Is it just me but are creatives prone to a little chaos? Iāve always had a ton of off-the-wall ideas and jump from project B before fully finishing project A. Itās both a gift and a curse creatives face. While I wouldnāt give up my imagination for anything, I would LOVE to be more organized. Through research and a lot of trial and error (like my crazy journey for a morning routine), Iāve found the seven best tools to get organized.
When youāre a small business owner, you donāt have a choice but to get your to-do list and life together. When I started my blog, there was so much I had to learn. From finding the top data integration tools to figuring out what marketing tools were best to grow my audience, I think I have finally figured out what I am good at. These methods have helped me a lot and I don’t think I would be where I would be with my blog if it wasn’t for doing a bit of research. I hope these tools help you feel a little more ready to tackle your day. If there is anything Iāve learned this year, itās that weāre all just āfiguring it out.ā
Boomerang for Gmail
I never ever thought it was possible to get to the elusive āInbox Zero.ā Publicists and journalists have heard legends of such things, but each time we tried it was like trying to uncover the Chamber of Secrets as a muggle. Enter: Boomerang for Gmail, my personal letter to Hogwarts. This email feature is MAGICAL.
A few of the reasons why Boomerang is a game changer:
- You can schedule your emails to go out when you please, which means you donāt have to be the crazy workaholic emailing your team at 1 a.m.
- You can āboomerangā emails, which essentially removes them from your inbox and you set the terms on when you want it to come back. Some options are āBoomerang to me if no one replies in X number of daysā
- Pitch a new brand or reach out to a reporter for a new project? Boomerang will remind you if youāre still waiting on that reply.
There are so many options so itās a tool youāll definitely have fun playing around with. Subscriptions are free for up to 10 emails a month, but Iāve upgraded mine to $5 with the personal plan. You can check it out here.
Trello
Iāve tried Trello and countless other project managers for the longest time and it always felt like things could never stick! My friend and I decided to set up very structured Trello workflows after watching this episode of Marie Forleoās channel on āWhy Smart People Underperform.ā Hereās our secret formula: we focus on three goals per day and nothing else. Social psychologists and workplace gurus alike have touted three as the magic number for achieving your goals, and so far I can say this is really working for me. Rather than having a to-do list of 20, Iām able to put quality work out into things I love. This rule also really forces you to prioritize whatās most important. Once those goals are completed, we move items from our āmaster listā of goals into the day to keep working. We also established three weekly, monthly and yearly goals so we have big picture items weāre working toward.
Trello boards can also be used for easy things like tracking your ideas and overall life. There are 1,001 OTHER Trello workflows to try. You can check more resources out on the Trello blog.
CoSchedule
I know not everyone who reads this blog is a marketer or blogger, but CoSchedule has become a hugely beneficial resource to keep my blog calendar up-to-date with fresh ideas and my social media platforms active. CoSchedule integrates all of your social media in one place, so I have the ability to reshare old posts on social media, post to Facebook groups Iām a part of, find the best recommended times to post, schedule pins and plan blog posts. There is a WordPress plugin, but CoSchedule also has a standalone site.
The downside is that CoSchedule is a little pricey if youāre not using all of its many benefits since plans start at $19. If youāre less active on social media and donāt have a need for planning an editorial calendar for your marketing content. Apps like Later for Instagram (free) and Tailwind for Pinterest ($15 a month) are great options.
Evernote
Evernote was my first love when it came to project management. I used to always create to-do lists and get satisfaction by checking them off each day. While I no longer use Evernote as my task manager, I still use it for plenty of other things!
My FAVORITE feature about Evernote is the business card tool. Going to networking events for work has allowed me to accumulate quite the stockpile of business cards. They fill my wallet, take over my desk, and sometimes even become bookmarks. I know itās terrible, but I donāt want to actually get rid of a potential contact! (Exactly what a hoarder would say.) Evernote includes a business card camera that captures an image of your business cards and pulls all of the information into a contact note that includes name, company, job title, contact info and even a photo pulled from their LinkedIn page. The integration is a GAME CHANGER and has allowed me to finally recycle those mounds of paper Evernote Basic and Plus users get one year of business card scanning for free.
I currently use the Basic (free) plan which allows you to forward emails into your Evernote account and annotate PDFs. Aside from tracking my business card, Evernote is a great place to store photos of important documents and shopping lists; you can even share them with roommates or your S.O. to make shopping or household errands easier.
Moment
Have you ever realized just how entrenched in distractions we become when our phone is in armās reach? From scrolling Facebook to watching YouTube videos, there is no shortage of enticing visuals and empty storylines to make us stop what weāre doing and give into the black mirror of a screen. And the phone can be enjoyable, too! Whether weāre sending gifs to a friend or refreshing Instagram to watch photo likes roll in, there is an addicting satisfaction that lies where online connection begins. But hereās the thing: are you working?
I donāt think we should completely QUIT holding a phone or delete all of our apps. Itās not easy or realistic. What I DO think we should examine is how much screentime weāre really giving to this little box. The Moment app helps me reclaim my time (cc: Maxine Waters) by recognizing just how addicted to my phone I am. I get reminders throughout the day with how long Iāve been on my phone. There is nothing to ruin the mood of a deep dive into someoneās Facebook profile your examining than a pop-up to tell you youāve been at it for 30 minutes.
If you upgrade your Moment you account, you can even set up time limits and lock yourself out of apps once youāve spent enough time there.
Google Calendar
Donāt trust your sense of memory, I PROMISE you will be disappointed. Last month, I missed TWO appointments because I failed to add them to my Gmail calendar. I already have pretty intense brain fog throughout the day so if I donāt keep a to-do list or date book, nothing will get done. I prefer having an online calendar like Gmail because I can have it on the go without having to second guess myself. If youāre a handwritten kind of gal or guy, that works, too! Itās all up to whatever system suits you best. The most important thing to consider when adopting a new tool is the ease of use. If a tool or habit is easy to incorporate into your day, youāll have a better chance at succeeding.
Accountability Partners
There are only so many new apps and tech features we can use to stay on our A-game. One of the most helpful things Iāve learned while trying to stay on task is to find an accountability partner. To be clear, Iām not trying to call my friend a TOOL. I just find that human connection and accountability can trump the apps we use consistently. Your friends donāt have a snooze button. Find a friend with similar determination and goals, and buddy up with them. Maybe itās for a weekly check-in or maybe itās sharing a Trello board so you can see each otherās progress. Figure out what works best for you, and make a plan. Itās not uncommon for me to get a text from my accountability partner applauding me on progress or asking for an update. Some forms of accountability just canāt be simulated.
I hope these tips help you increase your productivity and get organized! What tools do you use to stay focused?