When it comes to productivity in business, there are certain tools I use that make my life so much easier. Automation and simplicity is key, so the more I can keep things off random pieces of paper and out of my inbox, the better!

Today, I want to share 5 tools that make my business life easier. 

This blog post contains affiliate links, which means that I get perks if you sign up or purchase something through these links. It doesn’t add any extra cost to you (often, they’ll help you, too!), and helps my business, as well. 

1. Toggl

I’ve talked about tracking my time before in this blog post, but more than almost any other tool, Toggl is the thing I use daily in my business. Not only does it help me keep track of my time for invoice purposes, I can also see where my time is going and where the gaps in productivity are.

2. Honeybook

Honeybook helps me stay organized with both my clients and my finances. I can easily track my client process and see contracts, questionnaires, invoices, financial reports, and data (including referral analytics). (Side note—using this link will give you 50% off Honeybook for your first year!) 

3. Loom

Loom is an online screen-recording tool. I use it to create short videos of all different types for my clients. I’ve created videos on how to use another tool (like Slack), I’ve created videos getting clarification on projects, and I’ve created videos on how to do various tasks (such as creating a custom Starbucks gift card.) The possibilities are endless, and using video or screen recording is a great way to both connect with and communicate clearly with your client!

4. Slack

Slack is the easiest way to communicate with my clients. It’s basically instant messaging on steroids—it keeps everyday communication out of the inbox (where it can easily get lost or overwhelming) and streamlines working with clients who have teams that consist of more than just me. I can also integrate other apps (such as Asana) right in Slack so we can assign tasks without even leaving the platform. 

5. Canva

While I do have more “professional” graphic design software, Canva is super simple to use and does the trick for most design work that I do. For my own business, I create all my Pinterest graphics, website graphics, and even parts of e-books in Canva. It’s easy to use…even if you don’t have any graphic design experience!

All of these tools are bookmarked on my Chrome browser, and I open them at least every week—some even multiple times a day. I love figuring out ways to make life easier and more streamlined, and these 5 tools do a lot for me in that department! 

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