I always love how a new year begins. Slow and controlled like everyone took a deep breath. But then, something changes. By the end of January, it’s like a switch is flipped. By this time of year, the floodgates have opened.
Multiple projects are underway, requests are stacking up, and phrases like “treading water and trying to keep your head above the waves,” “drinking from a firehose,” and “holding it all together with one bobby pin” feel very familiar.
I was told that I am an excellent project manager. Just recently, someone on my team texted me to say, “I just want you to know that you are still my favorite person to work with. You keep all project parameters and assets in line and delivered together. Thank you for being such a great project manager!” Wow. I do think I “keep it together” better than many, but even I have room to improve. One of my main goals for 2020 is to manage projects more efficiently – to increase productive communication and decrease turnaround times.
If you’re in the same boat as me, you get so busy you have no time to think and plan for the future. What you need is well-constructed motivation, productivity tools, and… maybe a good, strong cup of coffee. You know what they say, the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. So let’s get started.
So Many Apps To Choose From
Beth Ziesenis, who branded herself “Your Nerdy Best Friend,” and once spoke at an RBMA Marketing Conference, has produced a book called “The Bigger Book of Apps.” If you’re looking for solutions for better organization, increased productivity, collaborating with your team, and better ways to reach your target audience, this book has lists upon lists of applications to choose from and summaries of what they do.
I’m going to share a few of my personal favorites – some that have made a world of difference in how I manage my day and will help you supercharge your workflow.
My Favorite Productivity Apps
WordPress – if your website is not currently developed in WordPress, you’re missing out. It’s the most user-friendly development platform allowing even the most unskilled user to make quick changes to your website copy and images.
Trello – If you need a project management system, Trello is a great resource. It is a Kanban-style list-making application that has seriously robust features for managing team projects – whether local or remote with desktop and smartphone versions. You can receive notifications and set deadlines so that you never miss.
My Favorite Organization Apps
Dropbox – This is by far the best, on-the-go, in the cloud, file storage, and sharing system. Quickly receive and share any size file.
Rocketbook – a smart notebook that allows you to write notes with a special ink pen, then upload your notes with your smartphone to the cloud. We prefer to store on Dropbox. Simply wash the pages and reuse.
LastPass – I would be lost without the desktop and mobile version of this password management tool. It allows you to keep and quickly access unique and cryptic passwords for every login you need. And these days, that’s a lot!
My Favorite Design and Inspiration Apps
Canva and Creative Market – need a quick design to complement a blog or social media post? Design graphics or get inspiration using pre-made templates and post them directly on social media or place in a presentation.
Focus@Will – find your groove with music based on your personality.
And straight out of the primate division,
My Favorite Apps for Quickly Reaching Your Target Audience
SurveyMonkey – I used to not be a huge fan of this survey app. Still, they’ve really stepped it up with free and paid features, including multiple question formats, WordPress integration, and real-time results analysis.
MailChimp – This marketing automation tool has free and paid versions to send and track emails. With easy to use newsletter building and sharing tools, MailChimp offers quick access to results.
Do you want to know what the best-kept secret is of them all? It’s knowing where to place your bets for excellence, even if you have to let some things slip. Most, if not all of us, struggle with saying “no”. But if you can’t do it, and do it well, it’s best to let it go.
Want to read on the go? Download the PDF from RBMA by clicking HERE.
