6 Tools for Bloggers That Will Save You Tons of Time

I know how much time running a blog takes. Trust me, I’ve got two blogs to take care of!

Yet, over the last 2+ years that I’ve been blogging, I discovered a couple of tools for bloggers and entrepreneurs that save me a lot of time each week.

Now, I get to spend those extra hours working on my other passion projects and chilling with friends and family!

And because we are here to save you some time, I won’t bore you with a long introduction. Instead, I will dive right into the 6 Tools for Bloggers that will save you many hours each week!

I included 4 that are very blogging-focused, and the last 2 are great for anyone with a busy schedule just like us.

#1. Canva Templates

The first tool I just have to mention is Canva – a FREE online graphic design/photo-editing software.

I’m an Illustrator by profession, and so I’m used to using Photoshop for different design solutions. BUT Canva is SO much easier and time-efficient!

The first time you use it, it takes a bit of a learning curve to figure things out and to create a few designs. But later – you can use these same designs as templates for future work!! This is a huge time-saver!

I use it primarily to create Pins for the articles on my blogs so that I can then schedule them to Pinterest (example).

And it also helps that there are a ton of free photos and graphics right at your fingertips.

Writing an article about gift ideas? Search it up and chose from hundreds of options for free!

And if you are just getting started, or want to try some new Canva templates, I have just the thing for you!

Below, you can sign up to receive 10 Free Canva Templates for Pins, and subscribe to my email list for bloggers 🙂

#2. Tailwind: Automated Traffic

Now, Tailwind Scheduler is one of those tools for bloggers that not only saves lots of time every single day, but it’s also the reason why my blogs get free traffic all the time!

Let me explain…

Pinterest is where I get about 76% of my traffic from…

And all it takes is 20 minutes/week or about 1-2 hours a month worth of my time 🙂

When I first heard that bloggers get traffic from Pinterest, I decided to give it a shot!

I knew you were supposed to pin about 20-40 pins every day, but I couldn’t imagine how that would be possible! I forget things and get distracted so easily…

The problem is – you can’t pin everything at once! You HAVE TO spread them out throughout the day if you want to see real results.

So, I decided to try a scheduler. I cheaped out and tried BoardBooster (which is not supported by Pinterest by the way). It gave me results, and I was so happy!

Until… Pinterest said they will suspend accounts of those who use it…

I was really upset then, but now I know that it was the best thing that ever happened to my blog!

Because I decided to try Tailwind and it gave me an insane amount of results!!!

Check it out…

But the point is – all bloggers want automatic, free traffic, and Pinterest is a great way to get it!

But pinning manually takes a lot of time and effort, so that’s where Tailwind comes to save the day!

By the way, they have a free trial, where you can schedule 100 pins to go off automatically for free.

So give it a shot and save yourself hours of worrying and frustration.

#3. ConvertKit Automations

Next on the list is ConvertKit – another big time-saver for me. It’s an Email Marketing Software created by a blogger Nathan Barry. He gave up a successful blogging career to build ConvertKit!

It was literally created for us! That’s incredible, right?

Anyway, here is how it saves me a lot of time…

1. Email Sequences
2. Automation

Email Sequences are exactly what they sound like – a sequence of pre-written emails that go off at a certain time to people who subscribe through a certain opt-in.

Sounds complicated?

Actually, here is an example from my art blog where artists can subscribe to a 7 Day Drawing Challenge from an opt-in (also created in ConvertKit):

Then through an AUTOMATION, I tell ConvertKit that anyone who subscribes through this form or this landing page has to go to this SEQUENCE:

And so they are taken to that specific sequence I already wrote AUTOMATICALLY!

I didn’t have to lift a finger, or write anything manually – it’s all done for me while I sleep!

And the sequence will go off immediately, in a day or in a week – it’s all under my control.

