In this day and age, more and more entrepreneurs are going it alone, or at the very least, with minimal support. And yet it still seems like it should take an army to build a successful business. The best news about our modern world is not that companies are easier to run, they’re just easier to manage solo, because of the stellar tools that help us create miracles.
Now that another new year is upon us, resolutions are running rampant. For business owners and execs, productivity usually lands at the top of their must-do lists. It’s one of those areas of our lives that can always be expanded and improved. Since most of us do not have the luxury of hiring a hefty staff to cover the load, technology is what comes to the rescue.
The suite of apps listed below are all incredibly powerful in helping each of us focus on what we do best. Leave the details to technology, and your company can flourish.
Humin – Let’s You Network Without Memorizing Details
We are all connected to hundreds, if not thousands, of people, but remembering how and where we first connected is nearly impossible. Yet it’s crucial for context in the value and need for each connection.
Enter Humin. This handy iPhone app captures the details of a connection so you don’t have to. Say you meet a new business contact for lunch. All you need to do is input their phone number, and Humin will log the details of the contact. Can’t remember who you had a meeting with last month in San Francisco? Ask Humin. Absolutely fantastic for busy professionals with a large rolodex of connections.
Timeful – Create Better Time Management Habits
Calendar apps have always tried to incorporate to-do lists, but most do it in a clunky and unusable fashion. Timeful, however, is a bright and shiny exception. Not only does this app masterfully connect calendar and to-do’s, it has a wicked-smart algorithm that starts to learn how it is you accomplish your tasks, and eventually it will start suggesting ways to be more productive. Timeful wants you to have better habits to get more done in less time. Brilliant!
Asana – Mobile-Friendly Task Management
All companies large and small have projects in the works, and managing these successfully is essential to overall success. Asana has been at the forefront of task and project management software for some time now, but their foray into mobile apps this year has landed them at the top of best-of lists. Asana is extremely feature-rich but still highly intuitive. It doesn’t overcomplicate the process of tracking tasks, people, and projects, and the app really is easy to use and extremely powerful. If you’re on-the-go and in need of a good project management tool, Asana will not disappoint.
Wunderlist – List-Making Genius
Almost every hyper-organized person has a love affair with making lists. One of the most critical components of list-making is the ease and speed at which one can jot down essential to-do’s. Wunderlist gets this emphatically, offering a fantastically useful tool that isn’t in the least bit over complicated. The minimalist and squeaky clean interface lets users prioritize tasks, create a bevy of list types, and you can even share or delegate your creations.
Pocket – Organize a World of Content
Business owners are now keenly aware that a strong digital presence requires oodles of relevant and informative content. In order to create great content, you need to consume plenty as well, but how often have you found an intriguing article with no time to read it? Pocket wants to help. This nifty creation lets you save content you find to go through at a later date, from just about any device. Save videos, articles, blogs, infographics, slideshows; you name it. And when you have a few spare moments to take in some inspiring creations,
Pocket is there for you.
Expensify – Manage Expenses in a Snap
The last thing we want to spend scads of our precious time on is expense reports. Expensify is not only a super easy and efficient expense report manager, it’s also totally free. Log receipt photos, track and log your mileage, and let the app analyze and record each relevant expense so you don’t have to worry about it. Expensify works on all mobile devices and the web as well.
LastPass – A Simple and Safe Password Database
If we added up the amount of time most of us spend trying to track down website passwords and usernames, we’d likely be appalled. Yet using the same login combination is a huge security risk. That’s why if you’re not using LastPass, you’re totally wasting valuable time. LastPass is a safe online password and login information database, and the only password you need to remember is the one that lets you access your LastPass info. It works across all devices via the cloud, and it’s super safe too; it includes multifactor authentication, which is just a fancy way of saying your data is staunchly protected. It’s free for a base level subscription, or spend just $12 for the year and get mobile access too.
These days, you’re only as efficient as the tools you use. Start mastering any of the apps listed above, and that efficiency is going to kick into high gear.
What other productivity tools have made your life easier?
