Although many of us still like the experience of reading paper books, the convenience of having a ton of digital books at your fingertips is undeniable.
Whether you have a Nook or Kindle (or a competing) device, or use one of their apps on your other devices, the convenience factor is phenomenal.
Of course, having your books with you all the time also makes it likely that you will read more, such as when in line at Starbucks or the bank, or waiting for an appointment, etc...
Are business cards still relevant? It depends who you ask, of course. I believe they are still very much relevant for today's professional. It's critical to consider the digital side of what business cards are traditionally used for and not rely only on paper cards to exchange contact information. That said, I am still amazed at how many business cards I have on my desk at the end of a week or month. For those of us that are meeting new people at least somewhat regularly, having a system for dealing with all those cards and contacts is critical.
An important business skill is to create a simple system for translating business cards into data that can be mined when needed. Having an app with you so
you can scan a card and make notes right away is definitely a 5 star
option with today's technology.
Where does your time go? How can you possibly know unless you track it? Have you done one of those exercises where you track everything for a week, and although useful, you feel like you need "Time Tracking" added to the list because it felt like it took way more time than it should have?
What if there was an app for that? What, oh, of course there is! At least one...in fact there are several. After taking a sales audit course and realizing I hadn't been doing a good job of tracking how much of my time was spent on critical activities, I searched for an app instead of relying on my usual spreadsheets or a paper journal.
You may be surprised that we would include Google Maps in a list of productivity apps for greater success in the new year, but that's partly because this app (and others like it) are under-utilized for making more in less time. For example, say you have an appointment with someone and don't know where you're going.
You could use your "spidey-sense" and hope for the best, but when you show up late and explain that you got lost, people are less understanding today given the technology at hand. For the modern professional, there is simply no excuse any more for getting lost-- unless it's a particularly tricky address or in a GPS dead zone.
Nearly everyone has a goal, New Year's Resolution, or maybe just an intention to improve their health in some way, whether it's getting to the gym more often, reducing unhealthy foods, drinking more water, or some other action.
Even for my business clients, often fitness comes up --because without it, we don't have enough energy to accomplish other goals,
The End of a Story
by Julie Strzyz, ESI Personal Growth and Leadership Coach
I was impressed by a recent TEDx event called “The Energy of Eulogy”, given by a fellow coach, speaker, writer, and all-around magnetic individual. She described the power behind a eulogy as well as the message it leaves about the deceased. She challenged us as an audience to contemplate our own eulogies as the process defines how and who we will be.
I reflected on the eulogies of two recently deceased loved ones and the celebratory note of each of them. Yes, I was grieving intensely and missing them dearly but the pure joy I felt at the realization of their impact on the world was deep and consuming.
Using one master calendar that allows you to schedule on the go and reminds you ahead of time where you need to be is PRICELESS for success in business.
I have been using Google Calendar this past year, but frankly it doesn't matter which one you pick as long as it syncs to everything you need it to. I also like DejaOffice for this because it works across various Calendar programs and platforms (and Contacts), and lets you organize with Categories and color-code (yes, I'm a total nerd for this stuff!).
Some important features to consider of any decent mobile calendar app are as follows:
How many people do you know that have a goal to read a book a month? Or maybe to get through ONE book in a year? How many people do you know that are in a book club? And how many people do you know have a regular commute that is essentially wasted time? Ah-ha, there is a solution here, and it's called audio-books. A favorite app for this is Audible. Basically, it rocks. My clients, colleagues, friends, and I use it to listen to great book content we would otherwise probably not get to.
LinkedIn has been described by many as Facebook for business, but it's fair to say that's not fully accurate. Besides a way to express personality, connect with others, and show career history and highlights, it's also an opportunity to showcase one's professional possibility and to make a unique business contribution through valued content.
The key difference, obviously, is that the idea is to be PROFESSIONAL about all of it, including being truthful, earnest, and respectful. Facebook, much as I do appreciate it, is not any of these things for a noticeable chunk of users.
My
clients are probably sick of hearing me rave about Hootsuite, my social
media dashboard, aka "lifesaver." I mean, who has time to post decent
content 3 or more times a day on 3 or more social media accounts while
they are trying to run a business? Hootsuite, both via desktop and mobile app, allows me to create one message and post it to any combination of 5 different places.
Ross was having lunch with a referral and was hoping to close the sale. They seemed very interested and asked if he could email some documents that same afternoon to a colleague. Fortunately, he had them available via Dropbox and was able to send the message with attachments immediately. They were impressed, and he got the deal. Ross had previously lost valuable time with prospective clients because he had to wait until he got back to the office hours later,
What happens when you are driving around and have a killer idea that you want to get down before you forget?
You could:
1. Pull over and make a note-- but oops you're on the freeway and the next exit is miles away
2. Try to remember-- and then chastise yourself later because it slipped your mind
3. Scribble it on a gum wrapper or gas receipt-- which may be discovered later under the seat with illegible smudges
Welcome to the 12 Days of Apps from Envision Success Inc! We are reviewing 12 apps this month that we like, and that help our clients, friends, and colleagues be more productive.
The first is an indispensable product! Fortunately this is a piece of hardware (or software) that everyone has, either around the house, on their mobile device, and easily accessible at their nearby Target or grocery store:
A Timer
As in, a standard kitchen/household timer... Yep, this is a critical tool for getting the most focus when you really need it.
