5 More Ways to Use Google Workspace

As a small business owner, there are many pieces of your business to stay on top of, and if you are a one woman show, you are wearing all the hats!  One strategy for keeping your business organized is using systems and tools that work well with each other.  This is why using a suite of products like the ones in Google Workspace is such a helpful way to keep business and blogging tasks in order.  I previously wrote a blog post about the awesome things that you can do with Google Workspace as a blogger (https://laurenmyersco.com/blog/gsuite-blogging), but since this post there are even more things that I have used the apps for, and not just for blogging!  Today I will be discussing 5 more things you can do with Google Workspace.

As a refresher, Google Workspace is a suite of Google products that serve different purposes with the intention to work seamlessly together in your business and in organizational teams.  For example, the main apps that I use from Google Workspace are the following:

• Google Docs-I use this for all long-form written content, and to plan/outline my courses and e-products.

• Google Sheets- I use this for automatically tracking my market research results from Twitter and to automatically keep track of business expenses for tax time.

• Google Drive- I use this to store important business documents and contracts

• Google Slides- I use this for creating presentations for in-person conferences and online conferences.

• And of course Google Email (professional business email)- this is used for all business email communication and is totally professional because my email address includes my website domain name.

To use these products, you only need a Google account, however, the paid version offers so much more that is helpful for business owners, and starts at only $6 a month (this is WAY less than the amount people spend on coffee/tea each day!).  The true tea is all of these apps and more come standard with a professional Gmail account, and the email is what is actually $6 a month, so the app extras are actually an added bonus!  So yes, Google Docs has a limited free version, but the paid version is pure GOLD.  Read a little more about Google Workspace here and all the things that is includes.

Now, lets get into it! I wrote a post previously about ways that you can use Google Workspace (fka GSuite) as a blogger, and today I will be sharing more ways you can use it as a business owner. Adding on to my previous Google Workspace post, these are 5 more things you can do with Google Workspace apps:

1. Google Sheets

Automatically track business expenses.

Something that has tremendously helped to keep me organized with bookkeeping and accounting is having automated tasks set up that automatically add business transactions to a tracking spreadsheet that I import to my bookkeeping program when it’s tax time.  So those transactions for things like email marketing, domain renewal, website renewal, Pinterest Ads, etc. automatically are tracked in my Google Sheet when the receipt is received in my Google Email account.  Since I started doing this, tax time has been such a breeze when reporting my expenses.

2. Google Docs

Keep track of your brand details in a Brand Guide (logos, color swatches, fonts).

When you create various forms of content, it’s important to stick with your brand colors and fonts to keep a consistent presence across the web and in print.  Create a Brand Guide containing the codes for your brand colors (RGB and Hex for web color codes, and CMYK for print color codes), the primary and secondary sets of fonts used for your brand and even your logo in different sizes, formats and colors (you should always have color and black and white versions of your logo).  These things can be tracked in a Google Doc for reference whenever needed.  The great thing about Google Docs (and other Google apps) is that there is an offline option, so you can always access the data even with no connection!

3. Google Drive

Store and share business forms and contracts (storage space starts at 30GB).

It’s a great idea to have a backup of your business forms outside of your computer hard drive.  If you do not have your own form of external storage, a Google Drive cloud account is a great alternative for storing your business documents. This is also a great place to store contracts for working with other companies and client contracts.  You can grant access to others to view and edit the documents as well.

4. Google Meet

Host meetings, conferences and masterclasses.

If you are in the coaching or training business, Google Meet is a great option for conducting online meetings.  With the Business Starter Google Workspace plan, you can host meetings with up to 100 participants, but can’t save the recording.  If you want to save recordings to your Google Drive, you can do this with the next tier up in Google Workspace (the Business Standard plan is just $12 a month and comes with even more features!).

5. Google Slides

Record presentations to post for free or to purchase.

If you find yourself making presentations for online or in-person conferences and events or making pitch decks for brand collaborations, Google Slides is a great choice!  You can create various types of content in your presentations, and it even works offline!  I recently had an in-person presentation that I was giving at a conference, and the WiFi at the location was flakey.  Luckily, I had already created an offline version of the presentation, so I didn’t need to use a connection to present at all!

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As a bonus, here are a few other apps to note that are a part of Google Workspace:

• Google Calendar- integrates seamlessly with many scheduling apps, so your meetings and other appointments can be added automatically.

• Google Forms- create client intake forms, questionnaires, survey’s, etc. easily.

• Google Sites- easily create websites (internal sites or sites for the public to view) easily with drag-and-drop templates.

• Google Currents- communicate with your team on different topics so everyone is on the same page (similar to Slack)

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Now that you know more ways to use Google Workspace and why it is soooo worth the $6 per month (reminder: the professional email in itself is worth $6 a month- the rest of the apps are perks!), go ahead and check it out! If you use Google Workspace currently, I’d love to know how you use it and if you love it! Let me know in the comments.

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12 Simple Ways to Use Trello in Everyday Life

I love using apps that make my business and blogging processes smoother and more organized.  My favorite tool to use for planning is Trello because it’s easy to use, contains so many useful features and integrates seamlessly with a variety of apps.  Here’s a post that goes more in depth on what Trello can do.  When I started using Trello it was for my business planning, however, the more I used it the more I realized that I could use it in everyday life.  Their lists and calendar view make it so easy to plan and organize things, so it’s my go-to when creating lists that are related to everyday life.  Today I will be sharing 12 ways you can use Trello in your daily life unrelated to business and blogging!

