete what you don't need, add what you do. It's a starting point, not a prison.
What you get immediately:
No more losing ideas in ChatGPT void
All client information accessible in seconds
Clear view of project status without mental gymnastics
Automatic income tracking without spreadsheet hell
Ready-to-use AI workflows that actually save time
System that took me three months to develop through trial and error
Investment: £15 one-time payment
Setup time: 2 hours
Time saved weekly: 8-10 hours once you're using it consistently (not exaggerating - see the before/after breakdowns above)
Actual ROI: If you bill £50/hour, saving 8 hours weekly = £400 weekly = £1,600 monthly value. Template costs £15. You do the maths.
Get Freelancer HQ Template → Instant access via Gumroad. Duplicate to your Notion workspace. Start organising your chaos today.
📅 Your First Week (Realistic Expectations Edition)
Day 1: Setup (30 minutes)
Duplicate template to your Notion
Add your current clients to CRM (don't need every detail immediately, just names and basic info)
List active projects in dashboard
Feel organised for approximately 4 hours
Day 2-3: Migration (1 hour total)
Transfer important notes from phone/ChatGPT/random places
Add pending invoices to tracker (this is where you discover at least one person hasn't paid you - I found two unpaid invoices totalling £850. That's not organisation, that's finding actual money)
Set your top 3 priorities for tomorrow
Forget to check dashboard at least twice
Day 4-5: Daily Use Attempt 1 (5 minutes per day)
Try to check dashboard each morning (probably forget once)
Update project status as you work (when you remember)
Capture ideas immediately instead of losing them (game-changer when you actually do it)
Day 6-7: AI Workflows (30 minutes)
Try one AI prompt template
Customise for your specific needs
Add your frequently-used prompts
Feel very sophisticated
Week 2: Reality Sets In
Forget to use system at least twice
Remember why you needed it when you can't find something
Start using it more consistently
Notice you're searching for things less
Week 3: Habit Formation
Using dashboard most mornings without thinking about it
Actually updating things as they happen
Starting to feel properly organised
Week 4 onwards: The Good Bit
System becomes automatic
Can't imagine going back to scattered chaos
Wonder how you survived before
Mate asks how you're so organised
Feel smug
Success metric: When checking dashboard becomes automatic and you stop panicking about forgotten tasks.
🤔 Questions You're Probably Thinking
"Why Notion instead of [other app]?"
Tried others. Notion wins because it's flexible enough for complex workflows but simple enough for daily use. Free plan works for most freelancers. Doesn't force you into rigid structures. Works on phone, tablet, computer. Not perfect, but better than alternatives.
"What if I'm rubbish with technology?"
If you can use Instagram, you can use this. Tutorial assumes you're not tech wizard. Written in actual English instead of confusing jargon. If you can click buttons and type words, you're qualified.
"Will this actually save time or just add more admin?"
Setup takes 30 minutes. Daily use takes 5 minutes. You'll save that in reduced searching within first day. Net time positive by day 2. Massively time positive by week 3.
"What if my workflow's completely different from yours?"
Good. Customise it. Delete sections you don't need. Add sections you do. Template is starting point, not prison. Make it work for how you actually work, not how productivity gurus think you should work.
"Is £15 worth it?"
You'll spend more than that on coffee this week. This saves 8-10 hours weekly once you're using it. Even at minimum wage that's £100+ weekly value. At freelance rates it's £400-800 weekly value. For £15 one-time cost. Yes, it's worth it.
"What if I buy it and don't like it?"
Gumroad allows refunds if you genuinely hate it. But honestly, if you've read this far, you need this system. The alternative is continuing your current chaos. How's that working out?
"Will you judge me for my organisational chaos?"
No. I spent three months losing things in ChatGPT conversations. I once forgot I'd sent an invoice. My organisational chaos was legendary. You're in good company.
🎯 Bottom Line
Three months of losing important information in ChatGPT conversations taught me something valuable: Your brain is not a filing system. Your phone notes are not project management. Hope is not a strategy.
You need one central place where everything important lives. Not five apps. Not scattered notes. Not "I'll just remember."
One system you can trust.
I built Freelancer HQ because I got tired of my own organisational chaos and 3 AM panic attacks about forgotten tasks.
Now I'm sharing it because I see other solopreneurs doing the same "I'll just remember" dance I did.
You won't remember. Nobody does. Humans are terrible at it.
But you can get organised in 30 minutes and stop losing brilliant ideas to the ChatGPT conversation void.
Your choice: Keep searching through digital chaos for information you definitely saved somewhere, or spend £15 and 30 minutes getting properly organised today.
The chaos will still be there tomorrow. It always is.
Related reading: How to Use AI: 4 Simple Ways | 7 Beginner-Friendly AI Tools | 5 Common AI Mistakes
About SimplifyAI: I help UK solopreneurs understand and use AI tools without the overwhelm or productivity guru bollocks. Based in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. Running two blogs, creating templates, trying not to lose my mind. Sometimes succeeding.
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Making AI make sense -- one prompt at a time
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