Setting off on a freelance career is thrilling but, it’s real it can also be costly. The “gurus” will tell you that before you even get your first client, you need to drop hundreds of dollars on subscriptions, premium software, and fancy apps.
For a Muslim entrepreneur who is trying to earn an honest halal income, wasting money (Israf) is not only bad business but it’s also terrible spiritual practice.
The good news? You do not need a huge budget to create a professional remote career. Some of the most successful solopreneurs, in fact, run entire six-figure businesses with tools that not only are free but also make them money.
In this post I’m covering the 5 key free tools that power my business. Not only that, but these will help you efficiently complete your work so you never miss a prayer.
Notion: The “Second Brain of Choice” for Solopreneurs
If your head is a browser with 100 tabs open, you need Notion.
The way most freelancers manage their business is with sticky notes, WhatsApp messages and random notebooks. It’s a disaster in the making. Notion replaces all of that. It’s the all in one workspace for note taking, task management and project planning.
Why it’s great for RizqRemote readers: Free plan is extremely generous. You can also create a “Client Dashboard” to manage your deadlines, invoices and make a dedicated space for your Daily Ibadah Tracker on the same page as your work tasks.
My Pro Tip: Avoid being overwhelmed by fancy templates. Start it out with a basic “To-Do” list and a page of “Client CRM” to help track who owes you money.
Canva: Design As A Professional (For Beginners)
People do judge a book by its online cover. If your invoices, proposals or social media posts go out looking messy, clients will feel like your work is going to be messy as well.
You used to have to fork over money for Adobe Photoshop if you wanted a professional image editor. Today, you have Canva.
Why you need it: You can use Canva’s free version to craft everything for your business. It includes a library of thousands of free templates for Professional Invoices, Service Menus and LinkedIn Banners.
The ‘Rizq’ Angle: The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is reported to have said, “Allah loves when one of you does a job, he performs it with excellence (Itqan).” Canva makes it totally easy to have your business look incredible and you do not need a great big budget in order to do that!
Clockify: Bill with Trust and Transparency
If you bill by the hour, “guessing” how long you worked is risky. If you guess 5 but work only 4, then that extra money is haram (forbidden) because you are getting it without deserving it.
Clockify is a time tracker that’s free to use and addresses this problem right away.
Here’s how it works: You click “Start” when you start working and you click “Stop” if you take a break or go to pray. At the end of the week is spits out a report that tells you exactly, down to the second, how much you worked.
Why I recommend it: It develops Amanah (Trust). The time report can be e-mailed to
Trello: Visualize Your Workload
As a freelancer, you’re not working for someone who is going to tell you what you do today. You are the boss. And running the show can be tough, too.
Trello is a visual board which works based on the “Kanban” method (ToDo, Doing, Done).
The Workflow:
- Column 1 (Backlog): All the things you want or have to do sometime.
- Column 2 (Today): The three tasks you have to complete before Maghrib.
- Column 3 (Done): That’s how I get the best feeling in the world. If you’re dragging a card here, you worked for it.
Athav App for desktop, The most powerful productivity hack.
This is the No. 1 utensil on this list.
The vast majority of productivity advice suggests that you should be “working the whole day.” But as Muslims, our day is based on the five daily prayers. If you catch the “flow state” and miss Asr, no money made in that hour is worth it.
The Tool: Install a simple desktop app such as “Prayer Times” (Windows/Mac) or the “Muezzin” Chrome Extension.
Why it’s a business tool: It keeps you from working too hard. Science proves that working in 90-minute intervals followed by a break maximizes focus. Allah (SWT) has given us the best routine already.
Conclusion: Start Small, Dream Big
Startups don’t require a mousetrap of $50/month in subscriptions. You generally need at least skill, discipline and a modicum of organization.
These five have been using FREE Notion, Canva, Clockify, Trello and the Athan App But these 5 tools Notion, Canva, Clockify, Trello and the Athan app are all free & powerful enough to run a six figure agency.
Which of these will you try first? Comment below!