You're a freelancer. You work alone. You know exactly what you're working on because you're the only one working on it.
And yet, every productivity guru and SaaS landing page insists you need a project management tool. Kanban boards. Sprint planning. Velocity tracking.
But do you actually?
The Case Against
When you're a team of one, most of project management's value proposition disappears.
You don't need to coordinate with anyone. There's no alignment problem when there's only one person to align. You don't need visibility into what everyone's doing because you already know: it's you.
The overhead of maintaining a PM tool (updating statuses, organizing boards, tagging tasks) might cost more time than the clarity it provides.
For solo work, a simple to do list might be all you need.
The Case For (Sort Of)
That said, there are scenarios where even solo folks benefit from light project management:
Multiple clients: When you're juggling three different projects, it helps to have a place where you can see what's due when and for whom.
Complex projects: If you're building something with many moving parts, a board can help you see the full scope and track progress.
Memory aid: When you context switch frequently, a tool can help you remember what you were doing and what's next.
Client communication: Sometimes clients want visibility. A shared board can reduce "what's the status?" emails.
But notice: all of these are pretty lightweight needs. You don't need Jira. You need a list with a bit of structure.
The Middle Path
Here's what works for most solos:
A simple kanban board with three columns: To Do, Doing, Done.
That's it. No sprints. No story points. No custom fields. Just a way to see what's in flight and what's up next.
You can do this in Trello, Notion, Linear, or even a piece of paper. The tool doesn't matter. The simplicity does.
When It's Overkill
You know you've gone too far when:
- You spend more time organizing tasks than doing them
- You're color coding and tagging things for an audience of one
- You feel guilty when you don't keep the board current
- You're tracking velocity and burn down charts for yourself
If the tool starts feeling like a chore, it's too heavy. Scale back or ditch it entirely.
The Real Answer
The honest answer is: it depends on you.
Some people think better with everything written down. Others find it stifling. Some like the visual of a board. Others prefer a plain text file.
The right amount of project management for a solo freelancer is the minimum amount that keeps you effective.
If a to do list works, use that. If you need a board, use a board. If you thrive on chaos and mental notes, do that.
Just don't let a tool vendor convince you that you need enterprise grade project management when you're building websites by yourself.
You're not a team. You don't need team tools. Keep it simple, stay focused, and ship.
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