🛠️ The Best Productivity Tools We Actually Use (And Recommend to Clients)
There are productivity tools… and then there are tools that actually make life easier.
At Adaptive VA, we don’t chase trends—we use tech that delivers results, saves time, and scales with your business.
Whether you're a solo founder or managing a lean team, here are the tools we use every day—and recommend to startups that want to work smarter.
🧠 1. Notion – The Command Center
It’s our go-to for documenting systems, building workflows, and organizing chaos. SOPs, project trackers, client portals—you name it, we’ve built it in Notion.
🔑 Why we love it: Clean, flexible, and founder-friendly. A digital brain that actually makes sense.
📨 2. Intercom – Customer Messaging, Simplified
For startups that want to level up customer support, Intercom is a must. From live chat and onboarding flows to help centers and email campaigns, it’s where support and automation meet.
🔑 Why we love it: Your customers get help fast, and your inbox stays quiet.
⚡ 3. GoHighLevel – Marketing Automation on Steroids
If you’re in marketing or sales, GoHighLevel is a game changer. We use it for funnel building, email automation, lead tracking, client onboarding, and even SMS campaigns—all in one dashboard.
🔑 Why we love it: All-in-one platform built for agencies and high-growth businesses.
🤖 4. ChatGPT & Claude – Smart Assistants, Supercharged
We use ChatGPT and Claude to brainstorm content, write SOPs, summarize meetings, and draft email replies. These AI tools help us (and our clients) move faster and think clearer.
🔑 Why we love it: Saves hours of creative and admin work every week—without losing quality.
📅 5. Calendly – Booking Without Back-and-Forth
We’re all about protecting your calendar. Calendly makes it easy for clients, partners, and team members to schedule time—without the email ping pong.
🔑 Why we love it: Smart scheduling that respects your time.
💬 6. Slack – Clear, Instant Team Communication
From quick check-ins to full project updates, Slack keeps conversations organized and searchable. No more endless email threads or “Did you see my message?” moments.
🔑 Why we love it: Clean channels, instant updates, and way fewer meetings.
📁 7. Google Workspace – Still the Backbone
Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms. Simple, shareable, and still essential for daily business tasks and team collaboration.
🔑 Why we love it: It just works—and everyone knows how to use it.
🔁 8. Zapier – The Automation Glue
We use Zapier to connect our apps and automate the boring stuff—like pushing form data into CRMs, organizing client files, or triggering reminders.
🔑 Why we love it: Replaces manual busywork with clean, behind-the-scenes magic.
💡 Bonus Tools We Recommend Based on Client Needs
ClickUp / Asana – Visual project management
Toggl Track – Time tracking made easy
Loom – For training, SOPs, and async updates
Canva – Fast visuals without the design drama
Framer – Clean, responsive websites for startups
🚀 Final Thoughts
You don’t need 50 tools. You need the right ones that talk to each other and support your flow—not disrupt it.
We don’t just use tools—we help founders build systems around them.
👉 Book a Free Strategy Call and let’s streamline your stack together.