5 Productivity Tools to Help You Live Your Best Life

Live best life by using productivity tools to your advantage. Remember the quote I shared a few weeks back…

What’s the Point of Saving Time If We Don’t Use It To Savor What Makes Life Worth Living? – Christopher PetersonClick To Tweet

Seriously, time-management is all about eliminating the dull and useless things. Once that’s done, work your best in an efficient way. Finally, reap the benefits of uncluttered time to live your best life, now [not later].

Following my own advice, I set out to do just that, live my best life. And, I’m reaping the benefits of less stress, less overwhelm, and efficient business systems. Plus, I now take Friday [an admin. day], Saturday, and Sunday off.

Want to know how I did it?

Live Best Life by Investing in Productivity Tools and Services

Here are my favorite and smartest investments of 2016…

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Quick Links: Stock Images | Outsourcing | Working Smarter | Business Coach | Easy Button

1. Live Your Best Life with Beautiful and Affordable Stock Images

Have you ever been envious of those flat lay stock graphics on other’s Instagram timeline? I was… so many stunning timelines while mine is filled with DIY app generated quotes … it can make you a bit self-conscious or even make you want to give up! But I found a great set of stock photos that make my timeline shine too - and it saves me time plus increases my engagement, and I am so thankful!

Start A Mom Blog - Stock Images

I gotta tell you about Start a Mom Blog’s beautiful and affordable stock photos and how it helps me live my best life.

I found Start a Mom Blog in a Facebook group. A fellow business blogger was searching for affordable stock photos and asked for recommendations. As I was scrolling through my eyes stopped at “under $20”. What? There’s no way they are quality or maybe it is a monthly membership… I had to check it out…

But once I saw the gorgeous images, especially once I read the story about how she started taking stock photos [a must read] - WOW – inspiring and it saves me HOURS of time and helps me stay consistent with my brand on social media.

Plus, since I’m not spending time on searching for free stock photos I can concentrate on living my best life– it’s easy to create images for my business and I’m seeing results. More interaction and engagement, more traffic and more subscribers.

I can’t imagine going back to plain app generated quotes on my social media timeline – it makes my brand stand out!

For more info… Beautiful and Affordable Stock Images

#VATIP: Live Your Best Life with Beautiful and Affordable Stock ImagesClick To Tweet

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2. Live Your Best Life By Outsourcing

Totally frustrated with trying to create your own social media graphics? I was… so many different applications, legal issues in using photos not to mention looking for the perfect image, plus the huge time investment in making optimized images for each network – it can be overwhelming!

Louise Myers Ready-made Social Media Graphics

I must tell you about Louise Meyer’s ready-made social media graphics.

I found Louise a few years’ back while searching for a tutorial on how to make Facebook tabs for a client’s page. I noticed right away that she has an eye for making stunning graphics.

Last year I was in a time crunch. My client load was full and I just didn’t have time to make my own holiday graphics - Then I saw it! A crazy good black Friday sale from Louise in my Instagram feed. I clicked to her site right away…

One look at the variety of graphics and I knew I found my go-to source for ready-made graphics.

Once I added my logo, I added them to my scheduler and relaxed for the rest of December. I could concentrate on my clients’ work and enjoy the holidays with my family.

It was this sense of ease that made me decide to use ready-made graphics in the future for myself and my clients. I can’t imagine going back to doing it all myself again. Outsourcing helps me live my best life.

For more info…Holiday Social Media Graphics

#VATIP: Live Your Best Life By OutsourcingClick To Tweet

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3. Live Your Best Life By Working Smarter

Bloggers, have you ever been totally overwhelmed with doing social chore threads? I was… some threads have nearly 100 retweets, but what really frustrates me is having to retweet in real time. I mean how can you spam your twitter followers with 100’s of retweets at a time? But I found a great tool that saves time – and respects my follower’s timeline, and I am so thankful.

RetweetChores.com

Let me tell you about Retweet Chore Threads.

I found Retweet Chore Threads while promoting blog posts for my clients. It was promoted by one of the admins of a Facebook group. At first, I blew it off as a promotion for a self-made tool plus I really didn’t feel like paying for another tool every month.

