One thing I did not anticipate when I started a business was how much of my life would be spent online over the next 5+ years (and I can't believe it's been that long!). Between emails, my website, blogging, and of course social media, sometimes it feels like I have way too much to juggle. There was a time over the course of last year that I kept waiting for the ball to drop on SOMETHING.
Thankfully, at least as far as I know, it never did. That was more due to the fact that I realized I needed help than my ability to multitask or keep everything together every minute of the day - especially after Willow entered into my life and the workday changed forever. I thought about paying for an assistant or looking at different solutions for a long time before I took the leap and once I did, I never looked back.
Enter CoSchedule - my new best friend! When I tallied the list and realized I was managing eight different social media accounts, I knew I needed help in that area. I had been pretty gun shy on pulling the trigger before because it isn't a cheap service, especially when you're a solopreneur. Even the cost of their basic plan seemed a little daunting, but I decided I would try it for two months and cancel if I didn't use it.
Now, a year later, I can't imagine organizing my online life without it. Each month I pull out a giant whiteboard calendar and write down all the things coming up - personally and business wise - for every different account. This is all color coded. Then each week, as I plan my calendar through CoSchedule, I use the written one as a guide so my posts are all cohesive with each other. Each week on Thursday I plan most of my social media for the next week, saving spots for wedding day sneak peeks or other last-minute things that come up.
Throughout the week, I barely have to think about what's coming next. CoSchedule automatically posts to most of my accounts and notifies me of Instagram posts, which are as easy to complete as swiping right and hitting a few buttons. I don't have to think through the content, wording, or hashtags since I already did that. I just hit post and I'm done - or it goes live without me having to do a thing!
The only thing CoSchedule DOESN'T do is interact with other people's accounts - which I am happy to do for myself. I know automation services exist for this, but I know my comments would not be authentic if I used a service for this, and I love being involved with my friends, family, and other vendors. That's something I truly never want to automate!
Who knows what other products will come out in the next few years to help all of us keep track of our lives online, but for now I've found the absolute best thing for me. And one final note - this is not a paid sponsorship, and CoSchedule has no idea I'm writing this. I truly just love their app and I think you will, too!
