I like to say I work 8 days a week. There are no complaints here, but it's rare that you will find me missing a day working on the blog. There's just always something to tweak, a new article to read, or I'll get a stroke of genius I need to flush out.
So, being on the internet is part of my life. Michael works from home, we stream videos, scroll through Instagram, and use the internet more than I'd probably like to admit to. Meanwhile, I have Spotify playing in the background at almost all times.
Since I work for myself, there are a few necessities I have to have in order to feel sane. Some of these might seem obvious to you, but I swear these are game changing tools for my online business. They are as follows:
1. Laptop – Yeah, I know, you know. But Ever since switching to Mac I have been SO happy. I thought there would be a huge learning curve for me to learn the product and it's really easy to use and learn. And it's just the best.
2. Planner – while I do everything online, I still like to hand-write important dates. I swear by the Cambridge ones from Target (such a great size!) and also love all Bando Agendas.
3. Hootsuite – Scheduling blog posts and social media is essential for me. It frees up time for me to focus on what matters most. I've got a whole post on how to schedule blog posts but Hootsuite is for real my best friend when it comes to scheduling my social media.
4. Google Analytics – How can you really tell if something's working if you don't track it? You can't. I rely on Google Analytics to tell me what's working on my blog, who's linking to me, and the posts that are doing well. I know it can get confusing, here's a post on how to use Google Analytics for your blog.
5. Photo Editing – I've graduated to Photoshop, but there are still some incredible free tools like Canva and PicMonkey out there to help you edit photos. Bottom line: bloggers need great photos. Whether it's for your posts or Instagram, you need quality images to draw in the reader. Mastering photo editing is SO key. Here's a guide to editing photos.
6. Convertkit – I'll say this probably a million times, but having an email list changed the game for my blog. Here's how I use a newsletter on my blog.
7. Internet – Reliable internet is the key to keeping me sane. I use it, Michael uses it, and there probably isn't a day that goes by when we aren't using the internet. XFINITY is the best I've ever had, ever.
What I'm about to tell you might actually shock you. I love my internet provider. I am in no way, shape, or form joking. Internet is the lifeblood of my business. I have to have it to be successful. Even more important? Reliable and fast internet.
When we lived in Dallas our service was spotty. I upgraded a few times but it never really seemed to change. Since moving to Nashville I knew I needed something I could count on. I need fast internet for my live webinars, my video and blog uploads, the millions of pictures I take and edit, and for my everyday life.
I looked around and landed on XFINITY. This is what was recommended to me by friends in Nashville and it seemed like the best bet. And I want to actually kiss them. I have never in my life had such great service.
The XFINITY in-home wifi is extremely essential to my job, and Michael's too. Since we both work from home we have to have something reliable every single day. And it needs to be available wherever we are in our home. And that includes outside.
And I need it to work on all devices.
While all the above tools are necessary, the fact is, they wouldn't be possible without internet. Have you ever been on slow internet and you just feel like you're so unproductive? The page won't load, you can finish what you're working on, and suddenly you can no longer remember what you were working on in the first place?
Fast internet is key for any blogger, business owner, and really, anybody in this day and age. I sincerely am impressed with XFINITY. I told a few friends that I was working with XFINITY on a blog post and they said, really?! And honestly, I would never ever share something on this blog I wasn't 100% happy with. And I happen to be astonished with the quality of service and reliability.
Because XFINITY is on the cutting edge of technology, I don't have to worry about staying connected. Instead, I can focus on what's important in my blog and business.
XFINITY partnered with bloggers such as me for this program. As part of this program, I received compensation for my time. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about any product mentioned in these posts. XFINITY believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. XFINITY’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.
