October 07, 2013

109: Seven Tools to Help You Do Your Best Work

44 minutes

Technology is great, but only if it helps you work better. On this episode, I share 7 tools that I use and will help you get the most of our your time. I currently use them all daily in my work and I’m excited to share their benefits with you.

My three criteria for selection these tools:

Cross-platform

Not apps/tools that you already know everything about

Clear business model

Frees time to invest doing the things you are best at

I currently use all of them

Highrise (highrisehq.com)

The problem this solves: Trying to piece together everything someone has every told you in multiple places.

Far less complex than traditional CMSs

Manage relationships

Track conversations

Tag people for events, projects, etc.

Track details (birthdays, family names, etc.)

Integrates Twitter and LinkedIn

Basic task management

Tracks pending customer deals

Free plan up to 250 contacts / 30-day free trial

What will this help you do? Get stuff out of your head and manage lots of different relationships.

Basecamp (basecamp.com)

The problem this solves: Re-doing the same work again and again and checking in to see if people have done stuff.

Project management tracking

Templates for projects

Integration with a team

No free version, but a 60-day free trial (no credit card), $20/month

TimeTrade (timetrade.com)

The problem this solves: Spending countless hours going back and forth with people on times to schedule with you.

You give TimeTrade calendar access (Outlook, Calendar, Google calendar) and it looks for free spots

You have a link and people can schedule and cancel automatically

Great for people who are outside your organization and don’t want to have any detailed access to your calendar

Appointments show up automatically in calendar and by email

One downside – you need to watch what is free in your calendar

Free version is available, but I use the $49/year version

Lift (lift.do)

The problem this solves: Keeps you on track for the daily habits that are important to you.

Set habits in the system

Track when you complete them

Follow others and encourage others and get encouragement in return

Example: Wake up at 5am

It sends you little motivators by email on alerts on your phone

This version is entirely free

See screenshot below from my iPhone

Instapaper (instapaper.com)

The problem this solves: Cool articles on the web distracting you from getting your work done

Set up an account and install an extension in your browser

See something you like? Hit the button on your browser and it saves it into your account.

Read it later on the device you want to use. I use the Instapaper app on my iPad.

I can then send it other places.

Instapaper account is free, but the apps are a few dollars, depending on the device you use. Or, you can read on the web.

Pocket is a another alternative, but I’m not clear on their business model.

Buffer (bufferapp.com)

The problem this solves: Staying engaged on social media without having to be on social media all the time

One of my goals this year – show up more online. But how, with limited time?

Fill your queue with relevant things for the people who follow you

Buffer will post them on your behalf at regular intervals

Great way to feature the work of others – I do this especially with Twitter

Free version available, but I use $10/month version

1Password (1password.com)

The problem this solves: Not having to track all those passwords in your life and also limiting the ability of hackers to get access to your life

Create unique passwords for every site you visit online

Keep them all in one place, protected by a master password

Syncs across devices using Dropbox or iCloud

Massive time saver and fantastic peace of mind

Just this week, Adobe announced they had a breach of accounts

$40-$80 depending on the version you buy

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By Dave Stachowiak

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