My Favorite Business, Life, and Time Management Tools as a Small Business Owner (& Law Student)
Hello there, darling! Welcome to Le Blog, a space for you to learn about the behind-the-scenes of running a business and get answers to all your CRM-related questions. My name is Chloe, and I am a client experience strategist. This is a fancy way of saying that I help business owners like you build systems that help your business run smoothly and intuitively.
This blog has all sorts of resources, from how to organize your inbox so you don’t feel frazzled every time you open it to how to onboard clients and build forms within your CRM. But today’s blog is going to be a littttttle different. I’m going to show you a day in my life, sharing some of the business, health, and time management tools that keep me—a small business owner and current law student—from losing my mind.
The Background
For context, I’ve been running It’s Chloe G. for over five years years. I love it. I love working with service-based businesses, and building systems that make their business, and therefore lives, easier and better. You can learn more about my journey to becoming an entrepreneur in this blog.
But in 2024, I decided to enroll in law school. I’d been toying with the idea of going back to school. I’ve always loved learning and the feeling of working towards something. And then one of my best friends visited me at my Notting Hill apartment during spring break of her 2L year. While we chatted about life and our futures, she asked, “Why don’t you try law school?”
I was ready to explore the possibility. She talked me into taking a practice LSAT. And then another. And once I started, I decided to keep going until something stopped me… except nothing ever did. Before I knew it, those practice tests turned into the real thing. I was submitting applications and receiving acceptances.
And now I live in the cutest studio apartment in Boston, living out my Elle Woods era.
All this to say, I am busy. Busier than I’ve ever been, actually. And the fact that I am still thriving (I’m sipping a cappuccino at one of my favorite cafes in Paris while I write this, btw), has a lot to do with finding the right tools to handle my ever-increasing workload.
You might not be balancing business and schoolwork like me, but I know that you’re balancing your business with dozens of other things. A full-time job, maybe. Motherhood. Your hobbies and life goals and relationships… It’s a lot. Lucky for you, I’ve done the research to find tools that help me manage my time, track my progress, and even take care of my mental and physical health. And they might just help you, too.
8 Work, Health, and Time Management Tools I Swear By
Dubsado
Client Relationship Management systems (aka, CRMs) are kindaaaaa my whole deal, so of course I’m going to start off by recommending a strong, personalized system for every business owner.
Dubsado keeps my business running while I’m deep in work-mode or in class. It handles all my client-facing communication, sending emails, onboarding and offboarding clients, and gathering information so it’s ready when I need it. I’ve set Dubsado up so it works without me needing to step in and manage every detail myself.
I simply could not run my business without it… or at least I couldn’t run it well. Dubsado makes sure my clients feel seen, heard, and important. I also need it to actually send contracts and manage payments. Dubsado is my lifeline, ensuring that my business runs smoothly (both for me AND my clients) while I’m designing workflows, writing papers, and even making dinner.
(You may have noticed that I, a CRM specialist, use Dubsado over all the other CRM platforms. You can read why in this blog!)
Google Calendar
I use Google Calendar for large-scale, day-by-day time blocking. Because there are always so many things vying for my attention, I use these blocks to help me stay focused and organized. I even share my Google Calendar with close friends and family so they can see when we can catch up without interrupting anything.
Here’s what a typical day looks like for me:
9-11am: Wake up, eat breakfast, and do Pilates
11:30am-3pm: Deep work, usually for my clients or working on my own business
3-4pm: Move my body and get outside. If I don’t take a break in the middle of the day to move and get some sunlight, everything else starts to slog.
4-5:30pm: Back to work. I usually use this hour and a half to wrap up anything I didn’t finish earlier and make sure I’m ready to dive back in the next day.
6-10pm: Law school. This is when I log into classes and work on assignments
After 10pm: I do not work. This is a hard boundary for me, since after four hours of work and four hours of school, my brain is pretty much tapped out. I reserve this time for my hobbies, catching up with friends, and doing housework. I’m a night owl, so I’m often awake until 1am enjoying the quiet, peaceful evenings.
Structured
I love this app. Structured is a digital planner that breaks those big Google Calendar blocks into smaller, more detailed chunks. It syncs with Google Calendar, Notion, and ClickUp (more on those below!) so everything I need to do is in one place.
