Tools That Help Me Run My Business (and My Life)

Sometimes the only thing standing between me and absolute chaos is the right tool showing up at the right time.

I don’t mean some perfect system that fixes everything forever. I mean the small, practical things that help my brain land a little more softly each day.

Running a business, planning events, juggling ideas at all hours, traveling, creating art, trying to be a functioning adult with ADHD… it’s a lot. My brain is always moving. Sometimes in good ways. Sometimes in ways that make it hard to sleep.

So I’ve learned to lean into tools and structures that make life smoother instead of harder. Not more optimized. Not more impressive. Just easier.

When something reduces friction, saves me time, or helps me remember what I already know I need to do, I pay attention.

Here are the ones I come back to over and over.

AI helpers (used gently)

I use tools like ChatGPT and lovable.dev as guides, not copy-paste robots. I don’t want them to think for me. I want them to help me think clearer.

Sometimes that looks like talking through an idea out loud. Sometimes it’s organizing a messy brain dump. Sometimes it’s helping me see the shape of something before I build it.

Used well, they save me time and mental energy. Used poorly, they create noise. I try to stay on the helpful side of that line.

Google Workspace

Especially Google Calendar. I would not survive without the notifications.

My calendar isn’t just appointments. It’s reminders to eat. To leave the house. To follow up. To stop working. It’s external memory, and I’m not ashamed to say I need it.

If something matters, it goes on the calendar. My brain is not the place to store it.

Canva Pro

I use Canva constantly. Social posts, flyers, ideas that start as visuals instead of words.

The free version is solid. The paid version just gives me more room to play. And play matters to me more than perfection.

My laser

I use a Glowforge, and it’s both a creative outlet and a business tool. It lets me make things quickly, test ideas, and stay connected to my hands when my brain feels overloaded.

There’s something grounding about physically making something when everything else lives on a screen.

Voice notes

Some of my best ideas show up when I’m walking, driving, or halfway through doing something else. Voice notes let me catch them before they disappear.

I don’t organize them perfectly. I just capture them. That’s enough.

WhatsApp

I use it for communication that feels more human and less formal. It’s especially helpful for staying connected while traveling or coordinating across time zones.

Sometimes reducing friction is as simple as using the platform that feels easiest to respond to.

The reminder underneath it all

The goal isn’t to make life busier. The goal is to make life easier.

If a tool adds stress, guilt, or complexity, I let it go. If it gives me more time for creativity, community, and joy, I keep it.

That’s the only metric that really matters to me now.

Plus, I am regularly learning new tools that help me save time. My most recent find was the CapCut app for video editing. I'm still learning my way around, but am loving how easy it is to add captions to videos and stitch images together for simple reels for social media!

And if you have a tool or structure you swear by, I always want to hear about it. I’m endlessly curious about what helps other creative brains feel a little more supported.