When it comes to running your own business it can seem impossible to stay organized throughout the day. While it may seem impossible to be an organized entrepreneur, there are lots of different software apps that you can use to help you keep track of everything… No joke, if you can think of it, there’s an app for it!
For the business side of an entrepreneurs’ life there are apps that will plan your day, navigate a project that you’re collaborating on, send your collaborator updates without your even prompting… and if all that didn’t trip you out, you should see how some newer apps help you manage your personal life, as it pertains to your business as an entrepreneur!
I actually have an app that reminds me when not to schedule business calls because I’m about to ovulate and I tend to get super judgemental and snappy! Wow… With that in mind, here are the top five software applications that will boost your business efficiency.
Top 5 Software Apps
That Will Boost Your
Business Efficiency
Project Management
One of the best software applications you can use within your business is one for project management. Larger companies will especially benefit from an app like this if you produce many projects and campaigns.
Some of the more popular software apps for project management are Trello, Asana, and Basecamp. Project management software apps are used to discuss ideas, plan marketing campaigns, share pictures of your kids, etc… They’re a one-stop-shop for all the things teams do together!
Easily organize and plan workflows, projects, and more, with Asana, a web and mobile app designed to help teams organize, track, and manage their projects. Basecamp also puts everything you need to get work done in one place. “It combines all the tools your team needs in a single, straightforward package that makes work feel like less work!”
Then you have Trello, which is known for its excellent note-sharing, file-sharing, even real-time video-sharing abilities. You’re allowed to make as many lists as you like for as many topics as you want (i.e., project notes, the organizational structure of a business, etc). If you’re working with a team, you can also invite them to be part of your boards and tasks. For a more -in-depth guide to using Trello, you can visit this site here.
Appointment Booking
If your business revolves around appointments and meetings, you may want to consider using appointment and booking software. These programs allow potential clients to book their own appointments or meetings at a time that’s best for them.
Even better, the time blocks that they have to choose from, are pre-determined by you, as a time that already works with your schedule. Once the appointment time is confirmed by your client, the scheduled event will automatically appear on your iCal or Google Calendar.
Not only does this cut out the back of forth of finding a time that you’re both free, but you’ll also both get reminders before the event. For more information about online appointment scheduling, you can visit this site here.
Social Media Scheduling
One of the hardest things to stay on top of as a modern-day business owner is when to post on every single social media platform, at which times throughout the day. It’s very time-consuming to curate content, to begin with.
Then you have to create graphics for every post you’re scheduling on each site. Finally, you’ll have to adjust the dimensions of every single graphic design you made, depending on which social media platform you’re planning to post it to.
The best thing you can do to get some of your life/time back is to use a social media scheduling app. My personal favorite Buffer (seen to the left), and Hootsuite, Co-Schedule or Meet Edgar, are just a few of the many still, choices. A scheduling app will allow you to batch your work, scheduling as far as two to three months in advance. For a guide to using social media scheduling tools, you can visit this site here.
Daily To-Do Lists
When it comes to staying on top of your daily tasks, to-do lists are as useful as ever for getting yourself organized. To-do lists are usually best written the night before the day you’re planning. Using apps like To-Doist or Evernote will help your productivity and time management goals for the day ahead.
Of course, you can always use digital planners which you can download from your smartphone’s app store. Digital planners are to-do lists solely for your smartphone. The best ones will allow you to print out a snapshot of your day too.
Communication & Teamwork
If you have a remote team of people in your business, finding a software application that allows you to all communicate at once is a great idea. One of the best suggestions for a program like this is an app called Slack. It’s like a grown-up version of Facebook Messenger!
Not only does Slack act as a messenger system for your team but it also lets you create groups within your team. On top of that, you can drag/drop file share among groups within your team, and so much more! This is great for projects that are group and not company-wide. The boss can also look in on whatever individual groups are doing.
Are you struggling to stay organized within your business? What software would help you? Let me know in the comments section below.
Jessica Rose Adams
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