Technology has changed the pace at which we work. We can now do things quicker, easier, and sometimes cheaper. It has also provided us with more choices; more demands on our time and sometimes instead of increasing our productivity… it kills our productivity.
Choose today to embrace tools that support you, learn applications that make your job easier and eliminate the distractions that rob your of your time.
Know Your Needs – Research the best tools to achieve your goals. Do you need a laptop because you travel, a smart phone or tablet to avoid carrying a laptop; or a desktop because you need a large screen for design? Understand which tools are going to be most beneficial for you.
Know the applications – When you own or purchase technology invest the time to learn the applications provided (especially short cuts for programs and quick reference guides) – leverage the functionality of each application.
Use DropBox – I love this application for sharing files in the cloud that you and your team can access from anywhere with any tools!
Invest in maintenance – Allocate time monthly maintaining technology. Schedule time to ‘defrag’ your computer; install new software, delete unused applications, remove large files, and back-up data. Scheduling time each month will ensure your technology runs at an optimum level regularly.
Outsource maintenance – if all this technology maintenance isn’t your thing… get help – delegate. Find a local business or college student that can assist you with this activity each month.
Back up weekly! Why it we wait until something is goes wrong that we thing about backing up our computers and technology? Schedule weekly back-ups to ensure you always have the latest information available. This became even more important to me when I had a laptop stolen, it sure does make you wish you had backed up more often!
Check email four times per day – seriously some clients are addicted to their email and that isn’t productive! Unless you are a brain surgeon or deliver babies… or maybe cure cancer – you don’t need to be checking email every few minutes. Allocate time throughout the day to check it (and delete it) but don’t be on email all day!
Use Out of office messages – every email system has the ability to share with people that advising them you are away. If you leave for long meetings, go on vacation or just want to focus on a project for a few hours… use out of office to manage other people’s expectations.
Update voicemail weekly – allow callers to know where you are going to be and how they can best reach you. Share alternative connection strategies i.e. cell phones, email or your assistant’s number (if you are lucky enough to have an assistant!)
Use the on/off buttons on everything – conserve electricity and get into the habit of turning off items not in use. This can also be a great tip if you work from home and get tempted to check your laptop at all hours… turn it off!
Skype meetings – this valuable video tool allows you to have conversation with multiple people and if you use video your meeting … partners won’t be multi-tasking! It avoids the need to travel to and from meetings and you can do it from the comfort from your office or home.
Consider alternative meetings methods – one is Skype, another is tele-coffees (you make a coffee and I make a coffee and we chat on the telephone) – takes no more than 15 minutes! I do tele-cocktails on Fridays – love those!
Limit time to 15 minutes! Stop wasting time clicking on one link after another – focus, set your target for the information you need to find and go find it. It is amazing how time disappears when we start to ‘play’ online!
Technology is a tool designed to help you do your job, increase productivity and increase communications … it is not supposed to kill your productivity. Applying these strategies will ensure when you use the right tools, set your time limits and know your systems you will definitely increase your productivity! Now about that new app for my iPad …
