automation Archives - Music Studio Startup

Phone Productivity Hacks

August 13, 2018

automation, organization, productivity, systems, time management

I have a love hate relationship with my phone. It helps me do so much, but it will also suck my life away if I let it! Over the years I’ve test a lot of phone productivity hacks. Some work for me, others don’t. These are a few of the ways I currently set up…

Online Productivity Hacks for Google Chrome

July 23, 2018

automation, Chrome, focus, organization, productivity, studio management, systems, time management

Last week I shared some of my favorite computer productivity hacks. Today I’m sharing web browser productivity hacks. Most apply to Chrome, but I know some (if not all) of the Chrome extensions I mention also have versions for other popular browsers, such as FireFox and Edge. 1. Turn off browser notification requests If you…

Computer Hacks to Make You More Productive

July 16, 2018

automation, organization, productivity, studio management, systems, technology, time management

Computers help us do a lot of things faster (like contact a whole group of students at once by email or automate our billing processes) but I’m convinced most of us could save even more time on these tasks by incorporating some new tools and strategies into our workflow. 1. Learn to text from your…

Systems for Music Studio Owners

May 28, 2018

automation, creativity, organization, productivity, studio management, systems, time management

I feel I need to be upfront here: I probably have an unhealthy relationship with systems. I get really annoyed when I have to expend creative energy on repetitive tasks. REALLY annoyed. (If you want to hear a rant, ask me how I feel about picking out fresh clothes to wear every. single. morning.) It…

Computer Backup the Easy Way

March 26, 2018

automation, insurance, organization, productivity, studio management, systems

A while back, I shared my Tech Disaster Preparedness Checklist. This list covered all the things I do to protect my tech from all the typical disasters: power surges, stolen devices, failed hard drives (all of which I have personally experienced!) and more. Now, it’s time to get real. Did you tell yourself, after reading…

Tech Disaster Preparedness Checklist

October 30, 2017

automation, organization, productivity, systems

They say the only certainties in life are death and taxes, but I’d like to add “technology failures” to that list. Someday it will happen to all of us: our laptop will crash, our iPad will take a dip in the pool, or a homeless guy will steal our phone while we’re at a church…

Scheduling Emails to Automate Recital Communication

October 2, 2017

automation, organization, productivity, studio management, systems

Last week I described how I communicate recital information to my studio families. This process includes sending a series of four emails to my studio families in the weeks leading up to the big day. I could put reminders in my calendar to send those emails on specific days, but why do that when I…

Recital Communication: A Week-by-Week Guide

September 25, 2017

automation, organization, productivity, studio management, systems, time management

I hear stories of teachers getting inundated by last minute questions from parents about recitals. “Where is the recital?” “What is Emma supposed to wear?” “Is Jack playing this piece or that one?” I confess, I have a hard time relating. It could be that I’m spoiled by exceptional studio parents (I think they’re pretty…