My Top Five Productivity Tools

The last few months have been so hectic managing life and the launch of my new design and branding studio. Having productivity tools to help me stay focused on tasks and get through my work has been my saving grace.

Remaining Productive During the Busy Season

One of the hardest things to do is stay productive when a busy season arrives. While Covid has us staying indoors and spending more time together, that has not meant SLOW DOWN for our family since the summer. While many are able to take the slow-down approach, sometimes life is just too busy and we must find ways to remain productive.

I’ve learned quite a few lessons over the last couple of months and as I look back over the last few weeks I notice I made plans for things to happen that just didn’t pan out. What I have come to realize through these lessons is that when it comes to having some kind of harmony in your life you will at some point have to let some things shift and you’ll need to adjust and pivot.

I don’t think I would make it through the season however without systems in place to help me remain intentional and in tune with myself, my family, relationships, and the needs of my business. One of the best productivity tools you can add to your list is having a positive mindset.

When we let things go and release ourselves of the desire that all things must be done in a specific way.

When we unravel the ideal of perfection

Then, we are able to see the beauty in the pivot and give ourselves grace.

How Can We Get Into a Productive Mindset?

Start by taking some notes and figuring out, where am I struggling the most? Ask yourself, what is your main goal in finding a system that works? Uncover what your true needs are in the busy season? Figure out what you need to focus more on? Or what you need to let go of.

Equipped with a positive mindset and my top five productivity tools I hope you’re able to crush your personal and professional goals for the rest of the year.

Some of these links may contain affiliate codes, meaning our family will receive a commission at absolutely no cost to you.

My Top Five Productivity Tools

Systems, Systems, SYSTEMS!
I can’t say it enough but what you’ll notice with each tool I have mentioned is the need for a system that helps me have the flexibility to customize to fit the needs of my busy life and save time.

Google for Business

I mean Google is a no-brainer! I use this system for calendaring, email-related tasks, email management and so much more. Google has everything you need in the system including video conference calling for client meetings. All of my businesses have emails hosted on the Gusuite platform making it easy for me to integrate calendars and coordinate across my personal and professional accounts.

CANVA Pro

I use Canva Pro to help me quickly create content for my blog and social media profiles. You can purchase my custom Instagram templates and customize them to your own brand from the Laco Creative Studio Shop. From the ability to create stunning resumes, Instagram posts, ads, and even animations it’s a one-stop-shop for making content easy and on the go.

LATER

Schedule your content on desktop and mobile and make it easy for yourself to post on your social media feed consistently. LATER is my current favorite because of its ability to post directly to Instagram stories as well as your feed.

Thanks to LATER, I am now able to plan my Instagram content a month in advance and schedule it out. It allows me to post every single day without fail.

TAILWIND

If you use Pinterest (which hello, you should), then you need to use Tailwind. Tailwind is a Pinterest-approved partner and an incredible scheduling tool that ensures that I am consistently pinning while saving me HOURS.

How Tailwind works… You create a pinning schedule, they even provide recommended times for you to choose from. Then you fill up your queue and Tailwind will auto-post for you! This way you can be pinning throughout the day, every single day, without needing to be physically on Pinterest!

MONDAY

I am a project manager in my professional career and manage plenty of projects at any given time. Because of this, I have tried numerous project management tools including Asana and Trello. But MONDAY is by far my favorite.

As your business grows, so does your to-do list. You start to create systems and processes that you repeat over and over again. Think quarterly plan, blog editorial calendar, maybe a podcast, client workflows, launch processes, and more. I live the ability to have a system like Monday that has amazing Integrations and automation for all kinds of businesses and workflows.

I love Monday because I can organize my business AND life because it syncs to my google suite. I also use this to manage consultants and client projects. It saves my life over and over again.

BONUS

A simple notebook and pencil that I use for daily tasks, quick thoughts, and nightly brain dumps!
Splendid Spoon subscription box to bring fresh plant-based food to my door (this saves me so much time on meal prep)