My Top 11 Resources To Working Smarter, Not Harder + ANNOUNCEMENT! #WSNH2015

Work smarter, not harder.

We make life so complicated don’t we? The phrases “I’m busy”, “life is crazy”, and ” there is not enough time in the day” tend to sneak their way into my conversation as of late. I say it, you say it, we all say it. Well guess what? We are all busy and feel overwhelmed! Sometimes I will not do anything because I struggle identifying where to begin. Do you know what I am talking about?

If you feel this way or just looking to be more efficient, I wanted to share my absolute favorite resources that have helped or inspired me tremendously to Work Smarter, Not Harder (WSNH). But before we get into that, I have some exciting news!

ANNOUNCEMENT
As mentioned Friday, I am bringing in the experts right here to Cedar & Rush every Monday starting next week! I cannot tell you how excited I am friends. Every Monday (so we can start our week off motivated) I am asking some fabulous ladies to share with us how they WSNH (work smarter, not harder). These women are entrepreneurs, climb the ladder and hustle like nobody’s business. From CEO’s to teachers, to Vice Presidents, to just making sh*t happen, these women are going to walk us through how they make the most of their day. And trust me, there is some good stuff!  We will learn their morning routine, how they format emails and what common mistakes they see people make. Sounds great right?! Looks like Monday’s may be my new favorite day. And first up we have the gorgeous CEO (she runs her own PR Agency), Monika Dixon!

SO HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?! YOU CAN!
“When the tide rises, all boats float”. We are all amazing and work so hard, so I know we can really help eachother. Which is why I would love for you to get in on the action too! When you are Working Smarter, Not Harder, share your advice on Instagram using the HASHTAG #WSNH2015. This will serve as a well documented, accessible resource we can refer to at any time. No matter how small or how big the tip, we are all looking to improve ourselves. It can be how to stack your dishwasher to how to run a webinar. So share the wealth! Knowledge is power ladies.

MY STORY
Before I dive into my top my favorite resources on how to Work Smarter, Not Harder, I wanted to share my story. After a long period of feeling constantly overwhelmed (from the moment I woke up to the moment my head hit the pillow), I knew I had to do something. I wasn’t sleeping and although I was working my tush off, I felt like I wasn’t getting as much done as I could. So I started to wonder…how do other people do it? How can I make the most of my day? I cannot continue to live like this!

Well over the last year I have scoured the world looking how to be more productive. From books, to asking people directly, to reading articles, to my own trial and error, I have compiled a round up of my favorites. The creme de la creme you could say. Remember, we are all different – so different things will resinate with different people. The number one thing I realized about me, is I do this to myself. I am the one that sets my schedule and piles on meaningless commitments. I say yes to everything. Although I have already taken great strides to simplify my life, I plan on incorporating even more strategies for 2015. If you have already read or heard about these, a friendly reminder is always helpful too!

 

THE BEST HOW TO BE PRODUCTIVE RESOURCES FOR EVERYONE

• The Four Hour Work Week: This book changed my way of thinking! It is about a millionaire who only works four hours a week. Seriously. The best part is he walks you through step by step on HOW you can do it too! Although I don’t agree with everything, this read will motivate and inspire you to make your life easier. It’s filled with an abundance of resources and words of wisdom. The biggest thing? Automate.
• The “Get Sh*t Done” Series by Meg Biram: Meg’s series features successful artists, writers and bloggers and how they do it.  Her series really inspired me to do my own but on a local basis and a little differently. My favorite one features Liz from Sequins & Stripes.
• 7 Things You Need To Stop Doing To Be More Productive: READ this NOW. This article is empowering and a short read. Did someone say work break?
• The Process of Simplifying Note: there are 3 Parts! Another short read. Emily Ley also creates my favorite Simplified Planner, which I live and die by.
• 4 Cross-Platform Apps to Make Your Life Easier: Love it.

FOR BLOGGERS

• Erin Bassett: How to Create and Use a Content Calendar one on one coaching session. Erin is a blogging consultant and offers a bevvy of services. I hired Erin this past spring to show me how to create and use a content calendar. This is a life skill that can be applied to several areas of my life.  I kept hearing about content calendars, but I didn’t know how people were doing it. Does everyone have the same calendar? Worth every penny.
• How Corals & Cognacs Does It (I love her 10 before 10 rule!)
• Damsel In Dior’s Daily Schedule
• White Oak Creative: As mentioned here, Lindsay does a lot on the back end work on your blog site that has saved me so much time. Automated Facebook, Bloglovin and Twitter posts that link to newly scheduled articles. Easy format. High SEO. Etc. A new and organized blog and website just feels great. She also incorporates branding and business cards in her service.
• Hire A Professional Photographer: I worked with Christina Slaton to take shots for me. She saved me a ton of time – she takes gorgeous photos, edits and sends you your original content in a neat little package. My most beautiful and easy posts ever! Simply upload and write and then you are done. Time is money.

So what about you? How do you WSNH? And if there are any questions you would like me to include in my interviews for the new WSNH series, mention it below in the comments or feel free to email me!

P.S. Aren’t these offices beautiful? Image Credit {1 || 2 || 3 || 4}