When you are launching your business while working full-time, time is a resource you can’t afford to waste. Having good time management skills and tools enables you to work smarter instead of harder.
Here are ten on-line tools you can use to increase your productivity (and save your sanity). You can watch the video (to the right) for a quick update and an overview of the first five tools on the list.
1. Hootsuite: For managing your social networking profiles from one screen.
2. Gmail: Great for synchronizing your email and managing multiple calendars so you don’t have to check multiple systems.
3. Timebridge: An awesome on-line scheduling application with an upgrade option for a built in conference line.
4. Toodledo – Lets you manage your To-Do list online and from your phone. Options to help prioritize tasks and set deadlines. This integrates with your google calendar and gives you the option to print out a pocket To-Do list.
5. Google Reader: Manage RSS feeds so you can stay up to date with your favorite blogs and sites from one location – like having your own personal online news site.
Here’s the other five tools, not covered in the video:
6. MobileMe: Or any other on-line file folder tool that lets you store documents on-line so you can access them from anywhere (also a great back up strategy).
7. DivShare: Allows you to upload, store and share files of all types so you don’t have to send attachments via email. Gives you a few different ways to share like direct download or a hot link. It will even show you stats so you can see how many times your download has been accessed.
8. Last Pass: There’s nothing worse than needing to log into a site and having wait for them to send you the log in information because you forgot – again. This free tool securely stores your login information and passwords for you. For PC and Mac users and works on Firefox and Explorer. Huge timesaver!
9. Evernote: Think of it like virtual post-it notes – you can write an actual note or “capture” snippets of things you find on line. Evernote then lets you tag it and organize it so you can search your “notes” and find what you need when you need it – for free. The upgrade to premium ($45/year) lets you clip from PDFs and access notes via your iPhone.
10. Mind42: An easy to access, easy to use web based mind-mapping tool. Great for brainstorming by yourself or with others – everyone gets to see and make updates to the same shared map. Mind maps are a huge help for those of us who need to see our ideas. Mind42 replaces that messy folder or notebook of ideas that you’ve been carrying around.
October 4, 2010
Resources, Tools, and Tips, Time Management & Productivity