For example, Google Calendar has a two-and-a-half hour block for deep work. Structured divides that block into 15 minutes for admin, 45 minutes for building a client form, 30 minutes for marketing, and so on. I love how Structured helps me visualize what each day will look like, and helps me stay on task during each individual block. It might not work for everyone, but I am so grateful for this one little tool.
ClickUp & Notion
I’ve found it so important to separate my business work from my school work. I use Clickup to track everything for It’s Chloe G. I’ve got sections for work my team does, sections for work I do, and due dates for everything. ClickUp makes sure I’m on top of everything that needs to happen and deliver my work on time!
Notion, on the other hand, is reserved for schoolwork. As soon as I receive my syllabus for the semester, I upload everything into Notion so I know exactly what is due when.
Brick
There’s one thing I want to make very clear here. Having your time and workload organized is one part of the puzzle. Actually doing and maintaining it is the other. That’s why I use Brick, a physical device that you can connect to your phone that essentially locks your phone (or certain apps on it). With Brick, I can’t get trapped in the doom-scrolling cycle, or end up clearing my inbox while I’m supposed to be writing a paper. Brick works better than any screen-time limits because it is a physical object—something I need to get up to use. It helps me think about whether I actually want to be on my phone, or if I’m just doing it out of instinct.
I use the Brick to help me focus on what actually needs to get done, and it’s on a set schedule. Once I get home from school, it bricks (aka, blocks or locks) everything on my phone except calls. So I can’t access Instagram, TikTok, emails, etc. This helps me wind down for the night and spend more time talking to friends and family I wouldn’t get to talk to otherwise. I also keep my Brick in the kitchen, so I have to physically get out of bed to “unbrick” my phone, which I usually do after breakfast each morning.
I also have a separate “work mode,” which turns off calls, texting, games, and most apps. You can create modes that work for you, so you can use the essential elements of your phone without getting tempted by your emails or social media (my biggest weaknesses).
Pomodoro Timers
In addition to the Brick, pomodoro timers really help me focus. The pomodoro method is a well-known time management tool that breaks large blocks of time into smaller, more manageable ones. The original method is a 25-minute focus session with small breaks between each one. I like to do 25 minutes on, 20 minutes off. I pick a task and try to finish it in that window.
There are a lot of free pomodoro timers out there, but I like the Harry Potter ones on YouTube! They have a nice ambience to them.
Oura Ring
There are a lot of opinions about the Oura Ring, but I love mine. I’m a data girly—so having the actual record of how my body is doing and what I’ve accomplished is truly motivating to me. I love seeing my numbers change, and it helps me incorporate more of what I need into my habits and diet.
Apple Watch
I love that the Apple Watch gives you daily challenges. It’s a little thing, but it reminds me to move, exercise, and stand for a certain amount each day. It’s fun, simple, and makes me feel accomplished. If I ever forget my watch at home, I’m always a little bummed not to get credit for the day’s activity.
The #1 Time Management Tool I Recommend
This is a busy season in my life. When I first started balancing law school with my business, I worried that it wouldn’t be sustainable. But these 8 tools keep me from drowning, track my workload, and allow me to structure my day-to-day in a way that makes the most sense for me. I’m not saying that you need all of them to be productive. In fact, if I were to recommend just one of the tools above for a small business owner like myself (aka, a service based business), it would be a CRM.
The way Dubsado keeps track of my clients and their information allows me to fully focus on all the other elements of my life right now. Without it, I would be constantly checking my inbox, trying to make sure I didn’t miss an email or inquiry. I’d be frazzled from switching between schoolwork and business work, wasting time writing the same types of emails to different clients, and, if we’re honest, probably messing up important communications because I’d be tired, burnt out, and overwhelmed.
A CRM might not technically be a time management tool. But when it’s set up well, it does save you so much time, energy, and frustration—freeing your brain up to focus on other things that need to get done. Your business is just one part of your life. A CRM keeps it in its place. Learn more about my custom CRM setups and fill out the calling card on my contact page to schedule a free call with me. I’d love to chat with you about business, life, and finding the balance.