1.Daily Schedule

You can easily add your daily schedule to a Trello Board so you will always know what needs to be done each day and at what time. The calendar view also makes it simple to visualize your schedule and tasks for each day.

2. Vacation Planning

One of my favorite parts of vacation planning is doing it all in a Trello board!  It makes the planning process so smooth.  I generally have two boards for vacation planning- one for prep leading up to travel day and one for the days of vacation. I create lists for things that would be fun to do, restaurants and coffee shops that look good (yes, I create a list in this board that specifically lists the coffee shops I want to visit, haha!), places to stop along the way if we’re taking a road trip, etc.

3. Prep List

This board is where I list the 7 days prior to travel departure day and plan the tasks to complete for each day.  When tasks are planned out over a week, it makes it easier to tackle them because each task is spaced out so you’re not waiting until the last minute to do them.  This also makes it easier to remember what to pack so you won’t forget items that are easy to forget.  Some of the lists that I have in my vacation prep board are packing lists (clothing and food/snacks), home tasks to complete before leaving (cleaning for example), shopping lists, etc.

4. Vacation List

I also create a board for the duration of vacation.  It includes travel itineraries (hotel confirmations, flight info, rental car info, etc.), what we will do each day, where we will eat, etc.   Of course things don’t always go as planned and often change, but as I always say, it’s better to have a plan than none at all.

Another great Trello feature that helps with vacation planning is a map feature where you can enter an address and the location map will appear in the board.  This is incredibly helpful to have as a visual when planning activities.

5. Chore Chart

Trello is great for planning chores to do daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and quarterly.  You can easily create lists for each of these times and list what to do for each time frame.  If you have a digital family hub or family tablet, you can easily view the chores in a central location so you can stick to your cleaning schedule consistently and everyone in your family can easily access their chore list. 

6. Meal Planning

Trello is a great place to store recipes that you’d like to try and also to plan out your meals for the week.  Since you can paste photos in your lists, you can visually plan your meals as well (adds an extra special touch to your board!).  

7. Party/Event Planning

What better way to keep up with party planning than in an organized Trello board?!  I love to plan parties and events in Trello.  Lists for color scheme ideas, theme ideas, food and drink ideas, music/playlists, games, etc. makes the planning process smooth and fun!  I love to choose a board background that is somehow related to the event just to give it an extra fun touch (I actually add background photos to all my Trello boards matching the theme of the board because…aesthetics haha!).

Trello is also great for wedding planning.  With the schedule feature, you can set due dates for specific tasks to keep yourself on track with all that you need to do.  Appointments, gown ideas, honeymoon ideas, etc. All of this can be planned and organized in Trello. Again, you can paste images into your lists and make a beautifully planned board for your wedding.

8. Christmas/Holiday Planning

Every year that we host Christmas, I make a Trello board to plan out all that I have to do leading up to it.  This is similar to the party planning and vacation boards in that I plan tasks to do each day for the week leading up to Christmas.  This means, cleaning different areas of the house on certain days, grocery shopping, decorating the dinner table, etc.  This helps to ease my mind at such a hectic time of the year!

You can also create holiday shopping lists in this board to keep track of what you need to purchase and for whom in a simple and organized way. Wishlist’s can be uploaded and easily stored for shopping reference as well.

9. School Schedule & Assignments

You can use a Trello board to house your child’s (or your own!) school schedule and assignments due for the week.  This is also a great board to plan out projects that need to be completed including any supplies you may need to purchase to complete them. By giving your child access to the board, they can also contribute to it and mark tasks as complete.

10. Weekend Plans & Errand List (shopping list)

If your weekends are always busy and full of errand running, creating a Trello board to house what you have to do and want to do for the weekend is a great way to keep it all organized.  It’s also great that Trello has an app so it makes viewing your errands easier when you’re on the go.  You can also use your weekend errands board to house shopping lists for any stores that you may need to go to (the checklist feature is so helpful!).

11. Date Night Planning

If you have a set date night with your partner, it would be helpful to plan out what you want to do in a Trello board as well as ideas for things that you would want to do on future dates.  You can both have access to the board and add ideas to it when you think of them. This is great also if you know your date night will be a concert or other event that is a few months away; add the future event to your Trello board so you won’t forget about it.

12. Work Projects & Tasks at Your 9-5

Although this post is for your everyday life and how to use Trello in it, a 9-5 may be a part of your everyday life.  Use Trello at work to help keep your personal tasks and projects organized.  I use Trello at my 9-5 to keep my tasks, projects and their progress stored in one place.  My 9-5 doesn’t formally use a project management system, so I began using Trello because my position involves so many projects and I didn’t have a way to keep them organized or to track their progress.  If you find yourself overwhelmed with tasks at your 9-5 and have no structured system to track them in, I highly recommend Trello (you can even share your boards with others so they can see your progress as well if necessary).

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Now that you know 12 more awesome ways to organize your life in Trello, go ahead and try it out! What other tools do you use to plan and organize the everyday things in your life? Let me know in the comments!