Val Selby [00:00:06]:
Hey, this is Val Selby and after over 20 years online, I can track where my mindset has blocked me. If procrastination, impostor syndrome and a lack of focus have been blocking your biz, then Val Full Volume is here to help you see choices you are making. Get ready to use your expertise to collaborate like a pro as you create the business of your dreams. Now is the time to make changes and live your best life. Let's get to it! 

Val Selby [00:00:38]:
Hey. Welcome back. This is Val Selby, and I'm here to share more information that I am witnessing about myself. So I'm just gonna share the information because that's what I do. That's my strong point. I have no problem being on here and going, yeah. This is probably something you already do, but my dumbass just figured it out. I have no problem being the one standing in line. It's not even like I don't know how to do any of this stuff or it's this or it's that. It's the fact that I've been looking for some programs that do certain things.

Val Selby [00:01:17]:
And so I've been reaching out more and asking, you know, my tech friends and my business friends and it's hilarious how often they're like telling me, oh, use this, it's in this and a lot of these are programs I already have and potentially programs that I'm already in all of the time. And I laugh at myself because I can remember, you know, back in the day, and this might be why it happens, but back in the day, I mean, when we signed up for programs, they really did that one basic thing. And we were so grateful for that. Right? Because before that program came into place, we were hand coding or, you know, somehow we were maneuvering and making that happen, but it was definitely a huge process to make it happen. So we do that one thing. Well, let's just forward several decades up and I don't always think of keeping up with the platforms that I already have. And I have quite a few platforms. I'm a fan of AppSumo.

Val Selby [00:02:23]:
I have quite a few platforms that I have lifetime access to, and I know that some of them, you know, when they first came out, maybe they didn't work quite the way I wanted to, but I don't have a habit of going back to them and see what the updates are. I mean, if I have lifetime access and it's always bumping up to the top level because a lot of the time, many of the AppSumo apps that's what will happen as a thank you you're always at that top level and that means that you're always getting like the most incredible stuff, the top of the line. But if I'm not using it because 2 years ago it didn't really do what I wanted, then I have no idea that all that stuff happened, you know, because I'm probably totally rolling my eyes watching the video, you know, this rolling my eyes at myself because of course I like, you know, I get the emails and I just delete them because I don't even look at them. Bad habit. It's a bad habit. And that's just the ones that I'm not using the programs regularly. Right? Those are the ones that I have lost in my digital dust that I am now finding some of them and going back to and going, oh, what do you do now? What do you do now? But there's also and this is the big one, keep up to date with what's going on in the programs that you use all of the time. You know, I don't keep up with what the brand new stuff is for ActiveCampaign.

Val Selby [00:03:55]:
This means that I'm paying for things that could be helping my business, making my time more efficient, maybe my assistants could use it and it would be more efficient for them to get things done, but I don't know because I'm not keeping up to let them know. That's not smart. I know it's difficult. It's like, well, when am I gonna find the time to go and do that? So what if we put in when we do our stats once a month, I don't think I've talked about that for a while, but should be doing your stats at least once a month. Okay? Just at least finding your basics. But moving on from that, maybe that's the day when I'm doing my stats really quickly that I go and check out at least one program. Because if I was at least checking out one of my platforms that I use all of the time, you know, then I've at least done something. For example, Canva and the AI.

Val Selby [00:04:53]:
I haven't dug into that at all. And here I am asking for AI programs and there I've gotten quite a few people saying use Canva, use this. It's like, okay, because I already have that. Oh, how do we do that? You know, I've got a friend who absolutely adore her. She's just like, if you log in, there's a ton of tutorials. Oh, really? Yeah. That'd be smart. So it's right there in something that I'm already paying for.

Val Selby [00:05:24]:
So why don't I use that instead of looking for something else to pay for? See if I can use the software platforms that I already have. Wouldn't that be amazing? What a great idea. It's funny because I have gotten new platforms and specifically because we wanted to find some platforms that would do more things so we I could cancel other platforms. I am switching to some place else for my meetings right now. I haven't quite done it yet, so I'm not going to just, like, jump in and tell you all about it. But believe me, when I get it all set up and I've tested it a few times, I will be letting you know all about it. I'm super super excited about it. It's been really tough for me not to go down the rabbit hole of just working on this.

