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My 3 Favorite Apps for Staying Organized
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In honor of #CleanOffYourDeskDay, I started thinking about what programs and platforms actually help keep me organized. As someone who is always reticent to implement (and, let’s be honest, pay) for a new tool, when I find something I love, I am always happy to share. Below are my three favorite apps that keep me on task, plus a fourth option that has an app form (but I honestly use it on my desktop).
Honeybook – My Favorite Apps for Staying Organized
I was initially very skeptical about getting any sort of customer or project management platform. After all, I was already giving up a percentage to use Paypal and I couldn’t imagine taking that hit on another platform that I also had to pay for. Finally, after the second or third client couldn’t sign the Adobe form I sent over, I decided that there had to be a better way than printed paper contracts or fussing with tech support.
Now, after almost six months on Honeybook, you would now have to pry it from my cold, dead hands. I cannot imagine doing business without it.
There are a lot of functions on Honeybook and I don’t claim to be an expert. Ask in another six months what my favorite features are and you might get a different answer. For right now, the ability to customize contracts into fillable (and sign-able) forms is my absolute favorite. I can also communicate with clients directly through the app, collect payments, and use the calendar to make sure I never double book myself.
Note: The link for Honeybook is a referral link. It will get you 20% off your first year and gets me referral credit. My use of Honeybook isn’t dependent on anyone else using my link, but if I can offer you a discount, why not?!
Plann – My Favorite Apps for Staying Organized
There are plenty of hot takes of people saying that scheduler apps are a waste of money. Respectfully, I could not disagree more. If I didn’t have Plann, I would probably never post on social media because it would be too overwhelming and I would avoid it at all costs. Having a scheduler means I can break Instagram posts into smaller tasks and make incremental progress.
First I make a list of what topics I am going to cover and when I want those to post. (My goal is always to post 3 times a week. I’m not perfect, but I try.) Then I choose all of the photos I want to use and put those into Plann with the caption just stating the topic/idea I have for that post. Then, as the month goes on, I batch write the captions for the next week or so. Plann also now has auto-posting for certain types of posts, so I can set the post plus the hashtags and photo ID to automatically post.
Plann also has the capability to work with other social media platforms. Their most recent update is integrating with Pinterest and I love it. I basically replicate my Instagram planning strategy with Pinterest and it has made pinning just another part of my routine instead of being one more thing that I usually forget to do. (If I don’t have a system, it isn’t happening. It is just how I work.)
Note: Similar to Honeybook, the Plann link is also referral link. It will get you $10 discount and gets me referral credit. I’ve used Plann for 2-3 years now and figure that if my love can also get you some money off, why not?!
Dropbox – My Favorite Apps for Staying Organized
Transferring photos or other graphics from my phone to my computer (or vice versa) is not only annoying, but also can sometimes degrade the quality of the photo. For ease and to ensure quality, I use the free version of Dropbox so I can trade photos across devices without issues. You can also organize things in folders, send links through email, and just have things at your reference.
Canva – My Favorite Apps for Staying Organized (Bonus!)
This section should start with a confession: I’m nowhere near good enough with my phone to use Canva on it. I have to use the desktop version otherwise I just end up a frustrated mess. However, I included it because I do love Canva and they do have an app version. I use it to create my Pinterest graphics (see below), any social posts with text, and website pieces as well.
Did you find a new app that you’re going to try? Let me know in the comments and read more of my business/market blog posts!
