The work I’ve done here at Constant Renewal requires (a) that I learn as much as I can, and then (b) distill the essence of what I’ve learnt. I’ve experimented with many tools and have decided to recommend some of the most effective products I’ve used.
Many of the resources I’ve listed are absolutely crucial for my writing, allowing me to deliver my best content to you. They’ve helped to double my productivity and effectiveness. You’ll notice that most of them are budget-friendly, if not free, and hence would be accessible by just about anyone.
Tools for Productivity
Evernote – This is hands down the best note-taking app around. I use it for research, strategic planning, taking notes and much more. All this, without having to use pen or paper. The free version alone enables you to use on two devices – your phone and your laptop – which is more than enough for most people.
Trello – The app which I use alongside Evernote to plan my daily tasks. It’s available on both computer and phone, which makes usage extremely convenient. The design makes it easy to organise your work. The app’s beautiful design doesn’t hurt as well.
Tools for Reading, Learning
Audible – If you’ve never been much of a visual learner, you’ll love audiobooks. Audiobooks provide the same information through the audio format, and nobody provides a greater variety of books than Audible. You can listen to books on the go without having to stop. You’ll need to get a paid subscription eventually, but I think it’s always worth investing in your learning. Start with a free trial here.
Blinkist – This is for those who are time-strapped. Blinkist is an app that summaries non-fiction books. It provides summaries through the traditional text format, as well as the audio format. You can read what I think about Blinkist and book summaries in general here. Or, you can head over for a free trial here.
Tools for Constant Renewal
These are the tools I use to deliver my best content to you. The minority of you who run their own sites will undoubtedly find these recommendations useful, but it won’t be relevant for most. You can still read on to know what I use to power Constant Renewal.
MailerLite
If you’ve ever received my newsletter, you’ll have seen the basic interface that MailerLite offers. On top of that, there are many other text editors that allow you to beautify the emails you want to send. For anyone who’s starting out, MailerLite is a godsend. For the cost of absolutely nothing, you get full functionality and can have up to 1,000 subscribers. This is something that no other email service provider (ESP) offers.
In the event that you upgrade to a paid plan, you’ll get $20 in credit when you sign up here. I can’t recommend MailerLite enough for anyone who’s just starting out.
SiteGround
SiteGround is the web host that Constant Renewal runs on. I recommend this web host to anyone who cares to run a site because it is the best web hosting company out there. At $3.95 a month for shared hosting, Siteground offers great web speed and security to its users. It’s highly affordable and is also customised for WordPress, which is the content management system that most websites run on.
The best part is the customer support that the Siteground team offers. I’m a slouch in the technical department, so I constantly find myself heading to their tech support team. Till date, I have only been impressed, since the Siteground team has done everything from making sure my site runs perfectly to helping me set up a landing page. It’s not just chat-support they offer either; you are free to give them a call anytime.
The excellent customer support is the best part of SiteGround – I’m confident that no other web hosting company comes close to what they offer. So don’t hesitate if you want to have your own website – head over to SiteGround right now.