Val Selby [00:06:20]:
It's like, no lady, you set deadlines. You are going to work on getting this workshop, Optimize and Align Sprint. You're working on that. All assets have to be done this month. You said it, but I can go play over here and create all this fun stuff. No. So I know that that's part of the reason I don't go and dig into programs as well because I know I can rabbit hole and use it as a procrastination because I'm learning. It's like, well, that's not what I was supposed to be doing.

Val Selby [00:06:53]:
So, so schedule it. Schedule it. Schedule it, Val. Val. Schedule it so that you can have that playtime. But, you know, how many different programs are you paying for that some of the stuff is overlapping? That happens a lot more than it ever ever used to. And especially with the AI, like, right now as far as the podcasting stuff goes, some of our stuff is overlapping because I needed better of this or because the team's already using this and they already love it and it's, like, streamlined for them. So that's worth it, right, to have the multiple platforms when they're not too expensive.

Val Selby [00:07:32]:
But it's worth it because it makes it easier for them to cruise on through because it's like, alright, I already got this, I'm doing it, got a process. Let's not change. Okay, please. And I get that because I'm the same way. And you know, once you have to go through and figure out time versus learning curve, oh my god, you know, the money spent in time, that's money, time is money. So if you have to go and learn a whole new program, and you're still wanting it to do what the other program did, you have to really weigh that, is that going to be a good use of your time, or is that $14 a month worth it because of what it saves you? What I'm trying to say here is anytime that you are thinking, oh, I would like to do this, I would like to add this, check your programs for what you already have access to. Even if stuff's not flowing in your head, keep up to date with the platforms that you use the most to see what they are adding. Like Asana and Canva are gonna have an integration pretty soon.

Val Selby [00:08:40]:
I don't know what that's gonna look like, but I am so stinking excited. I actually probably should look up if there's a launch date for that to happen so I can schedule it on my calendar because we use the heck out of Canva and we use Asana for everything as a team. So for me, I'm like, oh my gosh. How is this going to improve our business life? My mind's coming up with all sorts of random things that it's just going to be absolute perfection. Silly. So silly. But if I didn't open emails and pay attention, I wouldn't know that was gonna be happening. Right? So especially the platforms that you use all of the time.

Val Selby [00:09:18]:
You know, Airtable, we use Airtable for all of our contact forms now and for the sign ups, and it's just way easier. So we use that. That is always getting a constant update. So I try to remember to open those and forward them just to make sure that my team's getting them because I don't know Airtable. I just go in there and look around and do basic stuff. I don't do the stuff in it by any means because Airtable made my brain explode. That's not how my brain works. So take a look, before I keep rambling on, take a look at those programs that you are using the most, see if there are ways that you can streamline processes because you can just keep using the programs that you are using for other things.

Val Selby [00:10:07]:
Because the more you can stay in one program, the more time you will save. I mean, goodness. How many tabs do you have open? It's so much easier if you just have less tabs and you just keep going back and forth between a couple of tabs. It's seconds matter. Seconds matter. Every time you got to switch, especially, you know, some of us that are having computers so want to die. I have to move stuff around. I'm doing it with a prayer.

Val Selby [00:10:33]:
Please, internet gods, please, computer gods work with me and just keep clicking back and forth. Please. So take a look at what you've got. See how you can make it work even harder for you because that is the whole point. That is why these people, these wonderful minds are creating these programs for us because they want us there more. So, you know, and if there's a program that you absolutely love and you wish it did something, reach out to their team about it because they are always wanting you to stay in their program. They are always wanting you to stay with them and stay on that monthly subscription, especially if you're a subscriber. So the more that they can add to it, the less likely you are to go to another program.

Val Selby [00:11:22]:
You know, brand loyalty is everything. Okay. So anytime, first off, anytime you are looking for a program to do something, check what you already own or have access to first. Yes. I'm saying this to Val. Val's gotta start doing this. Val will start doing this. Val desires to start doing this more often.

Val Selby [00:11:48]:
Look inside my own programs. All that money that I'm spending. What else can I make it do? Is it gonna do cool things that I didn't even know could be possible? Probably. Alright. Thanks for being here. I will see you and talk to you, okay, next week. Adios.