The best part? I wrote this sequence about 6 months ago, and every day at least 10 new people join in and are taken through it on auto-pilot 🙂

If that doesn’t save lots of time – I don’t know what does!

Note:

• You can also read my 5 reasons why every blogger needs to start an email list from day one!
• ConvertKit has a 14 Day free trial (no credit card required) so you can play around, explore and start building some efficient automations without any risk!

#4. Grammarly: Writing Faster

Successful blogs provide a bunch of value through content. The more content you have – the more ways there are for people to find you 🙂

That’s why writing new articles all the time is simply a must!

To save myself a lot of time I use Grammarly (free version). This neat browser extension helps fix grammar mistakes as you make them.

I can’t tell you how many times I misplaced a comma or made a silly grammar mistake and they help me catch it… most of the time 😉

Here is a screenshot of how it works in the process:

The green arrow means all is good, the red circle will include a number of mistakes that need your attention. Can’t miss that!

Tip: To write faster and not get distracted, I like turning it off while I’m writing. Then once I’m done, I turn it back on and just focus on fixing the mistakes.

#5. AudioBooks: Never Stop Learning!

The most powerful and successful CEOs read one book every week (that’s 52 a year!!). It’s fascinating, really!

I don’t know about you, but running a blog is very time-consuming for me and there are always things that need to be done.

So no matter how many times I tried, I couldn’t manage to follow this schedule. And even on those weeks that I did – the previous book was still a mush in my head, so I wasn’t getting real value from either.

At some point, I’ve decided to stop thinking “I can’t do it”, and started asking “HOW can I do it?”.

Since I spend at least 1 hour every day walking my dog, listening instead of reading was the answer for me!

At first, I tried AudiobooksNow.com, it was great!

But I’m a big fan of keeping things in one place, and because I have lots of different services from Amazon, I switched to their Audible program instead.

You can also try Audible and get two free audiobooks for 30 days. After that free trial period, you will be getting 1 new book each month!

And while it’s not specifically designed as one of those tools for bloggers, it’s still worth a mention here!

Listening to audiobooks while walking, cleaning or cooking – is one of the best things we can do to be ultra productive, I think.

Here are some of my favorites:

• Take Control of Your Life: How to Silence Fear and Win the Mental Game
• Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money
• The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
• Think and Grow Rich

#6. Planners: Plan -> Execute

Last but not least on this list are planners! I love planning, what about you?

To be honest, I have a lot of planners, and yet, sometimes my desk is still a complete mess filled with sticky notes and to-do lists!

Nevertheless, I found that I am more productive and organized when I have FOCUS. And some planners are better for that than others.

I’ve tried many planners over the years, and I want to share with you one that actually made a difference in my productivity.

Productivity Planner by Intelligent Change

It’s such a great little helper for anyone who is trying to be more productive and get things done!

I really LOVE that they have:

• Weekly goals
• Daily planning that focuses on the most important stuff
• Weekly progress review
• Inspirational & motivational quotes for every week AND every day!

At the beginning of this planner, they also have a couple of helpful exercises, and share some awesome productivity techniques before you get to planning. It’s unusual, but really helpful!

Here is what it looks like on the inside:

That’s where you plan out tasks for the week ranking them from the most important to the least important.

If you would like a copy for yourself, you can get this planner on Amazon.

Another great brand for planners is Erin Condren’s Deluxe Monthly Planners.

They’ve got quotes, inspiration, stunning feminine designs and…stickers!! 🙂

Final Thoughts on Tools for Bloggers:

The most important thing about being productive is to have a PLAN and FOCUS.

The tools are there to help 🙂

What are YOUR favorite productivity tools for bloggers and entrepreneurs? Let me know in the comments section below, I would love to give them a shot!

• Also, make sure to join my 10-Day Start a Blog Free e-course if you haven’t started already!
• And grab “24 Truths About Blogging” pdf doc, to learn all of the cool things I learned after 2+ years of experimentation and failure.

Stay productive!