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Built myself a little command center for my freelance work this week. It’s called Bench.
Contra handles the contracts and payments, but my day-to-day was scattered across Contra chats, Gmail, my calendar, Notion, and a notes app. So I pulled it all into one place:
• A dashboard showing what needs me today: unread messages, overdue tasks, past-due invoices, leads that have gone quiet
• Each project gets its own page with scope, deliveries, tasks, links, and the full message thread from Contra and email
• A pipeline for leads, including a “Ghosted” column, because we’ve all been there
• A time tracker for the hourly stuff
• It syncs with my Contra projects and invoices every morning
Curious how other freelancers here keep track of everything. Spreadsheets? Notion? Pure chaos?
Pulling Contra chats, Gmail, calendar and Notion into one dashboard is a smart fix for a scattered day. Is Bench syncing live or do you update it by hand?
Thanks! It's mostly live. Contra messages, Gmail, and my calendar load fresh whenever I open it, and I can reply to Contra chats and emails right from there.
My Contra projects and invoices sync automatically every morning.
The only manual part is my own stuff: tasks, notes,...
Contra chats, Gmail, calendar and Notion in one place is a pain point every freelancer here has. Would you ever share Bench as a template for others?
I hadn't thought about it but I could come up with a prompt I could share.
The Ghosted column is painfully relatable. Does the morning sync use Contra's API?
lol it had to be there.
Contra doesn’t have a public API that I know of, so no.
The sync runs through Claude: Contra has a connector for it, and a scheduled task runs every morning, reads my projects and invoices, and updates Bench. No code on my end.
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I designed a task management app from scratch. Here's every decision I made and why:
Most task apps have a problem hiding in plain sight , they're so loaded with features that by the time you've organised your tasks, you've lost the energy to do them.
That's what I wanted to fix with PLANORA
One question drove every decision: what does someone actually need when they sit down to get things done?
Here's what I focused on:
One screen for everything: no nested menus, no switching views. Just your tasks and your day.
Add a task in under 3 seconds: one tap, type, done. Friction at the capture stage kills habits before they form.
Visual hierarchy over visual noise: white space and contrast do the work, not badges and colour coded labels competing for attention.
The goal wasn't the most powerful task app. It was the one people would actually use every day.
Simplicity is the hardest thing to design. But it's almost always the right answer.
What's the most cluttered app you use daily that needs a redesign? 👇
So minimal. Does it support recurring tasks?
Just shipped Parti, my first Framer template, made for architecture studios. 🏛️
See it live:
parti.framer.website
Get the template: https://www.framer.com/marketplace/templates/parti/
I wanted it to feel like a Swiss poster from the 1950s to the 80s. That meant a strict grid, one typeface (Host Grotesk), and colour used only with a purpose. Red marks inquiries and live status, and ultramarine is for actions like sending a form.
What's inside:
Projects, Journal and Materials collections
Project filters that pull their types straight from the CMS, plus Grid and List views
A fact sheet for every project, plus inquiry and contact forms
A phone-first layout, keyboard accessible, with WCAG AA contrast
A built-in setup guide with a launch checklist
Most of my time went into the details. Nothing shifts when you filter, tap targets work properly on iPhone, and the motion is quiet so it never gets in the way.
If you run a studio and want a custom version, my inbox is open.
Paid for Contra Pro today. Big hopes, zero guarantees 😄
Goal for the next 30 days: land my first client on Contra, built on real work and real conversations in the community.
So I'm curious what you think 👇
Is Contra Pro worth it for a freelancer who is still looking for the first clients?
A) Yes, worth it
B) Not yet
C) Depends on your niche
D) Ask me in 30 days 😄
Drop your letter in the comments and tell me why.
#contrapro #freelance #freelancedesigner #adcreative #graphicdesign
Keep us updated within 30 days, I wanted to follow the same approach! ✌️