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5 great online tools to power your productivity

posted by Alicia in Solid Productivity Tips

There are many productivity tools available today,  and I want to share some of my favourites with you here. Generally, any tool I use for business has to match the following criteria (in no particular order):

Ease of use. I don’t want to spend too much time figuring out how something works. I like simplicity and don’t have the time to work out complex programmes.
Web based. Working in ‘the cloud’ sounds nice and fluffy, and for me it is. You can access data anywhere, on any computer and allow anyone you choose access too. The perfect solution for virtual and collaborative working and, there’s no need to download software or use valuable space on your hard drive. What’s more, the technical infrastructure is taken away from the user meaning one less thing to worry about if you’re not technically minded.
Free (or free trial). Like all business owners I want to keep my outgoings as low as possible. If I’m going to try a new tool it has to be free or at least have a free trial otherwise, sorry folks, I’m not going to use it.

Dropbox
A fantastic back-up and file sharing system. It backs up your files, stores them securely and updates files so you always have the most current version available. You can also share files and access them anywhere. This is perfect if you use a desktop computer in the office and a laptop at home. You can add Dropbox to as many pcs as you like or use the web access feature. All these features make it the perfect application for remote and collaborative working.

YouSendIt
Have to email a huge file that exceeds the sending limit? This solution is as simple as logging in and attaching the file to send. The recipient receives the notification via email when it’s ready to pick up. It’s secure and simple. The fee versions include tracking, larger file size limits, multiple users under one account, plus you can receive files via a branded Dropbox (see above), making collaborative working easy.

RSS (Real Simple Syndication)
This really deserves a whole post dedicated to it because it’s so great. Ever wondered what that orange button does on the websites and blogs you visit? It’s an RSS Feed icon. By clicking on the icon you can subscribe to your chosen website or blog so every time content is updated there you will receive it via your RSS Reader. (You can have RSS Feeds sent to your inbox or mobile device too but to keep it short & sweet I’ll concentrate on the web-based version for now). Your subscribed posts are stored here ready to read when you want. You need to subscribe to an RSS Reader to receive the updates – I use Google Reader because I like to separate updates from my emails. It’s great for keeping up to date with industry news, blogs or websites of interest. You can also subscribe to your favourite tweeters and get your Alerts* sent here too. First job of the day is seeing what’s going on in my RSS Reader. I love it.

Alerts*
If you want to keep up to date with industry specific news, trends, competitors and your online reputation, you need to subscribe to an alerts notification system. The most popular are Yahoo! and Google. By subscribing for alerts on your specified keywords, relevant articles will be sent to you via email or into your RSS Reader. This is a great tool for keeping in touch with what’s happening right now and what people are talking about online (including what they are saying about you or your clients).

Hootsuite
This is my new best friend. If you’re familiar with Tweetdeck – the Twitter client designed to manage your , well this is Tweetdeck with bells on. It’s designed for the professional user in mind but if you’re just starting out and following 100+ tweeters, I would recommend jumping on this. It’s an all in one tool that manages groups beautifully, helps you work on more than one account effortlessly, schedules tweets for later, shrinks links and records stats on click throughs. Oh, and did I mention it’s web based?

So there you have a short overview of some of my favourite web tools. If you’re not familiar with them, give them a try. Maybe you have some to add to that list? I’m always on the hunt for new and improved ways of working smarter, not only for my business but to ensure I provide excellent service for my clients too. So what online tools can you not live without?

Are you guilty of this productivity no-no?

posted by Alicia in Solid Productivity Tips

A few weeks back I was invited to attend a mini-workshop presented by a client. She was coaching a group of professionals at a large corporate firm on how to use NLP at work to achieve better results. I wanted to get a better understanding of what she does and this was the perfect opportunity to do so. Plus,  I would get to meet her face to face. She lives over 150 Kilometres away and all of our communication takes place via email and phone.

I got many useful gems out of the workshop, mainly about communicating to get what you want. But there was one thing in particular that really stuck with me. It is something that would normally be as foreign to me as speaking Japanese and will no doubt resonate with many of you.

Having made a career as a Personal Assistant for many years (and now a business owner) I’ve been programmed to do many tasks at once and wear a multitude hats. In today’s modern world it’s practically a necessity to multi-task as we move at speed to accomplish everything on our task lists. Many times I’ve marvelled in frustration at the local barista wondering why (oh why, oh why) he finds it impossible to hold a conversation and sprinkle cocoa on my tall skinny cappuccino at the same time? Does it really take that much brainpower to do two things at once?! But anyway, I’m not going to dwell on that too much.

Back at the workshop and this particularly shiny gem. My client announced to her captive audience that in order to increase productivity and save time we should not multi-task. Yep, you heard right: Do not multi-task. I struggled with this concept initially as I tried to grasp exactly what she was saying. I had been very proud of my aptitude to multi-task. I was even prone to bragging about it occasionally. Once it sank in it was like an epiphany. Not only was I being given permission to slow down and do one…thing…at…a…time, but I had an excellent reason for doing so: Give each task 100% of your focus and you will do it better, plus it will save time in the long run. Simple.

Ok, let’s be honest. How many times have you been on a conference call and flicked through emails? Me too! I used to think it was productive.  However, you can’t concentrate fully on more than one task, so in the end you have to go back over what you’ve discussed rather than taking it in the first time which makes no sense at all.

I’ve now adopted this new approach (ok it’s not strictly new, but it is to me).  It is a really smart way of working and it’s increased my productivity. Not only that, it feels like the natural way to work effectively. So, what do you think? If you are a habitual multi-tasker perhaps you should try it out. I would love to hear if it works for you too.

How to banish filing for good in 3 easy steps

posted by Alicia in Solid Productivity Tips

No filing. Now there’s a thought. Unfortunately it is an essential part of business and there isn’t a well-run office that can function without a bit of ‘neat and tidy’. But in reality, unless you have a sorry pile of papers sitting limply on your desk in need of sifting & collating, it doesn’t count. If you file as you go it is purely an extension of your everyday back-office process. So what’s the secret? Here is a stellar tip to minimise your filing and it is so simple you will wonder why you had never thought of it before.

  • Keep a stash of clear plastic folders and sticky labels within arms reach of your desk. Every project should have a plastic folder and every paper, document or scribbled note relating to that project slips inside making it is easy to find.
  • Each time you start a new project, stick a label on your plastic folder in the top right hand corner and write the file name there. (You could type it but I suspect if you’re that way inclined you don’t need any organising tips from me but may need help with procrastination). Even if you end up with a pile of these folders on your desk the correct file can be found in a fraction of the time spent wading through a massive stack of unruly papers. (Just to note, this isn’t the objective but it’s better than the previous situation and at least you’ve tried!) If you want to take it a step further you can use coloured plastic folders that relate to particular areas of your business, for instance: clients / new business / finance / whatever.
  • You also need a bunch of empty hanging files in your pedestal next to your desk that the plastic folders can slip in to. You can label these with the sticky labels too – don’t worry about those fiddly label holders that come with the hanging files.

That’s it! Just remember these 2 rules: Keep it simple; keep it close. By having your filing equipment within easy reach of your desk you will be more inclined to file as you go along and wave goodbye to that messy back-log of filing for good.