Top Productivity Apps that Will Change Your Life and Your Business

So today, we're going to be talking about one of my very favorite things. In the topic of productivity, technology, software, and automation. It's absolutely changed my life in my business. So I tell people all the time, if you could just set up people's offices with Apple technology, so they could be paperless and wildly productive, I would be in heaven. Apple is amazing for the creative industry. We have an entire lesson in GST Academy of me walking you through my favorite Mac and iPhone, and other Apple technologies that we use every single day and all of the businesses that I'm part of, and we've taught others to use the apple technology the right way and save hundreds of hours each week. But since this is a podcast, and I can't exactly have you sitting right next to me and watching my screen, or having you watch a video, because you may just be listening to the audio, where it feels like you're looking over my shoulder, I wanted to instead talk you through a few things about why technology and why tools is so important. And why having the right technology and the right tools. Having technology and tools doesn't mean that you're going to be productive. It's having the right technology and the right tools. They're so important for the health of your business. At the end of the day, all the things that we're doing in our businesses are to help people solve problems, right? Our customers have a problem. And we have products and services that help them solve their problem. But when we can't do that in a productive way our lives and schedules suffer.
It's just reality. Technology is an amazing tool if it's used properly. But I've also seen things get really out of hand and clients end up with more apps and more technology than they could ever use. And then they end up spending so much money and so much time on their apps and their tech. And then they're not saving anything. So it's really important to understand the strategy of how to do all of this. So there's three things, three, just three, that you want to ask yourself when you're looking to use technology to increase your productivity. There's three things that I want you to ask yourself when you're looking to use technology in your company to increase your productivity and your business ready. Here's question one. What is the job that needs to be done here? Can it be eliminated or streamlined? And what I mean by that? It doesn't do you any good to rely on technology to do the job that doesn't need
To be done in the first place. So that's the first thing to ask yourself, just because you've done it that way doesn't mean you need to keep doing it that way. And sometimes we get so set in our ways of doing things that we don't take the time to actually think through processes, and the steps that it takes to get something done. So before you pull in technology,
and spend money, and time and effort on something, double check and make sure that you have a solid process in place first, then use the technology or the platform. We're set up automation to help it go faster, because being clear on your process is going to help the speed of the technology to help. Question too, is this app going to save time or money? Sometimes we're hesitant to start using apps or different pieces of software technology. Because when I'm looking at a new tool or a new app to pull into our business, the thing that I'm always thinking about is whether or not this is going to save me time or save my team members time. If something's going to save five hours a week. So that's one hour a day in a workweek. It's a no brainer, why would I do it. So getting the app downloading the app or a piece of software to do a job that is so much less expensive than paying another person or even yourself to do it, in some cases is the way to go. Now, there are some pieces of software, especially when it comes to automating your marketing, that might feel like it's going to take some time in the beginning, not less, so it's not going to save you time upfront. But that comes with the territory on some things you've got to train and learn for the payoff for later.
If you're constantly spending time one by one individually, going to your contacts, let's say in your email list or in your cell phone, and you've got something new going on in your business or you want to share something exciting or share a message. Having a CRM something like Active Campaign, HubSpot, Infusionsoft keep, that actually does end up saving you time in the end, to automate some of those things that in the beginning, it's gonna take some training. And it's gonna take some time and effort and discipline to set a new process up, but it is so worth it in the long run. Question three,
will this app fit into the way I like to do things, I'm big on how things look, if I don't like the way it looks, or if I have to tap or click too many times, I'm not going to use it. So I don't want to expect my team to use it. So here's an example of what I mean by this video is my preferred method of communication. or text messages and emails can be misconstrued or misunderstood. So many times. So sometimes it is better for me to just make a video or if I have a scheduled call, just get on the phone and say it the way that you need to say it, it's so much easier to communicate and see the body language before someone reading a text or an email. And they're misunderstanding what I'm saying. And also really communicating details. That's why I love video. I love Marco Polo, there's so many great apps out there that are wonderful. And it's just easier. No, I can't always just hop on the phone with my team or with a client. And I don't want to fill up inboxes with constant emails. And I really don't like to get on apps like slack or same page. It's just another way to communicate Yes, but then it's an opportunity for more miscommunication. And so when we're messaging back and forth all the time, I like to use video messaging. And again, one of my favorite apps is Marco Polo, they have a free version, they have a paid version. And that's something that we use internally, it's almost like a video walkie talkie. So I send messages explaining something that needs a more detailed explanation and information. So my team has clarity on how they can help me achieve the goal for our business or for our clients. And you know what they can watch it when they have time to watch it. And we have just set up a process internally that works for us. Now for some people, slack is great. They can type and track things. But that would actually make me crazy. Because I don't like to read a bunch of to do things. That's just me. I'm not a great reader. I have to read things over and over to make sure that I'm actually retaining it the way that the sender actually wanted me to interpret what they're sending and
It just takes up way too much brainpower. And so that's what I mean by thinking through is the app going to be something that is going to help you play off of your strengths, and be something that you actually use in your day to day business life. And it doesn't matter if everyone is going to be using a piece of technology. If it doesn't fit, then don't use it. If you aren't comfortable on video, and you don't like video, then obviously don't choose that. You can also do voice memos, you can do notes on Marco Polo. And again, there's other apps as well. So make sure that you're choosing something that's going to be great for you. So once you've answered all three questions, what is the job that needs to be done here? And can it be eliminated or streamlined? Is this going to save time and money? And will this app fit into the way that I like to do things, you can usually do a free trial on just about every platform or app to make sure that it's the right one for what you need it to do.
