Finding the right software to help manage your business can sometimes be a very difficult task. There are litterally hundreds and thousands of different computer and web based programmes out there that should help you be more productive but what are the best ones?

To make this a little easier to follow, I have split the article down into different areas. Lets start with…

Project Management

For me, the best project manager is Basecamp. Its used by thousands of businesses all over the world. You can also get ‘addons’ made by other companies to integrate with other systems such as invoicing. The subscription is between $25 and $149 per month. Take a look at www.basecamphq.com

Another programme you may wish to take a look at is Huddle (www.huddle.net). Accounts are anything from FREE to $98 a month depending on the features you require and projects you are going to manage.

Invoicing and Accounts

One programme that I have found recently is called FreeAgent (www.freeagentcentral.com). Prices are from as little as $20 a month. This programme does everything for you - invoicing, book keeping, reporting, time tracking - basically everything!

Another programme well worth looking at is FreshBooks. This is from $0 per month through to $149 per month. The $27 a month account will probably be suitable for most freelancers and homeworkers though! The main added on benefit for FreshBooks is that it can be integrated to Basecamp which will improve your productivity and will save time. www.freshbooks.com

Office Suite

Really, there is only one worth mentioning here and thats Open Office (www.openoffice.org). Its a completely free programme that does everything from word processing, spreadsheets, databases - everything! The programme is available for virtually all platforms including Windows Vista and Mac OS/X along with a range of Linux operating systems.

Task Lists

Task lists are really a very basic ‘project manager’. I use them quite a lot by just creating a quick headline for my task to remind me of what needs to be done and when. The best task manager I have found and use is Remember the Milk (www.rememberthemilk.com). Full of features and also includes loads of extra integration options including being able to check your tasks via Twitter or your iPhone. Well worth a look and the basic version is completely free!

Thats it for now! I will be creating further lists in the future! If you have any suggestions that you would like to share, why not leave a comment in the box below!

PS… I have no idea why I used a banana image - I just liked it!