Don’t Lose Your Balance
Top 10 Apps for Work-Life Balance
As we add new responsibilities to our plates (or are “gifted” new tasks), it is expected that we will manage, balance and produce effectively, efficiently and then inevitably…repeat.
Time management. Productivity. Work-life balance. These are the buzzwords reverberating through our personal and entrepreneurial lives; however, they also tend to be filled with ambiguity, subjectivity and for many, simply out of reach. In an ideal world, we would each possess a manageable load and matching strategies and tactics to achieve on high levels flawlessly. Unfortunately, life and work would be less colorful and more predictable, and many entrepreneurs prefer the variability that comes with business ownership. So what can we do to make the most of our days, enjoy our work, automate processes and revel in the moment? Grab your phone and download our Top 10 Balancing Act Apps:
OneNote saves information in pages organized into sections within notebooks. The interface provides an electronic version of a tabbed ring binder, into which the user can directly make notes and gather material from other applications.
WHY I LOVE THIS APP?
Much like the old school binders we used in high school with color-coded tabs (come on, I’m not the only one who remembers these!), OneNote allows you to separate various subjects. It can also replace all of your notepads, notebooks and the backs of napkins while being available on each of your devices. As a huge fan of brainstorming and a manager of multiple projects, I jot notes down any and everywhere. OneNote has helped me streamline and categorize my to-do lists and project deliverables and pushes due dates to my Outlook calendar.
ProofMe is the content collaboration and review tool that radically simplifies content review and approval.
WHY I LOVE THIS APP?
Working in teams is super rewarding, but gathering the team’s input on various versions of a project can be incredibly time-consuming. Imagine visually stimulating and easy-to-navigate software that allows the entire team to record their comments, and collaborate with other team members without one more meeting or conference call. This is what ProofMe gifts us.
DropBox is the home for all your photos, documents, videos and other files. It lets you access your stuff from anywhere and makes it easy to share with others.
WHY I LOVE THIS APP?
A little over five years ago, my MacBook Pro crashed and I lost everything on my hard drive. It was devastating; my motherboard had gotten fried. This is a “no judgment zone,” right? I have over 10,000 images stored in my Dropbox and that’s only the beginning of the amount of files I have saved. In an effort to ensure I never lost my manuscripts, old photos of Grandma and the thousands of pictures taken of my baby boys, I employed Dropbox. Now everything I create (or hoard) is in the cloud. The extra layer of awesome is being able to log-in on any device (when I’m away from my computer) to grab a file I may need to print or share.
DocuSign provides a way to send even your most important documents instantly and securely, and allows you to sign from anywhere in the world. It replaces printing, faxing, scanning and overnighting documents with the easiest, fastest, most trusted way to make every approval and decision digital.
WHY I LOVE THIS APP?
When I was house shopping, I gave the DocuSign app some serious exercise. While in the airport, at the mall, or chasing my babies around the park, I was able to quickly read and sign those time-sensitive contracts my realtor sent me. The convenience was incomparable. Of course, as a business owner, DocuSign has been invaluable when requesting client signatures.
Canva allows you to be your own designer. Use Canva’s drag-and-drop feature and layouts to design, share and print business cards, logos, presentations and more.
WHY I LOVE THIS APP?
A famous blogger pal was shelling out gorgeous graphics after gorgeous graphics so I asked her, “Who is your graphic designer?” When she shared that she created her graphics using Canva’s templates—and for free, I was on board to give it a try. It has become a vital part of keeping my social marketing fresh and new. I still hire my pro graphic designers for big projects but Canva has eliminated the turnaround time that comes with the pros when I need something designed yesterday.
Grateful: A Gratitude Journal makes expressing gratitude in your life both easy and fun, as well as to remind you during those down moments, of the many blessings in your life (that you’ve documented in Grateful).
WHY I LOVE THIS APP?
What made you smile today? What are you looking forward to? What made you laugh today? What made today a good day? What are you grateful for? These are the questions the app asks to encourage reflection, and it has done wonders for my stress levels and work/life balance goals. It’s a lightweight, unassuming app that packs a major punch when used daily.
I recently shared it with a group of 75 women during a vision board event and reminded them that their answers didn’t have to be “deep;” just to find something. So, “What are you grateful for?” I’m grateful for suitcases with wheels because I’ve been in airports for the last 12 hours and without them, I’d have to carry this gargantuan bag on my shoulder. Thank you, TravelPro!
Calm features free, guided meditations and sleep stories to help you relax, sleep and feel happier.
WHY I LOVE THIS APP?
If you’re a visionary, you will understand the precious diamond that is Calm. Visionaries are thinkers, builders, and creators. Our minds can have trouble resting and checking out because like a good generator, they run strong. It was a therapist friend who recommended the sleep stories to help me decompress, go to sleep and actually remain sleep. Listening to the soothing voices of the storytellers, and transporting me into the settings, somehow incites thoughtfulness around personal relaxation. Since my first time using the app, I have experienced restful sleep.
WhatsApp helps you stay in touch with friends and family, anytime and anywhere. It is free and offers simple, secure, reliable messaging and calling, available on phones all over the world.
WHY I LOVE THIS APP?
The recent storms in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands made this app even more valuable as phone lines were completely defunct for long periods of time. Ensuring the safety of my friends, elders and loved ones was made possible because of WhatsApp.
It has also become a communication staple for the various teams I oversee across the nation. Communicating in a text and instant message-like environment without the annoying group text notifications is important to each of us. I’m also very fond of the @tag feature within the app, which we are accustomed to on social media platforms.
Mint helps you manage your money, pay your bills and track your credit score.
WHY I LOVE THIS APP?
The reminders are everything! I don’t know about you, but I have forgotten a bill was scheduled to be automatically drafted from my account and that oversight provoked a snowball of setbacks. Mint sends reminders via email when a bill is due, eliminating the aforementioned catastrophe. Add your bills, connect your bank accounts and credit card accounts to have Mint provide you with a macro-view of your financial wellness.
MailChimp provides marketing automation for e-commerce businesses. Send beautiful emails, connect your e-commerce store, advertise and build your brand.
WHY I LOVE THIS APP?
Besides being free as you build your hard-earned audience, it’s easy to navigate. The newsletters are customizable; new subscribers can be automatically dripped content; and an advanced degree is not required to understand the analytics.
The balance between our work lives and personal lives may never be perfectly achieved, as each are like moving targets. Nevertheless, we can be proactive by automating and simplifying the busy-work while practicing mindfulness and gratefulness for the beautiful lives designed just for us.
