As entrepreneurs, we are programmed to be attracted to the latest shiny new thing that will make our lives and businesses run more smoothly.

I swear it’s in our DNA. A character trait I have come to recognise in myself over the years, and sooo many of my clients when we work together to streamline their marketing.

When left unchecked, it can be a curse. Preventing us from fully finishing what we’ve started before diving headlong into the next project with the momentum of a jet plane.

Or, being engrossed in the latest gadget/electronic device/social media platform/productivity tool to the point of distraction, stopping us from focusing on what’s REALLY important.

(Telling yourself that spending yesterday tidying your Pinterest boards was a productive use of your time is a big hairy LIE).

Which is why I’m going to save you a heap of time right now by sharing 10 of my essential productivity tools.

Firstly, these tools keep me sane and in love with my work because they remove the really dull but necessary tasks that need to get done.

They permit me to run my location independent business efficiently, delegate easily with my virtual team and provide the best experience for my clients. All while keeping running costs and working hours to a minimum.

Are you ready to be amazed??

Presenting…my favourite productivity tools

Echosign

The painful yet essential process of getting contracts signed is almost enough to put you off doing it.

All that printing, signing, scanning, faxing, posting in this age of instant technology – it feels like we’re back in the dark ages.

Luckily, Echosign is a solution that makes getting contracts and documents signed electronically. It’s fast, simple and pain free. Who doesn’t want that? After all, contract signing is notoriously tedious for everyone, often being the one thing delaying the start of a project. Ugh.

If you’re worried about the legality of signing a contract with an e-signature, don’t be. They have the same legal standing as traditional forms of contract signing because they are covered in the EU by the Electronic Signature Directive and E-Sign Act in the US.

So for the LOVE of your sanity (and everyone else’s) please use them!

You can read more about my crush on Echosign here.

And, try it out for free here.

Dropbox

Dropbox is a cloud service that lets you access your photos, docs, audio and video from anywhere and share them with others easily.

When I say everywhere, I mean everywhere: mobile device, desktop, laptop or someone else’s computer through the Dropbox website.

Using Dropbox completely revolutionised my business. Here are some examples how…

1. I can create a file on my desktop PC in London, review it while on route to the airport via my iPhone, then seamlessly access it from my MacBook Air when I get to Ibiza.
   
   

   No complicated networking nonsense, and absolutely no printing off documents to take with me.

2. When working with my personal coaching clients, I create a shared Dropbox folder to store all our session recordings and any supporting files. This means we can both access the information we need without it getting lost in the depths of our inboxes.

And, because it’s cloud based it acts as a secondary back-up of all of my data. So if I lost or broke my laptop while away I can continue working, accessing my important documents from another computer. No problem.

Check out the Dropbox features, simple interface and grab a free account here.

TimeTrade

One of the tools I am grateful for everyday in my business is my online appointment scheduler, TimeTrade.

Managing diaries is part of doing business. We all need to make appointments. Does that mean it has to be a dull, drawn out process? NO.

TimeTrade eliminates the time suck involved in creating, co-ordinating and confirming appointments with clients and prospects.

I explain more about TimeTrade and why I think it’s so brilliant for removing the pain from scheduling appointments here.

Update: I’ve recently switched to the equally cool scheduling tool Acuity. You can read about it here: Appointment scheduling: A time wasting headache you need to stop right now

Snagit

Snagit allows you to take screenshots and make short instructional videos.

It’s perfect for service based businesses like mine or when you work with virtual team members and freelancers.

There are times when a screen image or short how-to video can make the difference between them understanding an instruction or getting in a total tangle.

For example, I recently created a video for my fabulous new assistant showing her how to upload Dig.it.all – my weekly update to my subscribers.

After watching the 2 minute video, the newsletter process is now delegated to her and we have a standard operating process to use for future reference – phew!

Bonus Tip: Create a folder in Dropbox with Snagit videos including processes. Even if you don’t have much of a team now, you will be thankful in the future.

I love using Snagit with clients too. Guiding them through a small fix on their blog or email marketing software that can make a huge difference to their business is sooo satisfying.

It’s a quick solution for me and empowers my clients so that they have more control over their online presence and marketing. They learn something new and love how quick and easy it is to make that happen. Win-win!

You can try Snagit for free here

Password Box

This is a new addition to my toolbox having got more security conscious recently.

