Hey there!

Running an online community isn’t as easy as some like to think, especially if it’s designed to build your business.

On any given day, you’re juggling the proper care and feeding of your people along with content creation and scheduling, sales and marketing, strategic planning, performance tracking, service delivery and more — and we haven’t even covered what’s going on in your personal life.

I’m in the same boat. Not only do I have to manage all of those things for my own business, I do the same for clients as well.

It’s a lot to juggle.

Which is why I’m always looking at ways to streamline my day.

Recently, I tried out Motion, an AI-assisted productivity app that optimizes your day to create a schedule that they claim will always be “perfect and up-to-date.”

You tell Motion what you have to do, and it “automagically” arranges your tasks to make the most of the time you have between meetings and other obligations.

It’s not the kind of software support I’d typically be interested in, but with girls attending schools 40 miles away from each other, I’m finding my workdays look differently this year than ever before. And because I’m a fan of deep work, I was struggling with how to spend smaller pockets of time.

So, on the recommendation of Dachelle McVey (after several failed attempts with similar free apps), I took Motion for a test drive.

​Here’s a 20-minute walkthrough of what I’ve discovered so far.

During my initial 7-day trial, I ran my experience through my Do I Need This Now framework before deciding to commit to Motion at $34/month.

If you’re a member of The Secret to Thriving Online Communities, that video is also posted to the group — and I’m happy to answer any questions you might have in the comments there.

My walkthrough isn’t polished and professional because I wanted you to see how easy/hard Motion is to figure out. Like with any business investment, there is always a cost of acquisition beyond the dollars you pay. There is the time spent learning how to use a new tool, work it into your existing systems and process, and the energy you have to spend to do it all.

If you get frustrated watching the walkthrough, Motion is likely not for you. If you do want to try it, however, reply here. I can send you an invite for an extended 14-day trial.

Keep thriving,

Tonya

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P.S. Did you know we typically have weekly live workshops inside our private community? Here’s what we covered last month:

• Sept. 9 — Building a Strong Moderator Team​
• Sept. 16 — Harnessing the Power of Analytics for Community Growth​
• Sept. 23 — Developing a Crisis Communication Plan for Your Community​
• Sept. 30 — Leveraging Your Community to Support New Initiatives​

Each workshop is packed with practical tips you can apply right away to strengthen and grow your community. Watch the recording and leave questions and insights in the comments, so we can all grow and thrive together.

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The Gathering Ground

FOR THE WEEK OF Oct. 14

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