How I Automate My Freelance Workflow with Python to Increase Productivity and Earnings

As a freelance developer, I've learned that automation is key to increasing productivity and earnings. In this article, I'll share how I use Python to automate my freelance workflow, from project management to invoicing.

Project Management Automation

I use the github API to automate my project management workflow. I've created a Python script that retrieves my open projects, checks for new issues, and sends me a daily summary of my tasks.

import requests
import json

# GitHub API credentials
username = 'your_username'
token = 'your_token'

# Get open projects
def get_open_projects():
    url = f'https://api.github.com/users/{username}/repos'
    headers = {'Authorization': f'token {token}'}
    response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
    return response.json()

# Get new issues
def get_new_issues(project):
    url = f'https://api.github.com/repos/{username}/{project}/issues'
    headers = {'Authorization': f'token {token}'}
    response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
    return response.json()

# Send daily summary
def send_daily_summary(projects):
    # Create a summary of new issues
    summary = ''
    for project in projects:
        issues = get_new_issues(project['name'])
        summary += f'**{project["name"]}**\n'
        for issue in issues:
            summary += f'* {issue["title"]}\n'

    # Send the summary via email
    import smtplib
    from email.mime.text import MIMEText
    msg = MIMEText(summary)
    msg['Subject'] = 'Daily Project Summary'
    msg['From'] = 'your_email'
    msg['To'] = 'your_email'
    server = smtplib.SMTP('your_smtp_server')
    server.sendmail('your_email', 'your_email', msg.as_string())
    server.quit()

# Main function
def main():
    projects = get_open_projects()
    send_daily_summary(projects)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

This script saves me at least an hour a day by automating my project management tasks.

Time Tracking Automation

I use the toggl API to automate my time tracking workflow. I've created a Python script that starts and stops the timer automatically based on my GitHub activity.

python
import requests
import json
import time

# Toggl API credentials
token = 'your_toggl_token'
user_agent = 'your_user_agent'

# Start timer
def start_timer(project):
    url = 'https://api.toggl.com/reports/v8/details'
    headers = {
        'Authorization': f'Token {token}',
        'User-Agent': user_agent,
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    }
    data = json.dumps({
        'user_agent': user_agent,
        'description': project,
        'tags': ['development'],
        'pid': 12345  # Your project ID
    })
    response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, data=data)
    return response.json()

# Stop timer
def stop_timer():
    url = 'https://api.toggl.com/reports/v8/details'
    headers = {
        'Authorization': f'Token {token}',
        'User-Agent': user_agent,
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    }
    data = json.dumps({
        'user_agent': user_agent,
        'description': 'Break',
        'tags': ['break'],
        'pid': 12345  # Your project ID
    })
    response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, data=data)
    return response.json()

# Main function
def main():
    # Start timer when you start working on a project
    project = 'My