I love Google Docs. This free MS Office style suite of online tools helps me keep my life and my business organized. It’s great because it’s pretty much accessible from anywhere. I can get to it on my iPhone, my computer, etc., and it’s backed up online so chances of my losing my notes are slim. I can also download my docs to my computer and share Google Docs so if I need to give partners, freelancers or vendors access, I can set that up pretty easily.

Here are a few ways I use Google Docs to run my business:

1. Brainstorming
Any ideas that pop into my head immediately go into a brainstorm file. I can review my ideas and weed out things that I’m not going to act on, prioritize things I do want to act on soon.

2. To Do Lists
I always have a million things to do for my business and I wouldn’t remember to do even a fraction of it if I didn’t write it down.  Google Docs lets me keep to do lists, I usually organize mine by category (money related to-dos, web design related to-dos, marketing related to-dos, etc.).

3. Prioritizing
Google Docs also helps me remember what I need to do first. I can organize tasks by priority and even add notes on progress. I can also easily rearrange my priorities as more pressing tasks bubble up.

4. Organizing
Google Docs comes with folders and unlimited files, so I can keep things like my press list in there. I can create separate files for different press types, and add notes on when they were contacted last and what the conversation was.

I can keep a separate file for product design ideas and another for blog topic ideas. Without having an easy place to access, store and organize this kind of information I’d probably be drowning in notepads and post-it notes.