<![CDATA[Mykayla M. Goodwin

Time is arguably our most valuable asset. And there never seems to be enough of it. While I haven't quite figured out how to create a few extra hours, I have found several resources that help me work more efficiently, minimizing the amount of time lost to those necessary albeit time consuming tasks. These are the resources I’m currently using, loving, and recommending as it relates to work.

EVERNOTE

Evernote was recommended by a friend after I commented about how many random notes I keep on my phone in the Notes app. The problem I had is that for one reason or another, I couldn’t consistently sync the notes between my phone, iPad, and laptop so information was everywhere and nowhere. Aside from causing me to constantly have to change passwords and routinely forgetting something at the grocery store, it was really just a hassle to go between devices for information and text or email myself notes to manually merge them. Evernote solved all of that for the amazing price of free. A basic account offers free access and lets you protect your notes with a passcode, share your lists with other people, and quickly search if you need to hunt down something specific. Thanks, Jay!

GRAMMARLY

There is zero reason why anyone should be without Grammarly, unless of course you live entirely offline. Since you’re reading this, that exclusion doesn’t apply. Grammarly is an online grammar and spelling checker. It has a free extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari that checks your writing for grammar and spelling errors as you type online (think Facebook comments, emails, etc.), catching things that not even Microsoft Word is capable of. The free version is limited, but still very helpful. They also offer a plagiarism checker in the premium version, which can be very useful for white papers or team reports. There truly is not an excuse for confusing your and you’re or the whole gang of commonly misused words. Grammarly has your back.

SNAPPA

I’ve been using Snappa for nearly 2 years and it is by the far the best resource discovery to date. Snappa is a graphic design tool for people that aren’t particularly savvy at graphic design - like me! It comes with free stock photos, pre-made templates, and design dimensions for multiple platforms, including social media and emails. The free version gives you a good amount of templates to work from and 5 downloads per month. The kicker is that the free version doesn't allow you to save your work, so you have to start from scratch should you need to walk away from the project before it’s finished. The good news is that the upgraded version is only $15 on a month-by-month basis, which includes unlimited downloads and templates. I enjoy Snappa so much that I upgraded to the paid version soon after creating an account - small investment for a HUGE payoff. Similar services I often use in conjunction with Snappa are Adobe Spark and Canva - free versions available for both.

GOOGLE DRIVE

This is a must-have for any type of team or group project. Use it to store files and collaborate on documents, presentations, and excel files among other things. Best of all, you can monitor who is contributing and when down to the keystroke and minute. I prefer using Google Drive, even if it's just for drafts, because it eliminates any question about who participated and who did not. This is a freeloader's nightmare and a team's dream come true. Plus, it's accessible by app or web browser, so there's no need to carry a flash drive or email versions back and forth unless you're into that sort of thing.

WHAT ARE YOUR GO-TO RESOURCES?

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