Amber Christian on Show #138: Kickstarting Your Productivity

Amber Christian is the founder of Wonderly Software Solutions and creator of Bella Scena, which helps freelancers and small business owners create a unified view of their work through a calendar, to-do list, and meeting planning application. Amber drew on her experience of running a treasury consulting firm to build a second business devoted to providing a technical solution that addresses the unique productivity and collaboration challenges faced by freelancers and small companies. Amber is a regular author and public speaker on a variety of technology topics and is currently the Chair of the Managing Information Systems (MIS) advisory board at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Amber joins me today to discuss why she was inspired to create the Bella Scena programme, leading to her running two companies full time to bring her vision for a new productivity product to fruition. She shares her journey from running a service-based consultancy company to building and providing a product and the challenges she has faced throughout the process. She also explains why entrepreneurs need to have a roadmap of where they are going with their business, why she recommends being intentional about tasks, and how to plan your day to take advantage of the peaks and troughs of energy in your day and week. “There is a whole hidden benefit to being intentional about your tasks” Amber Christian This Week on The Power to Live More Podcast: * What Amber did when she couldn’t find an app to solve her frustrations with tracking tasks * How she envisions further developing Bella Scena* Why Amber never imagined starting a tech company* The importance of active dialogue with clients and customers* Why Amber values teamwork-centered design and how she uses it in her business* The benefits of focusing on one critical task per day* How to build a day that allows you to flex if something unexpected crops up* Why your worst task should be your priority* The importance of gratitude and reflection to mental wellbeing* Why Amber never schedules meetings after 3pm* Which apps and programmes keep Amber on track and at peak productivity* Why you need to embrace learning new skills as your business iterates* How to successfully outsource as your business develops Resources Mentioned: * Instant Meeting* Evernote* Google Calendar* The Five Minute Journal* Bella Scena* Atlassian* Coschedule Connect with Amber Christian: *