But if you sign up for a free trial, make sure you set the time aside to actually use it and make sure it's going to work for you. Or you can get a free demo with someone from the company that you are looking to invest in. But definitely make sure you're leaning on technology to help you streamline and get things done in your business. Here are some things that I want to make sure are happening with your technology in your business, learn how to use your computer, set it up to work for you watch YouTube videos, I have a ton of them, read manuals, people are shocked when I sit down and show them things that their Mac computer can do for them right out of the box. It comes with it. Take some free Apple classes, watch my free youtube videos. And depending on what else you need, you're able to add a couple of apps here and there that have amazing tools at your fingertips, and many of them are free.
And even the paid versions are so worth every penny again, going back to your time, what is your time worth, make sure you have everything on your computer backed up in the cloud, there's multiple platforms that you can use. The goal is to not have anything live on your computer. It gives me such peace of mind to know that everything I do is stored in the cloud online, it's safe, and it's backed I have personally had my car broken into my purse was stolen in my paper planner, which at that time I thought was my life was stolen. So I know how empty it feels. And it sucks. And I've also had clients lose everything because they didn't have a good backup process or system in place. And because they had all their documents on papers or in a notebook, something has happened to it. It's been stolen, we've been through fires, we've been through floods, and they didn't have anything backed up. It's such an empty feeling. If this feels overwhelming at all, take it step by step one day at a time, learn one new tip on how to use your computer more efficiently and practice that for one week. One thing once a week, you don't have to do everything at once. In fact, if you take that approach, you end up doing nothing, you end up not creating a new habit. And we want these tools and technology to be a permanent part of how you think and how you are using productivity in your business. And if you overwhelm yourself with too many apps, that can't happen, okay, unveiling what I'm doing and helping other clients do in their business is one thing, but taking action is another and I want you to take some action. So this week, take a look at the technology you're using every single day. Do you know how to use it all? Are you actually using all the features? Are you maximizing your technology? Are you maximizing your technology? Are there things that you have that you're not using right now?
Are there things that you need to learn? Are there new apps that you need to consider adding to your stack, getting your time back by using technology is a no brainer. But you have to actually commit to try new things and to use the things that you already have. If you want to learn something new, go over to my YouTube channel or if you're watching
You may already be here. I'll leave my link in the show notes, and check out my productivity playlist. If you learn a new tech thing you've never tried before, take a screenshot and share it on social media. Let me know. I love hearing from you. It drives me and excites me to get up every single day and help you become more productive in your business. Oh, and tag me at Angela Proffitt on Instagram. And I'll share it in my stories that you're using technology to serve you and your business so that you can get more done and keep your life balanced and flowing, which is so important. My YouTube channel and social media platforms are a great way to follow along and learn about the new tools that I'm constantly discovering all the time. But if you really need to know how to use your technology more efficiently, or if you're looking for the step by step guidance and processes to ingrain these habits and practices in everything you're doing. Don't miss your chance to sign up for GST Academy. Go to the GST academy.com right now and make sure to get your email address in there. Depending on when you hear or watch this episode, you may have a chance to sign up on a waitlist, but we're going to be opening the academy really soon. And you don't want to miss out. So I'll see you back here next week. Have a GST day. Bye. What's up GST leaders thank you so much for tuning in. And I would love for you to text me your number one takeaway, any feedback that you have, and we're also starting a new series called The number one time suck how you can be more productive and GSD and everyday life so you can be present. So if you can help us out and let me know. just text me your number one Tom Cech 6155 to 78755 Let's get shit done.