Three productivity tools that help me stay focused (and one tool I ditched with no regrets)
It feels like the understatement of the year to say that I had a hard time finding and keeping my focus for most of 2020, and while it’s improved somewhat in the last two years, it’s still challenging. Between learning how to work from home while my kids were also home, sharing office space with my husband for several months, and the overwhelming state of the world for most of the year, some days it felt great to just complete a single task. Sent one email? Great job, you! Managed to post a blog? Wow, you are killing it. And so on. You get it, right?
And while I’m always nodding along when I read those “you’re doing great if you just get up and get dressed today” posts, the truth is, my productivity bar for myself has always been pretty high. Plus, working is a great way to shut out the noise of all the things, and every time I do manage to make some serious progress, it feels great.
So, I got laser-focused on using the right tools to help me get work done more efficiently, knowing that my window each day to really just focus on the business would likely be pretty short.
Now, in a bit of reflection mode, I can see that there were three tools that really helped me be productive and focused, and one tool I gave up completely because it just no longer worked for me.
My Simplified Planner and hyper-scheduling
It’s no secret that I love my Simplified Planner. I’ve been using this planner for almost five years, and it’s the one non-digital tool I cannot live without. I’ve gone back and forth between a weekly and daily but for now, I use a daily. However, I did make some adjustments to the way I use the planner, and it’s by far, the most effective way for me to stay focused.
First, I started hyper-scheduling. For example, instead of writing a long to-do list in the second column like I used to do, I broke the list up by the hour and used the left column to write specific tasks for each hour of the workday. Since my business is not “appointment based” for the most part, I could use that space in this way. This helped me do two things. First, it kept me focused on the task at hand. If it said that I needed to plan email content for the month starting at 11 am, that’s what I did at 11:00. If it took just 30 minutes, I either moved on to another task from my list or took a break. I typically write out my to-do list for the next day at the end of the current workday, as well.
Second, I sorted my to-do list column into two parts: home and work. My work-related tasks started at the top and my home-related tasks started at the bottom of the column and worked their way up. This was really helpful if I wanted a screen break - I just chose a task from my home list to get up and move around. The work to-dos in that column are typically smaller items and I prioritize them after the stuff on the left is done.
Third, I started purposely using the monthly spread for content planning. I’m hoping to share an entire post around this idea but in general, this space has always kind of been unused for me. I don’t like writing appointments in two places (the monthly spread and on each day) and I’ve never been consistent about using it for a single purpose. This year, I started using the monthly spread for content planning only. This means planning specific days to send emails, write blogs. batch social media, etc. I did that at the beginning of each month and then I added the specific tasks associated with that content to the corresponding day in my planner. This worked so well. I stuck to the schedule about 90% of the time and as a result, I sent consistent, valuable emails to my list ALL YEAR LONG and posted more blog content than in any other year so far. I’ve tried just about every digital tool out there for content planning but keeping this info right inside my planner has been by far the best strategy for me.
2. Using Dubsado for 100% of my client work
Oh, how I could write ten posts about my love for Dubsado. This tool has helped me streamline my 1:1 client work more than any other business tool I’ve ever used. In 2019, I used Trello for the better part of the year, and I also played around with Asana a couple of times, but neither tool really got my full buy-in. Since Dubsado offered me the chance to use it for free (for up to three projects), I had nothing to lose and decided to see if it would work for me. Best decision ever! Without going into tremendous detail, I’ll share three ways Dubsado really helps me stay focused and work efficiently.
First, I set up workflows for my most popular client services (website design and email marketing setup). This meant every time I finished a task, my workflow automatically created to-do list items, automated emails, or a combination of both. My process became so efficient that I was finishing projects in record time.
Second, I (gently) pushed my clients to use their dashboard and client portal to view our project progress and deadlines, and I spent WAY less time sending emails and reminders. Clients loved the ease of using the portal, and I loved seeing every piece of project information in one place.
Third, by using the proposal/contract/invoice workflow, I spend almost no time drafting contracts, proposals, or collecting deposits. I literally just copied my masters for each of those items, tweaked it for the specific client, and sent it out. I also loved using my lead capture forms because I can quickly move a lead to a project/proposal status without manually entering their information!
Oh, and a bonus I’ll throw in was the built-in time tracker for projects. This tool helped me keep track of hours spent on each project and better handle how long tasks actually take me. I loved doing that right inside Dubsado instead of using yet another online tool. This tracker is also perfect for managing my monthly retainer clients.
3. Seamless transitions between Apple devices // Notes App, AirDrop, website handoffs, etc.
Since 2020, I’ve worked all over the house instead of just in my office. Some days I need to be on the Macbook downstairs while my youngest hangs out after school. Many days I work from my iPhone outside just to get fresh air and a break from looking at the inside of my house. And while I’ve been a Mac girl for many years, this year I really saw the benefit of using the seamless transitions between all of my Apple devices (phone, iPad, laptop, and desktop).
I organize my Notes app on my phone, making lots of sub-folders under Work (categories like email ideas, social media text, digital product ideas, etc.) If I have an idea for a social media post, I jotted it down in my notes app under the social media folder. Then when I’m on the Macbook or iPad, I move it to where I keep those ideas on the computer. Same goes for email ideas, client notes, or website updates.
I use Chrome 99% of the time for my internet browser. I finally started getting very smart about using the handoff feature and sending links to my iMac. So if I’m working on my phone, I send it to my iMac instead of bookmarking a site, so it will open the next time I log in. I find that I hardly ever remember to look at the bookmarks but using the handoff is a great way to manage this.
I use Airdrop to send photos from my phone to my iMac several times a day, and my reminders app is synced between all devices and sorted by Home and Work reminders.
Using all of these Apple features to their full potential is incredibly helpful in staying focused when I’m not working 100% in my regular office space. I’ve never been so happy to be a Mac gal!
I’ve continued to use some of my other favorite tools this year, like Dropbox for file storage on the go, and of course, my Zoom account got lots of love, but these three tools are definitely responsible for my most productive days of the year.
There was one tool I gave up in 2020 with no regrets - Hootsuite. I have used Hootsuite on and off for years, even before opening my business when I worked in the nonprofit industry. And while it has some great features and the idea of scheduling all my social media content ahead of time has merit, I just stopped using it without thinking too much of it. I used a content calendar all year but found myself just manually creating the posts each time. Since I use my own brand templates in Canva for both Facebook and LinkedIn, creating the posts isn’t time-consuming at all. I did batch that task most weeks, but when it was time to post, here’s what I did:
I used my own writing prompts to create my content calendar (written in my planner, as mentioned above)
I saved my Canva templates in my social media folder on my iMac, or if they were created on another device, I used AirDrop to send them to my desktop.
When it was time to post, I pulled up my social media notes in my Notes app and finished drafting the post text, and then posted it in real-time.
This was typically a 5-minute task, and since I usually only post about three times a week, it was really easy to stay consistent. Plus, I saw higher engagement when I posted it in real-time versus having it scheduled and pushed out. This won’t work for everyone, but it works for me, so I’ll continue this method into the foreseeable future.
I hope this little glimpse behind-the-scenes is helpful as you think about your own productivity. I’d love to know what tools you love and use most, too! Drop them in the comments below.
Until next time,
Andrea
P.S. My latest tool obsession is Grammarly Premium. I love to write, but everyone can use a little help with grammar, word choice, and overall more effective writing. Snag a Grammarly Premium account here or start with a free trial!