From inbox floods to tumbleweeds: August, handled

☕ August’s either a rainbow mess of deadlines or a lonely whiteboard with one sticky note: Invoice Dave. Clients are either charging in with “urgent” projects — or still texting you Tuscan sunsets.

Either way, September’s lurking and it’s time to corral the chaos. We’ve packed tools, tricks, and a dash of inbox sorcery to help freelancers reclaim their rhythm and claw back precious hours. (3-minute read)

🔎Week’s highlights:

• Tool Spotlight: RescueTime tattles on where your hours really go; Sunsama builds a do-able task schedule.

• Sherpa’s Shortcuts: Let Gmail show you only active client emails; plus, set recurring reminders that whisper, “Don’t forget Tuesday’s blog post.”

• The Ridgeline: Gmail might be spying on your receipts, and Vogue prescribes legs-up-the-wall for freelancer fatigue.

• Sherpa’s Pack: (Freebie) Mailtrack for Gmail: know exactly when clients open your email (and how many times).

• 😝Tools Gone Wild: One café. Free Wi-Fi and an open outlet.

🪓 Sherpa’s shortcuts

Sherpa-approved hacks to multiply your output without multiplying your effort.

⚡ Hack #1: The client-only inbox view

Problem: Your inbox is a flea market on dollar day, with urgent client updates crammed between junk and spam. Whether August means you’re drowning in requests or hearing crickets, inbox noise makes it worse.

Solution: Create a Gmail view that shows only emails from your current active clients, the ones you actually get paid to answer. (5 minutes).

How to set it up:

1. Make a list of your active client domains (e.g., @acmecorp.com).

2. In Gmail, go to Settings → Filters and Blocked Addresses → Create new filter.

3. In “From,” paste those domains separated by OR.

4. Click Create filter, check Apply the label, and create a new label like “Active Clients.”

5. Use Gmail’s sidebar or Multiple Inbox settings to give that label its own distraction-free view.

💡 Sherpa tip: Works even when August is slow. Nothing says “I’m totally busy” like an inbox that only shows paid work.

👉 See the walk through

⚡ Hack #2: The recurring deadline whisperer

Problem: Monday mornings start with a game of “Wait, what’s due this week?” You dig through emails, project boards, and scribbled notes trying to piece together client deadlines before your first coffee.

Solution: Set up recurring reminders for each client’s regular deadlines so they land in your inbox or calendar every Monday.

How to:

1. In Google Calendar or Sunsama create an all-day recurring event for each client deadline.

2. Color-code them by client so they stand out.

3. Set notifications for the day before (and the morning of).

💡 Sherpa tip: Works whether August is chaos or crickets, and you never miss a deadline.

AI Tool Spotlight

Tool Sherpa explores the flood of new AI apps and carefully selects only proven tools.

Rescue Time

🔎Why it matters: RescueTime quietly tracks where your workday goes, then tattles on you with painfully accurate reports. It shows the time you spent in productive tools vs. “accidentally” scrolling news feeds, and can even block distracting sites. Can reclaim 3–5 hours a week tripping down unexpected rabbit holes.

Best use case: You think you’ve been buried in client work. RescueTime shows the whole truth, and you course-correct before another afternoon disappears.

Setup time: About 5 minutes to install, and then tracks in the background.

Who should use this:

• Freelancers who want to bill more hours per day

• Remote workers juggling client tasks and side projects (and losing track of both)

• Anyone suspicious their “busy” is actually just “occupied”

Pros: Real-time tracking and weekly reports spot where your time drifts. Optional focus mode blocks distractions.

Cons: If you hate seeing the truth in chart form, you’ll resent it. Free plan is limited, focus mode is paywalled.

Pricing: Free plan available; Premium starts at $6.50/month billed annually.

👉 Try RescueTime

Sunsama

🔍 Why it matters: Sunsama is the rare planner that keeps you honest. Instead of letting you cram 27 tasks into one day, it pulls tasks from Gmail, Trello, Asana, ClickUp — and blocks time for what’s actually doable. It’s like a calm, slightly judgmental project manager on your shoulder. Save 2–4 hours a week.

Best use case: You’ve got tasks scattered across five apps and and a completely booked afternoon. Sunsama pulls meetings into a single view to reveal what’s realistic for today, and what to shift to next week.

Who should use this:

• Freelancers juggling multiple client projects

• Remote workers prone to overstuffing their schedule

• Anyone who likes a calmer, more realistic workday

Pros: Aggregates tasks into one clean interface, and allows planning directly into your calendar. Setup time: 10 minutes.

Cons: Slower, reflective planning style may frustrate speed junkies. No free plan; trial only.

Pricing: 14-day free trial; $16/month billed annually. 👉 Try Sunsama

🎒Sherpa’s Pack

Free stuff to help freelancers gain an edge

Tired of wondering if your email got lost or ignored?

Chrome browser extension Mailtrack adds read receipts to Gmail so you know exactly when clients open your emails (and how many times). Stop guessing when to follow up. Works for everything from proposals to gentle nudges.

👉 Download the free tracker now

The Ridgeline 🏔️

News on how AI is rewriting the rules for solopreneurs and small teams. Let’s trek:

The Ridgeline

AI news for freelancers keeping their inboxes private and their cortisol low.

🔐 Google’s reading your receipts: That shiny Gmail AI sidebar? It might be quietly skimming your biz data. Flip this switch before your calendar spills secrets. 🔗 See what to change

📣 Get recommended on AI: Want ChatGPT to casually suggest your services? See how to train the algorithm to drop your name. 🔗 Steal the strategy

🧠 Make AI actually get you: Tired of generic replies? Teach AI to mirror your tone, context, and client logic. 🔗 Train it right

⚠️ ChatGPT data warning: AI might learn from your chats. Here's how to lock things down before your “quarterly goals” become public knowledge. 🔗 Read the privacy fix

🧘 Freelancer wind-down pose: Legs-up-the-wall isn’t just a TikTok trend, it’s a stress killer. Vogue-approved, sleep friendly, and fully invoice-compatible. 🔗 Try it tonight

☕Final sip: You’re locking down your data, training your AI, and casually reverse-aging with yoga. This isn’t burnout…it’s the freelance enlightenment arc.

Tools gone wild! 😜(Meme edition)

Let’s end with a laugh — when AI tools take a detour off the happy path.

📌The prophecy fulfilled
Legend spoke of a moment when free Wi-Fi and an open outlet would appear together, ending the age of dead batteries and data throttling. For these freelancers, that day came at 2% battery — and yes, they’ll tell their grandchildren.

🧭 What’s Next?

Two fresh tools, two hacks, and one freebie later, you’re either back to busy or at least look the part.

Ready to get back to busy and get noticed without being on camera? Our friends at Syllaby.io make it stupid-easy to plan and script quick, easy short-form videos that pull in leads, without hassle. 👉 Check out Syllaby.io today

—Sherpa out 🏔️