PasswordBox keeps encrypted online passwords in one convenient location and accessible from any computer.

This means that if you’re like every other person on the planet who has trouble remembering passwords, it removes that frustration from your life for good.

Plus, you never have to share them over email so you can feel secure in storing some of your most personal data online.

It’s a brilliant solution for sharing passwords with team members or others who may need access to your accounts.

There’s even a Legacy Feature which means that if anything nasty was to happen to you, your loved ones can manage your accounts in your absence.

Having experienced the sudden and tragic loss of a dear assistant last year, and seeing her grief-stricken family scramble around to trace her online activities was heartbreaking. It brought home the importance of keeping my passwords safe and accessible should something happen to me.

Grab your free PasswordBox here

MeetingBurner

This is my online meeting platform and private meeting room.

I host my free webinars here, private client sessions and exclusive monthly masterclasses for clients.

It’s speedy, intuitive, has a free level and no is installation required. Talk about easy peasy!

Some of my favourite features are the recording feature, plus seamless integration with PayPal and my email marketing account, Aweber.

This means charging a fee for online training events is super easy. And, whether those sessions are paid for or free – I can easily build my list of subscribers because they are automatically added to my Aweber account when they register to attend the event.

Oh, and attendees can attend the events on the run via their mobile device. Awesomesauce!

Get your free Meeting Burner account here

Skype Recorder

Skype Recorder enables me to record Skype sessions. Simple.

For a small, one time fee you can connect Skype Recorder to your Skype account. Whenever you Skype the simple recorder dashboard sits right alongside to record your call or meeting.

This is a God send for many reasons…

• It means I can record my private client sessions and upload the file to our shared Dropbox folder within minutes of finishing our call. My clients have access to the recording straight away, reminding them of what we discussed and keeping them on track to reach their objectives.

• I can record my sessions with my own coach so I can listen over, picking out every golden nugget we discuss. Especially useful when my Negative Nelly mind is mocking me into believing I’ll never amount to anything.

• I can interview and record brilliant experts or client stories like this one using the Skype video feature, and the video displays neatly with us sitting side by side. No editing experience necessary.

Try Skype Call Recorder for free here

Trello

Trello is a totally free web-based project management system.

Its drag and drop task feature and easy to navigate dashboard make it a joy to use. I’ve used a few of these tools in my time and Trello is by far the easiest for making detailed and intricate projects less complicated such as, product and website launches.

You can upload files from your computer, Dropbox or Google Docs, delegate tasks and set deadlines, plus a whole bunch of clever things.

I love that it can be used as a personal to-do list just for you or works great as a collaborative project management system among team members.

Also, it doesn’t hurt that Trello has a rockstar blog.

Boomerang

Don’t forget to send another email EVER again!

With Boomerang, I can write my emails as usual – whenever the time is right for me – and schedule them to send at a time that’s appropriate for the recipient to receive it.

What’s more, Boomerang is an essential part of my follow up process. Sometimes a client or prospect will ask me to “follow up with me later next week”. Boomerang will pop a reminder into my calendar, ‘boomeranging’ the original email back into my inbox on the specified date, reminding me to follow up. Removing the need for convoluted follow up spreadsheets or software.

Get control of your inbox with this nifty tool now and

Google Apps

I’m a HUGE fan of the cloud-based productivity suite, Google Apps (which includes Google Drive, Gmail and Google Calendar).  In fact, my whole business runs and depends on it.

Over here at AliciaCowan.com, I use Google Drive to write blog post drafts and important notes, plan team meetings and track data with Google Analytics (AMAZ-ing as well, by the way!). I can share these documents with my virtual team (choosing different levels of access and editing rights) while keeping others private.

I can be on a Skype call with my team, where we can all access and edit the same version of a document at the same time. Talk about time saving brilliance!

My email account is powered by Gmail, I use Google Calendar to plan EVERYTHING, and all of these Google applications are accessed via one log in, along with my YouTube account and Google+ account.

Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the is fuh-ree!

Over to you

What are your absolute favourite productivity tools? Is there one that you cannot live without? Do you use any of the ones I’ve mentioned above? Share your thoughts in the comments below…

Disclosure: Some of these links may be affiliate links that compensate my company should you make a purchase but I ONLY recommend these tools because I love ‘em + you!