I’ve been running my business full-time since January of 2013, and during that time, I’ve made a lot of mistakes as well as done a lot right! One thing I’ve always worked on is how can I work in a more productive way?
Productivity is the deliberate, strategic investment of your time, talent, intelligence, energy, resources, and opportunities in a manner calculated to move you measurably closer to meaningful goals.
Most of you know that family life can keep a person busy, especially when you are a mom. Moms tend to get a lot thrown onto their plates. When I was married and running my business, we had 3 kids (my son and two stepdaughters), and it seems there was always a place to take a kid or something they needed for school. My husband at the time often worked in sales, so he would often have extra work obligations which left me tending to the kids alone.
Then fast-forward to getting divorced, I then only had one kid to care for full-time (my son), BUT I had him 24/7 with no family near. I now had less time to work (because now by default I had to do everything) and needed to make more money. My ex was out of the picture totally, both physically and financially.
This brings me to my topic, productivity!
I’m sure you’ve heard many different ideas on how to increase productivity. And I like to keep it simple. Today I want to share with you my top 5 apps I use daily to get more done aka increase productivity.
And quickly before I jump in, those of you that think you are expert multitaskers, you are actually cutting down your productivity. You may not realize it, but you are. Trying to do more than one thing at once depletes your mental energy quicker AND causes you to not focus on one thing as well because your attention is split multiple ways.
So, no, I do NOT multitask. Unless you consider washing a load of laundry while working multitasking. Then I always have to remember I’m doing it and to dry it, LOL. One day I did laundry and left 2 shirts in the washer to hang to dry. I then forgot, added the dirty load, and washed them again. Thank goodness I didn’t ruin them! It’s likely I was trying to do more than one thing then. See, you shouldn’t multitask. 🙂
Here are my top 5 apps for productivity:
App #1 – Wunderlist (free): This is a list app. I have lists for groceries, errands, appts to make. I keep my lists grouped by topic. I have maybe 8 lists total; I don’t go crazy. Then as I go about my day, if I think of the milk we ran out of, I just quickly add it to my list. No more random notes, trying to remember what you needed. Now it’s all in one place!
App #2 – Voxer (free): If you are like me, you really don’t need MORE emails. I have started using Voxer with my students in my VA training and mentoring so they can ask me questions and get quick feedback. I use it with my mentor, too, along with others in the business. It is SO much faster to record quick audio rather than type a long email.
App #3 – Slack (free): Over time, I’ve had clients communicate via email, texting, FB messenger, Skype and more. Trying to keep up with messages in ALL the places is confusing and draining. I now have ALL clients use Slack along with our project management tool. And I tell them all task/project-related communication takes place in the tool we use for that, but quick questions, check-ins, random messages, etc., are all to be sent via Slack. And it’s great! If I have to run an unplanned errand and a client or team member has a quick question, I can reply.
App #4 – Amazon (free): I can hear some of you thinking, wait, how does Amazon increase productivity? Well, nowadays, you can pretty much order ANYTHING from Amazon. And I am a Prime member and get free shipping. Oftentimes during the week, I think of an item I need, and I will pull up the app, place my order, and 5 min later, done. No more taking up mental space or time thinking about that thing I need or when I have time to go get it. Just this morning, I remembered a ring light I needed to order and Pill Pockets for my dog. I hopped on, and now it’ll all be here in 2 days! Basically, I use Amazon for those items I need quickly but can’t get here locally where I live or can get them fast enough and save me from a trip driving somewhere.
App #5 – MyFitnessPal (free): If you are not making your health a priority, you should be. And I am one to talk. In my toxic marriage, I gained about 40 lbs in the last few years. I was NOT taking care of myself. I am happy to say I am well on my way to becoming that healthy version of myself that I want to be. And using this app is a time-saver! I can scan barcodes on my food so I can make sure I am on track for my calorie or goals. Then I have a Fitbit and have it synced with this, and it imports my steps and activity. You can also add friends, read inspiring articles, find recipes, and so much more. For those of you thinking that using the MyFitnessPal app takes more time, it does take a little. BUT when you feel better and have more energy, this is shown in your productivity.
Bonus tip: turn off social media notifications on your phone. It’s amazing how this changes things when you don’t have those pesky numbers showing you how many FB messages you have or how many people are waiting for you to take your turn on Yahtzee (maybe that’s just me, LOL)!
What apps do you use? Send me an email and let me know what you find useful. I’d love to share them on social media so others can maybe discover a new one that might really help them! And if you start using any I suggest, I’d love to hear your thoughts and how it’s helped you become more productive in life and business. 🙂
Helpful Links
I have some helpful information if you have enjoyed this article and want more. If you are a mom wanting to work from home but have no idea how to get started, grab my free getting started guide, “10 Easy Steps to Get Started as a Virtual Assistant.” And if you are lacking confidence and wondering if you really can do it, If I can do it, living in a small rural town in Missouri with no formal business education or entrepreneurial background, so can you!
Go here to grab the free guide!
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And feel free to comment here with a tip of your own. The more we support each other, the better!