Business Tools to Save Time – I Cheat.

Okay, let's talk.

I cheat. Not like cheating on a test or any of those shenanigans.  This is green-light cheating.  The kind that lets me sleep better at night.   I cheat all the time and find ways that save time so that I can maximize my time.  This has saved my sanity more times than I can count.  The more time I can save, the more time I can spend with my kids and hotty hubby.

Let's start off with Time Cheat #1

Postso.com – Notice there is no affiliate link in there.  I don't even care about credit on this one because it's so good that it must be shared.  Postso makes me happy.  It's around $20/month, but saves me literally 5-10 hours a week (that's 20-40 hours a month of lost time).  It's an auto Instagram poster. Imagine lining up a week/month of IG posts with specific times for all of your accounts.  I have hooked up  6 of my ig accounts so that posts can be stockpiled on there.  They get scheduled, and they are auto-posted.  If I'm busy helping my kids with homework, I don't want to stop and say ‘Hang on, it's prime IG posting time'.  No.  It's family time.  In the back of my head, I know all is well.  The post has hit my prime IG time and it didn't interfere with my kids.  Note:

This is a BIG NOTE:   I do schedule in 1-2 hours a week to respond to followers because I do appreciate them.  That is a necessity.

Time Cheat #2

Hire it out!  Is there some monotonous task you have to do daily that makes you cringe?  Mine would be Pinterest.  Gasp.  Now don't get me wrong, I love Pinterest.  I love it for my personal needs, but when I'm forced to pin on Pinterest to keep my boards ‘healthy' it makes me gag a bit.  Get a system set up and get it off your plate!  ASAP!  I'll have a post soon on how to hire rock star people.

Time Cheat #3

Tailwind (no affiliate) is a ‘Pin it and forget it' type program to keep things moving on Pinterest.  A Pinterest board that isn't active will soon be ‘dead' in Pinterest's eyes.  Set and watch.  When you put it on auto-pilot, those numbers rise.

Time Cheat #4

Books on tape.  Oh, yes.  I'm an 80s girl, and I can't ever seem to say audiobooks naturally.  During nap time, early in the morning, when you are working out, when you are doing dishes, turn these on.  Learn, Learn, and Learn some more.  Continuing education is a must as you grow your business.  Make it easy.

My top books at the moment

• Essentialism:  Greg McKeown
• Give and Take: Adam M. Grant
• Willpower Doesn't Work:  Benjamin Hardy
• Girl, Wash Your Face: Rachel Hollis

Time Cheat #5

Turn off your phone or at least ignore it.  It's hard to actually turn it off when kids are out and hubby needs you.  But if you set a goal to only answer it if it's your kids or hubby, then you can focus and get STUFF DONE!

Time Cheat #6

This is similar to #5.  Don't even open your email/social media accounts during the day.  I have found that to be my BIGGEST TIME SUCK!  I now have a system to only look at emails for 1 hour in the morning and one at the end of the day.  This helps me not get sidetracked into the pit of solving others problems when I've got my own to solve.  It also motivates me to hustle because I only have 2 hours a day to answer hundreds of emails.  Note:  some days, I completely fail at this and get sucked into the email pit.  It happens. Stay Focused is a google chrome app that will limit your time on sites.  I just turned it on and have been enjoying it!

Time Cheat #7

How many times to you have to reset your password a day because you can't remember all of them?  After trying 4 different passwords, you reset it to have it say, ‘Can't use an old password.'   UG.  Get rid of this annoyance and use  LastPass.  It auto-stores every password and will work with all your devices.  I would even go as far as saying it helps marriages!  How many times has your husband asked you for a password and you can't remember it?  Then the reset game happens, and 10 minutes later he's in with his password that you didn't write down, and the next day…it happens again!

Make your game plan to be a cheater.  What are you going to cheat on this week?  I'd love to hear what you use that saves time and saves your sanity.