With just about a million tasks cluttering up our to-do lists, and about twice as many apps, tools and tricks that promise to make those to-do lists infinitely easier, it can be a little overwhelming trying to figure out which tools are really worth pursuing. When I was a brand new boss lady, I thought I could easily get by without the use of subscription-based programs or an excessive number of apps that all claimed to supposedly lessen my workload. But the longer I tried to the one-woman show approach, the more I realized that I simply couldn’t do it all.

Taking this new-found attitude of humility in hand, I decided to try delegating some projects to apps, programs and tools that could either shorten my to-do list, save me time, or all of the above. And in case you’re in a similar boat where you’re finally coming to terms with the truth that creatives just aren’t built to do it all, all of the time, then hopefully this post is an encouragement, friend! I’m sharing my most frequently used apps that enable me to spend less time bogged down in the day-to-day items, and more time fully engaged with my darling clients. (P.S. I think I should mention before we get too much further than I am not being compensated for this post by any of these brands. I just really like the stuff they do.)

17Hats

Before this little app came along, I was painstakingly emailing out PDF contracts, client worksheets, and invoicing through PayPal solely. It would take forever to countersign a contract, track down a client worksheet or send reminders for invoices that were coming due. I truly wanted something that could integrate my invoicing, quote creation, client files, contracts and more! Enter 17Hats. This paid service combines the most common functions small business owners utilize for client work into one easy to use interface. Not only does it handle things like invoices and contracts, but it also enables me to save email templates to go out with specific contracts, invoices or worksheets! For my branding clients, this is a huge time saver considering I have a few worksheets and homework materials that need to be completed throughout each project. I personally opted for the annual subscription, but they have monthly subscriptions also available.

Evernote

I’m the kind of creative who works best with a running list of bullet points. I actually joke that my brain is just one big series of lists after the other, and my husband doesn’t disagree with me one bit! That said, I simply can’t function with keeping all of those running lists pent up inside my brain, so Evernote is pretty much a life saver. I use this app for everything from grocery lists I can share with Armon, to blog posts ideas, to captions for Instagram content. I also love that I can upload photos, add images to notes, set reminders and record audio when a simple list of bullet points won’t do. And the best part? It’s free, and it syncs automatically to your account so you can access that note you were writing on your phone from your desktop later. (insert the hallelujah emoji hands here)

Google Docs

What did we ever do before Google Docs and Google Drive, y’all? With so many documents, spreadsheets and photos to share, Karis and I rely on this free series of tools every single day. Since I’m based in our Waco studio and Karis works from her home in Austin, it’s so convenient to be able to add her to a shared document with all the details for our April illume retreat, or an on-going collection of editorial content that needs to be scheduled. And speaking of scheduling, we love using Google Calendar for our editorial content, client project dates and more!

Gmail

#Gmailforlife, y’all. I absolutely love how user-friendly and intuitive this email client is! Although you can totally get away with using the free version, I personally use Google Apps for Work to manage multiple email addresses, share content, calendars and more. Interested in how I make the most of my Gmail account? Check out this oldie but goodie about how to conquer your overwhelming inbox.

Unroll.Me

One of the reasons why I love using Gmail are the many apps you can sync with your account to help reaching inbox zero a reality. Raise your hand if you’ve ever bought something from a website one time, only to suddenly find dozens of promotional emails in your inbox as a result? I don’t know who thought of sneaking an email signup agreement somewhere into the terms and conditions of online shopping, but it’s the worst! The last thing I want to be doing is digging through a hundred emails to West Elm and Anthropologie while trying to locate a client inquiry. So Unroll.me is here to save the day! This free service allows you to go through your inbox, unsubscribe from emails you no longer wish to receive, keep others in your inbox, or add others into one “roll up” email that is sent to you daily, weekly or monthly. It clears the clutter from your inbox, and helps you regain control of what is entering your email, and how often (if ever) you see it.

Boomerang

Finally, this free (or paid, depending on your usage) app is Gmail compatible and enables you to schedule drafts to be sent at a specific time. For those who adhere to a specific set of office hours, you definitely don’t want your clients to see a timestamp that conflicts with the working hours in your email signature, right? So Boomerang makes it easy to write a draft, determine when it will be sent out, and even customize it to ensure that the draft won’t send if a new email from that same sender comes in beforehand. I believe you can schedule 10 emails each month for free, but if you only find yourself getting ahead of your growing inbox occasionally, that’s more than enough.

What tools and apps could you just not live without, boss lady? Sound off in the comments below!