This is a list of the products and services that I believe will help improve your productivity
Welcome to the ReFOCUS resources section, where I present a list of tools and websites that I highly recommend for growing and optimising your business. Not only have I tested every recommendation on this page, but I personally use these resources to run my own business and to help me refocus on the things that are important to me in life.
I would like to make the following important disclosure:
Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. I make these recommendations on the basis that I have experience with these companies and products, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money on these products and services unless you feel you need them or that they will help you achieve your goals.
My Productivity Management Tools
Dropbox is the best cross-platform cloud service that I know and it integrates seamlessly across devices and operating systems. It is the backbone of my file management and backup system. It enables you to share documents with other people, which is an awesome personal or business collaboration tool.
The basic plan is free.
Scrivener is a powerful writing tool that enables me to segment my writing, move sections around and compile selected sections to a manuscript in many different formats. It also enables screen splitting to compare sections and has many useful analysis tools. It also enables me to attach research material in different formats to a project so that I have everything in one project environment. It’s one of the best investments I have made.
WordPress.org (not .com) is my choice for website management and development. It has an excellent blog management system and you can use static pages to create websites. You want to own your own website domain (online assets), which is why I don’t like WIx, Weebly, Squarespace or Jimdo.
Bluehost is my first choice. I have spent a small fortune trying out different web host providing services and this one offers the best user experience. You can register and buy domain names through them too.
Elementor Pro is an excellent content builder for WordPress websites. It’s drag and drop features make design layout easy and it enables me to build custom headers and footers, which used to be my biggest challenge when selecting a WordPress theme. It enables me to create global widgets, which streamlines multiple page development. You want to own your own website space, which is why I don’t like WIx, Weebly, Squarespace or Jimdo.
Convertkit is my email service provider of choice. It is highly flexible and integrates well with other essential services.
Trello’s boards, lists, and cards enable you to organise and prioritise your projects and tasks. Use this tool to improve your personal effectiveness and manage your reFOCUS objectives, or add more power by collaborating with a team. I am still evaluating this. Although it is fit for purpose, I might discover another service that I prefer and may change this in future.
Slack is under review. It’s a communication tool that enables teams to collaborate in channels and helps minimise email use. I prefer to have conversations on topic channels all in one place rather than searching through thousands of emails. Everyone I am following is raving about it, so I’ll let you know if I do too.
My Hardware Preferences
Samson Q2U is my choice for a professional sounding microphone, at a very affordable price. Sound quality has become important to me and I love the professional sound I get out of this microphone without the professional price. This is good value for money!
GoPRO is my choice for video, and I specifically like this model. It’s the Hero7, which is waterproof, has 4K resolution, and includes image stabilisation, which I think is essential. There are cheaper versions available but it’s either HD resolution or doesn’t offer image stabilisation. I like to get outdoors and this camera is my obvious choice. One of my goals is to get back to the Great Barrier Reef and do some snorkelling with this camera!
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