There are many resources that prove useful to your life and business. It is important to know which one is suitable for you.
As a busy woman or mother in business, you need some essential resources to help you run your business and your life.
In this article I would love to share with you four simple essential resources that can help you avoid getting overwhelmed and instead run your life and business more smoothly.
1. Evernote
Like me, you probably have a thousand and one things on your mind to tackle and it is very easy to forget most of it.
The key is to have a tool that can help you capture everything you need to do and tick them off as you work on them. EverNote can help you do just that.
EverNote is a cool yet powerful cloud based tool that helps you remember everything. You can capture pictures, notes, create to do lists, set reminders or even record voice note reminders.
You can use Evernote to do a “brain dump” i.e write out all those bright ideas swimming in your head or those things that keep nagging your mind. There is something calm about downloading your brain onto paper or a system like Evernote. You stop feeling overwhelmed and actually start to use your mind to solve problems instead of storing problems. Your brain was made for problem solving and not problem storing.
You can also sync all of your notes across the computers and devices you use.
There is a free and paid version. I find the free one very valuable and versatile.
2. Google Drive
This is hands down one of the best tools out there to help you store your documents safely on the go. You can create docs, forms, spreadsheets, and presentations all from google drive and they readily convert into Word, Excel, PDF and Powerpoint.
Google drive syncs across all your devices when you make changes. You can backup your photos and videos on google drive as well.
Gone are the days of sending attachments to other people, all you need is a link to access the file. The best part is two people can upload a document at a time.
3. Google Calendar
This is a free online time management resource that can help you set reminders, set appointments and keep track of your life’s important events.
You can sync it across all your devices. You can share your calendar with others such as husband, children or colleagues at work. You can also integrate it with other google web services such as your Gmail account.
Another reason why I love Google calendar is that it helps me remember the birthdays of family, friends and clients.
A lot of people always wonder how I remember their birthdays; well let me share my secret with you. Once I find out when your birthday is; I simple set a reminder on google calendar as a recurring event with an alert the day before and on the day. Every year I get a reminder from Google Calendar on my phone and then I send out a birthday message or even a card to clients.
Your friends and especially clients would love that you remember their birthday every year. This would definitely put you on the top of their radar because they see that you care:)
3. Upwork
As a woman/mother in business, one of your goals should be to outsource the tasks:
- you do not enjoy,
- that takes you forever to do
- that you do not know how to do.
Any work that is not your core function but still needs to be done should ultimately be outsourced.
Outsourcing could be expensive so to start out I recommend this affordable outsourcing team called Upwork.com. On Upwork you can find writers, web designers, virtual assistants and any other kind of specialised help you need.
There are lots of advantages to outsourcing. One of which is that, it frees up time to do other things you enjoy e.g spending time with family and friends.
4. A Kitchen Timer
A very simple resource but a kitchen timer can help you stay focused and productive at work and even at home.
Once you have outlined your tasks for the day, set your kitchen timer or the timer on your phone for a reasonable amount of time to complete the tasks. Make sure you minimise all distractions during this time- shut down phone ringers, social media, emails and anything else that is likely to distract you. Get laser focused and blast your way through that task.
Once the time is up, move on to the next thing. You can always come back to that task later on if you are not finished. By doing this, you are more productive and efficient.
You can also use a timer with your children if you have any. Get them to “beat the timer” by doing activities you want them to do before the timer runs out. Meal times, Tidying up toys, brushing teeth & bath times are a good example of when to play the “beat the timer” game especially for children who love to compete.
There are so many resources you need to run your business and life but I like to keep things simple. If you use these four resources (or similar) I have listed, you will begin to see some effective changes in your business and life.
