"Focus on being productive instead of busy." --Tim Ferriss

Who doesn't want to be more productive in their day? Work hard, play hard and protect that time that is just your own. How do we do that? With processes and productivity tools. This makes you more efficient and gives you more time back to do what you want. These tools can help to get you started!

*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.

3 Cool Tools I use nearly every day to be more productive!

1. Google Calendar

 I know what you are thinking....Google Calendar?! YES! If you are working without a Google Account I will convince you of its value over the next few blog posts. Today we will start with Google Calendar. Here is how you save time and money with Google Calendar:

• Multiple Calendars - You can create work calendar, business calendar, school calendar and home calendar to keep everyone on the same page. Your kids or students can share a calendar with just their events. Keep a family calendar. Everyone will know who has to be where and when. Just ask everyone in the house to do it for 30 days and you will be shocked at how the chaos gets wrangled quickly.

• Add "special" Calendars - You can add official holiday calendars, sports teams, concert calendars. Keep up with your favorite team and never miss a holiday.

• Appointment Slots WHAT?!?! - Goodbye to all those paid solutions that you might be using to make appointments. With Google Calendar you can set appointment slots for whatever increments you would like and share that with clients, students, parents. They can sign up for the one that works for them and it is immediately removed as a choice for others.

2. Coolers.co

Coolers is a free web based application that can keep all your colors in order. There is a free version that can really do everything you would need but the pro level is not that expensive either. What can this tool do?

• Discover the best color combinations for graphics, websites, brands, themes, templates.

• Check contrast and accessibility color issues. Don't skimp here. It is important to keep your websites and ads accessible.

• Choose your own or use the most popular!

3. Canva.com

One of the most productive tools I am using currently is Canva. If you have not tried it, the time is now to sign up for a free account and make at least 5 designs before you make your decision on the product. I've used a lot of different design software and with some hints and how-to quick tutorials, I've been able to really lean into this software. The free version is great but the upgrade to pro is so worth it once you get proficient. What can you do with Canva?

• Create ads quickly and easily for all different digital channels. They have tons of templates and elements that you can customize or get inspiration from.

• Manage your brand or several brands! Canva makes it easy to add your brand colors, fonts and logo so you can always be in brand with all of your designs and presentations. This is a time saver and you can even grab your hex codes for your brand quickly to use in other applications.

• Create presentations and pitches in brand quickly and easily. I can send a link, present live or record. Work is quick and efficient and templates can be saved.