Sometimes I feel creatives suffer the most from burnout. The constant cycle of trying to assert your value to potential clients, retaining clients, periods of holding a 9-5 just to support your creative endeavours (and pay the bills) and so on and so forth.
No matter what creative industry you’re in, it’s so important to have productivity tools that keep you going. Improving my productivity is certainly something I’m still working on but definitely a huge priority as a power through the rest of the year.
I’m almost certain that others share my same sentiment, which is why I decided to test some of the best productivity tools that I feel make an impact on my day-to-day.
But before testing any tools, I had to figure out which ones would actually hold real value for me as a photographer. My criteria included:
- Attainability: There’s no point in using a tool if I don’t increase my productivity when it’s all said and done. This means I need a tool attainable for me. Attainability for me looks like tools that are simple for me to use and that I can use on different devices. For instance, I often switch between my iPhone and Mac when planning and organizing. So flexible tools that can be used across platforms are a priority.
- Affordability: We’re starving artists (jk) but I shamelessly am always looking for a good deal. Don’t get me wrong, I pay for services that I find value in. But when it comes to my photography business, I focus on scaling when I can as to avoid too many expenses. So, the tools I searched for were ones that were either low-cost or free.
- Nutures my creativity: I want tools that nuture my creativity. This often means tools that improve my visual organization and improves my workflow.
Now that we’ve went over that criteria, I want to say that none of these tools are sponsored. I’ve been searching for a way to improve my workflow and minimize burnout and I think I’ve found my winners. I’m excited to share this with others who are looking for a more seamless workday that allows you to create without the added stress.
Alright, let’s talk about what you really came for: the best tools to improve productivity.
Digital Planners
I honestly can’t manage without some sort of planner. But I’m guilty of buying a planner, abandoning it about a week later, then using the notes app on my phone, then using random sheets of paper that I can’t really find later.
I can be a bit scatteredbrained, which is exactly why it’s so vital for me to have some sort of planner. But if you’re like me and have a hard time keeping up with a physical planner, digital planners are the way to go.
I prefer digital planners because I’m usually already on my computer, whether it be editing photos, sending out emails, or creating content, it’s easy to hop over to my digital planner to add whatever I need.
Digital planners are also easy to edit, copy information, and is a lot cheaper than buying physical planners. Right now, I’ve only experimented with Google Calendar but it’s more than enough for my planning needs. What’s even better is that Google Calendar is completely free.
If you’re looking for an intuitive online planner, Google Planner is a great introduction to the digital planning world.
Here are some of the top features I appreciate about Google Calendar:
- Nice visual calendar that lets you easily see everything upcoming for the month
- Ability to add an event or task
- Shows completed tasks
- Ability to connect apps like Canva for a seamless experience
I encourage anyone thinking about using a digital planner to try it for a week and see if you notice an increase in your productivity.
Canva
Canva has easily dominated the creative space. Canva is used for so many things, such as whiteboards, graphic design, social media, and much more.
Personally, I use it for my Pinterest account. Pinterest currently drives most of my website traffic, so it’s a platform I’m prioritizing. Canva has so many templates designed for Pinterest that makes it easy for me to quickly create quality Pinterest pins.
I love the layout of Canva and super impressed with all of what I can design. Although I’m mainly using it for my Pinterest, I can see myself utilizing more of the platforms features in the future.
Canva is also completely free. They do have a pro version but that’s overkill for me right now.
Lightroom for iPhone and Android
This producitivity tool is geared towards photographers but is perfect for anyone who finds themselves using Lightroom to edit their images.
What I like about Lightroom’s app is that it syncs with the desktop software, which is perfect for uploading content to your socials. I didn’t realize how much time I was taking to transfer my photos until I downloaded the app and started using it to post my photos to social media.
Here is a look at my previous vs current process:
Previous
- Edit in Lightroom
- Save file
- Send to Google drive or email document to myself
- Access file from iphone
- Save it
- Upload image to Instagram
Current
- Edit in Lightroom
- Save file
- Open Lightroom on iphone
- Upload image to instagram
Simplifying those steps has saved me so much time and improved my productivity greatly. Honestly, improving productivity is often in the little things.
Milanote
I’ve never found a better mood board platform than Milanote. It is intuitively designed, completely free, and so efficient to use.
I like using mood boards when I’m working wih clients and working on personal projects. Mood boards are so valuable because they help me flesh out my ideas and bring them to life.
I’m constantly capturing and creating little stories with my lens and having a mood board essentially helps me tie it altogether and put my inspirations in one place.
All creatives benefit from a mood board whether you’re a photographer, graphic designer, content creator, etc. It’s how we organize all of the things that are floating in our heads so we can conceptualize it.
Milanote inspires me to create and helps me establish a clear visual direction, which saves time when shooting.
Burnout Kills Creativity
I know that we live in a culture where you’re praised to grind. But, we really should be simplifying processes so that we can feel inspired to create, grow in our crafts, and live an easy life, Additionally, simplifying processes in our workday is actually the best way to improve productivity.
I encourage you to give one or more of these a try if you want to improve your workflow and increase productivity. Comment below and share any productivity tools you’ve already implemented and tell me how it’s going so far.