Staying organized is the first step to ensuring you have a productive and successful day. I’ve tried many different tools over the years but here are 5 organizational tools I use to organize my day.
Apple MacBook Air
My MacBook Air is like my third baby. I swear by it and take it everywhere. It houses all my work and every single app that I use during the day. Talk about an organizational tool in itself!
I love how lightweight and compact it is for traveling as well. There isn’t a trip I’ve taken without it!
In my business, I do a lot of technical work and graphic design. Mac’s make it easy and are geared towards this type of work. Photoshop and Lightroom are my friends and the capabilities the Mac offers with keyboard shortcuts, etc are incredible.
I love using Apple products because they sync together so any work you save on one will save on another.
If you’re looking to add an extra touch to your Mac, grab one of these Janet Gwen cases. I have the marble one pictured above.
Apple iPad Pro and Apple Pencil
Holy moly, these are like my fourth and fifth babies. They have quickly become some of my favorite tools to use throughout my day.
I’ll admit, the iPad was definitely pricier than I wanted to spend but it was SO WORTH IT! It comes in two sizes, 11in and 12.9in, I originally thought I’d want the smaller size since I already have a laptop but I after looking at them in the store I opted for the 12.9in. I’m so glad I did, the bigger one is so nice for reading articles, designing, browsing websites, etc.
I ended up getting the new Magic Keyboard as well. It holds the iPad by a magnet and has a trackpad on it. My only complaint is when I’m drawing or designing I have to take it out of the case so I can lay it flat, the keyboard doesn’t allow it to go flat.
I’ve always used a generic keyboard with my iPad’s in the past, but decided to invest in the Magic Keyboard for my business. I definitely wouldn’t look back!
The Pencil was around $130 but also so worth it.
When I’m not using Photoshop or Lightroom I use an app called Procreate for creating graphics and drawings. The Apple Pencil is so sophisticated and accurate for any sort of design work. Not to mention it is so smooth on the screen.
Apple iPhone
I feel like this one goes without saying to keep my day organized. Without my phone, I’d be so lost.
Like I said, it syncs everything across my Apple devices so when I’m not on my iPad or Mac I can easily work from my phone as well.
Mine is a few years old now, it’s the XS Max but still works like a charm! I made the switch and opted for a bigger phone because of the photo’s I take with it.
I usually shoot with a DSLR camera but when I’m not, I use my phone.
Good Notes
Good Notes is the best note taking app I’ve used so far. My honey uses it for our business and suggested it when I was searching for one.
It has functionality to create several notebooks in the app. There are also different kinds of notebook paper you can select depending on what you’re doing. It has color if you’re drawing or want to color code your notes. Anything you can do in a paper notebook you can do in Good Notes!
I use it to take notes with my Apple Pencil on my iPad for all of my meetings.
When I’m working on my Mac I can also pull it up to work from my notes. It’s a great tool to organize my day and house all my thoughts in one place.
The cost is somewhere around $8.99 (one time) but well worth it. You can even insert pictures into your notes and search your notes for whatever you’re looking for.
Trello: one of the best organizational tools
I mentioned Trello in my last post, I LOVE IT! If you are a visual person, this is the app for you!
It’s a free app to organize plans, projects and so much more. You can even collaborate with team members in the app. There is a cost associated depending on how involved you need to use the app but I use the free version and it works just fine!
It’s a great organizational tool I use for planning work, meetings and sometimes notes. I like the combination of Good Notes and Trello, they are very complimentary to each other.
Essentially, you create boards in the app depending on the project or topic you’re working on. My boards include the following:
- Daily planner
- Blog
- Book
- Brand management
- Clients
- Notes
- Social media
To provide a visual, each board houses its own organized sections of notes, to do’s, meetings, etc. You can add a photo to each item you input as well. Trello has a free stock library with tons of photo’s so I like to dress my work up! It’s also easier for me to know what the work is without having to read through every item on each board.
Overall, Trello is an awesome organizational tool that I use every day!
Summary – Organizational tools
Staying on top of tasks is so important for living your dream life and these organizational tools help me work towards that every day.
What about you? What tools do you use? Do you currently use any of these?
Share your thoughts with me in the comments or on Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook. Follow me while you’re at it, I love to connect!
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