No matter who you are, time is the one resource you can never get more of.
With the turn of the new year, I want to shout out to the tools that have saved my life as I juggle a full time job and my startup on the side.
I promise this is not a paid ad (but don’t hesitate to slide into my DMs if you want to pay me!)
1. Hootsuite - It’s like a free assistant that will work for you while you are busy doing other things. Bank up a list of social media posts and use this tool to pre-schedule so that you don’t have to think about it every day.
PRO TIP: Pick a day (Sunday’s for me) to you schedule all of your posts. That way, you don’t have to bat an eye all week but your customers will think you are working 24/7. Going on vacation? Schedule as many weeks as you need to continue sharing content and advertise your products!
2. PayPal - asking for money is awk but it’s part of business.
PayPal is a trustworthy source (for both parties) that I use to send and receive invoices. Extra perk: PayPal provides free next day deposits OR same day for a small fee.
PRO TIP: I also use it as a tracking tool to see who has paid (if customer mailed a physical check).
3. Trello - I am a hardcore old fashion paper & pen calendar and to-do list lover. Just ask my family how annoying it is when we try to plan events. Trello has been a saving grace as I think of one-off tasks throughout the day (and sometimes when inspiration arrives mid REM at 2AM and I need a place to quickly capture them!)
4. Google Analytics - If I'm being honesty, I use Google Analytics as a pick-me-up when I’m feeling a lack of motivation. It can be very exciting to watch your website user base grow over time; proving that your hard work is paying off!
There are obviously a lot of other very helpful and productive features such as viewing which types of devices are most common visitors of your site. This helps me prioritize updates to make sure I am delivering website features that are aesthetically pleasing and accessible for my audience.
5. Book: Big Magic - I was absolutely exhausted and mentally drained flying home from a conference a couple months back. I was also stressed because the book was overdue at the library and therefore had a goal to finish it before I arrived back in Minneapolis. I didn’t think I could possibly read a sentence without falling asleep. I ended up reading the entire book in 3 1/2 hours. Gilbert's words inspired and energized me to keep soaking in knowledge to maximize my down time! Pick up this book if you need some inspiration for your side project.
6. Podcasts: I am addicted to podcasts (The School of Greatness by Lewis Howes being my favorite from 2019). I just discovered Smart Passive Income and am so impressed with the breadth of topics Pat Flynn covers - from time management to public speaking to selling your first product - he covers it ALL!
What are some life-saving tools that you use to manage your business? Comment below!