But one day I was so overwhelmed by my workload I decided to give it a try – WOW – it saves me hours of time and helps me trickle my retweets instead of blasting my followers at once.

Once I copy and paste the retweet links into my dashboard, I schedule them out every 30-minutes to 1-hour and get a report at the end. I can now concentrate on other projects and enjoy the feeling of not spamming my follower’s timeline. Plus, I get to live my best life with the time I save.

I can’t imagine going back to doing it all myself in real time. This scheduler saves me time and honors my follower’s timeline by not cluttering it with tons of retweets at once. For more…RetweetChores

#VATIP: Live your best life by working smarterClick To Tweet

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4. Live Your Best Life and Hire a Business Coach

Have you ever been so overwhelmed in what to do next in your business that it paralyzes you? I was… so many ideas, where do I start?… it can make you bonkers or even make you want to give up! But I found a great business coach who organizes and simplifies all my jumbled thoughts and ideas - and helps me focus on just “the next step” instead of drowning in a sea of “must do’s” which saves me time plus calms my nerves and breaks the cycle of procrastination, and I am so thankful!

Alicia Jay, New Va Advice

I gotta tell you about Alicia Jay of New VA Advice – a beautifully encouraging and focus centered business coach for virtual assistants.

I found Alicia through a mutual acquaintance and joined her Facebook group for new virtual assistants. I’d been a V.A. for about a year and felt like I wasn’t growing and all the pieces of my freelance business were an unorganized mess. I was stuck and didn’t know what to do next. Just when I was at a standstill Alicia shows up on my timeline with a Va Biz Foundation Group Program. Talk about perfect timing… I had to check it out…

But once I saw the description of the program - WOW – synchronicity anyone?

“The program is designed to help you skip all the craziness and overwhelm that comes with starting a VA business, so you can get on with making your dreams a reality.”

And it did – After speaking with Alicia about my frustrations, she determined my ‘next step’. I made a 5-week plan and with her weekly accountability calls and support group, I could implement it right away.

Plus, since I wasn’t spending time on unnecessary tasks and projects I could fully concentrate on delivering on the promise to myself to finally organize and set up my business systems – it’s easy to focus on my business when I know my next step and I’m seeing results. More focus, less overwhelm, and better systems all lead to me living my best life.

I can’t imagine going back to that lost and stuck place before investing in Alicia as a business coach – it makes me (and my clients) stand out! For more info…Va Biz Coach Alicia Jay

#VATIP: Hire a Business Coach and Live Your Best LifeClick To Tweet

5. Live Your Best Life With The Easy Button

Have you ever been totally frustrated with trying to create content for your blog, your coaching program, your course, and social media? I was… so many different types of content, writing blog posts, course content, resources, Facebook statuses, and Tweets not to mention creating shareable images for Instagram, Pinterest, and every other social platform you market on. There’s a huge time investment – it can be overwhelming!

Easy PLR by Nicole Dean

I must tell you about Easy PLR, ready-made private label rights content.

I found Easy PLR a few years’ back and really didn’t think much of it. As a virtual assistant, I rewrite PLR for my clients all the time. It didn’t occur to me that I should use it in my own business – that is until I read Nicole Dean’s post on What Can You Do with PLR Articles? – it was then that my creative mind exploded with a multiplicity of ideas.

In 2013, I wrote my first eBook based on a packet of articles I purchased. I then repurposed it into an online course. Now…

I’m a regular consumer of PLR. I use it to develop lead magnets for clients, social media posts, social images, and podcast topics too. Saving time for my clients is my business and Easy PLR helps me do that efficiently and with extreme quality.

It is the easy button I push when I need ready-made content and ideas for myself and my clients. I can’t imagine going back to doing it all myself again. For more info…Easy PLR

#VATIP: Live Your Best Life With The Easy ButtonClick To Tweet

Live Your Best Life with productivity tools that save you time. Instead of using that time to do ‘more work’, use it to live your best life. Spend time with your loved ones. Travel. Eat more cake. ^_^

What would you add to this list? Leave a comment and let me know.

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