It’s been quite a while since I’ve been working on a workflow that works just right for my life. As an entrepreneur life gets really hectic at times and difficult to keep organized. But aside from being a business owner, life is so hectic in itself! I think I’ve found my system of keeping my personal and professional life as organized as possible, but it took a lot of trial and error to get here. No one told me that it took organization and time to actually be organized. Go figure!
First thing’s first – what is a workflow? Technically, workflow is defined as the sequence of industrial, administrative, or other processes through which a piece of work passes from initiation to completion. As an entrepreneur, creating a workflow is sometimes really overwhelming. You don’t know what works, you don’t know how to get started, and you don’t know what you need.
I downloaded a lot of apps over the years to try and test out different platforms. Tools like apps, notebooks, and planners are all a matter of preference. What might work for me might not work for you so it’s important to test things out, give it time, and then evaluate how it fits in with your needs. You’re not going to know within a day or a week whether something works for you. You’re going to need patience with each tool.
I didn’t realize how much investment it takes to get a productivity tool to work for you. I always just figured that once I download the app or open the planner it would just be “plug and play.” But I was so off base! It takes time to figure it out, make it work, and tweak it based on your needs. Because of the intense time investment I made in my current workflow I’m always hesitant to stray away from my current tools. It has taken me over 2 years to get it just right so if I do change something in my workflow, that must mean it was well worth it!
So here’s my current workflow and what I use each thing for. I’ll create a post on each tool so I can go more in depth in a separate post to share how I use these items. Stay tuned for those!
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iCal for time blocking, events, and meetings.
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Evernote for in depth weekly planning, writing blog posts, travel planning, long term projects, and note taking. If you’re interested in my initial set up you can watch my YouTube video here, but I actually need to update the vid. I made a few tweaks. Stay tuned for that! You can also see how I use it for travel planning here.
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Todoist for daily tasks and reminders. I have a YouTube video on my set up, you can view it here.
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Goodnotes for brain dumping, digital planner, and bible study.
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Trello for Blog Scheduling. Trello has been my most recent addition to the work flow. I posted about my current set up this past week, you can read it here.
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Apple Mail for email. This one doesn’t need much explanation except for 2 things. One, I archive my inbox every week that way it’s at zero when the new work week starts. Having messages (read or unread) in my inbox has always given me anxiety. Two, if it’s an email that needs to be saved like a flight confirmation I’ll forward it to my Evernote inbox using my Evernote account email. This will send that email to my default notebook. Comes in really handy!
Yes, I use and open each app almost every day. Definitely every work day. Not only that but I have each app on my iPhone and iPad so I have it at my fingertips if I’m not in the office. First thing I do when I get into work is open up all my apps and plan my day. I’ll start with I’m thinking about doing a video on how I make it all work so if you’re interested in that let me know.
I know this may be a lot for some, but quite honestly it’s because each thing has its own function in my life. I’ve tried countless times to just use 1 app or just use a planner but I can’t make it work for what I need and want it to do. Hence, my 6 different apps lol!
If you have any apps or services that you suggest please share! I have this tendency to always want the best out there when it comes to productivity.
xoxo,
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